Advice For Starters

Many people are filled with passion to carry out their crafts. Many people find themselves restricted from doing what it is they want to do. Most of the time, the restricted feeling is due to money and material setbacks. I've seen so many, myself included at one point, that have extraordinary ideas they want to bring forth but do not because they don't have the expensive material things needed to produce.

This is a common mistake. My words of advice to those starting out; do not let the lack of money and materials stop you from developing your craft. You may not be able to produce your idea fully or develop a complete project, but you can still fuel your craft by doing what you can.

I've been fortunate enough to meet with some of my favorite TV and on screen stars who I've been able to get a few words of wisdom from. I learned some very great advice from actor Kevin Bacon that he shared with students at the University of Southern California. He said that no matter what your craft or passion is, always apply your everyday life to developing and strengthening that craft.


What he meant by such is this; you may be limited to the amount of things you can actually do, but you should still be able to apply your everyday living to what it is you love to do. It doesn't just have to be film making, it could be anything from acting to singing. As an inspiring filmmaker, I was extremely limited to what it was I wanted to do. I didn't have equipment or the money to buy what I needed, but I had many ideas and visions that didn't know how to use otherwise.


But by finding out ways to further develop my craft and passion without stressing on equipment and money, I was able to incorporate alternatives. The videos I have shared with you on this site are included in those alternatives. What those videos allowed me to do was extend my aspirations in editing and dodge the, what I thought to be, requirements of footage and sound. With no equipment, I decided to download a free editing program. I played around with the features and taught myself how to use it. I started importing movie files and music and before you know it, I was editing. It allowed me to express my talent in storytelling without actually filming a story. This helped me to practice editing in a fashion that then shaped my ability to edit in college on advanced programs. I wasn't confined to the requirements of cameras, sound, microphones, location scouting, etc. However, I was still able to apply what it is I love to do toward what I'm aspiring to be.

I had written many scripts, some 156 pages or more. Some of those scripts would cost an enormous amount of money to produce. However, I was able to select certain scenes from the story that could be easily staged on a small scale and wouldn't cost much to anything to shoot. And on a small video camera, I shot selected scenes to further develop an understanding of shot composition and so forth. The standard camera I want to use is the typical camera for just starting out, but it costs around 5,000 dollars or more, which is the type of camera used to film the movie Cloverfield. That cost is typical in range for independent filmmakers. However, I can't let circumstances such as that completely stop me from doing what I love.


Even for those of you starting out in acting, which is an extremely competitive area, do not let such circumstances fully limit you to developing your craft. Apply your everyday living to what it is you want to do. For example, sit in a coffee shop one day and just watch people walk in. Examine and study each individual as they order from the counter. Watch their movements, study their appearance, learn their accents, etc. Go home and try to imitate and act the different characteristics of people. Or watch television with the set on mute, and speak for each individual on screen in relation to the setting to help develop your improvisation and quick thinking skills. These kinds of things will help extensively in developing your acting range, and they're also easy and cost nothing to do. When the opportunity of an audition does actually present itself, you will be far more advanced than someone just sitting around waiting for something to come to them.


This doesn't just apply to film making and acting as I said, it can apply to any area of desired expertise. Just find a way to apply your everyday living to what it is you want to do as your craft or talent. If you want to do something so bad and you are extremely passionate about it, there should never be a day that goes by that time is wasted. An inch of time is an inch of gold, but you can't buy an inch of time with an inch of gold. Don't waste it.


I hope this helps a bit. Happy Film Making!