Great filmmakers have the innate ability to capture a beautiful scene out of an ordinary situation. They have an excellent eye for detail and are intrinsically talented in detecting natural beauty. With the masterpieces filmmakers can create, the industry is naturally tough to get through.
Hence, if you wish to have a place in this competitive industry, let’s talk about the qualities you need to develop. This article also lists the steps to perfect a filmmaking resume to show what more you can offer.
Filmmakers at a glance
A filmmaker is the director or producer of a movie. They are the ones in charge of making, leading, and developing movie productions.
Great filmmakers take risks and push boundaries to present the audience with a good quality film. In addition, they develop an artistic perspective and add their ideas to that masterpiece.
Qualities of a great filmmaker
While any other field in the movie industry needs to build a specific set of skills to be better at their jobs, filmmakers must be a master of everything. They must be a jack of all trades, from knowing how to be a good gaffer, creative editor, or eloquent writer.
The list below will give you an overview of the qualities great filmmakers possess — the skills you need to be the best filmmaker someday.
1. Leads by example
A typical four-minute scene we see in movies usually takes 30 minutes to an hour to shoot. This may even extend depending on everybody’s performance. That is why everyone must remain professional during the whole shoot to ensure an efficient and productive workday.
As such, you could rarely see a filmmaker messing up. They need to lead by example and become the most professional person in the room to encourage others to do the same.
2. Creative flair
Filmmakers have a strong sense of creativity. They can transform a script into an engrossing story through creative imagination and understanding of natural human behaviour.
Besides having artistic visions for the movie, filmmakers are also intrinsically talented in choosing the ideal actors to play the part. Someone whom they’re sure would give justice to the role.
3. Technologically savvy
Filmmakers aren’t exactly experts on the technologies editors and camera operators use, but they at least know how they work. They are aware of technical elements in the studio, so they understand the fundamentals of filmmaking.
4. Well-organized
Producers or directors are responsible for making sure everything is smooth-sailing. They see that the whole crew works professionally while ensuring that the film expenses fit the budget. They even deal with production facility schedules, staff and technical crew schedules, and actor availability. They keep everything organized before, during, and after production.
Needless to say, great filmmakers have a keen eye for detail.
5. Exceptional communicator
Due to their demanding work, filmmakers needed to become effective communicators, be it oral or written. They talk with the actors, technical crew, and investors regularly, so good communication skills are essential to convey their messages well.
6. Great motivator
Besides being comfortable with delegation or telling people what to do, great filmmakers can push an actor to produce their best dramatic performance. They can also drive editors to create special effects for the movie.
7. Understands the audience
Sometimes, however hard you work to make films for the mainstream, there’s always the harsh reality that not everyone can get in. But this shouldn’t stop you from doing a project that you love and earn something from it.
With this, learn to build on your audience. Understand your niche and design a method to excite them. If you’re a beginner, you can try Raindance’s Micro-Budget Filmmaking.
How to become a filmmaker
Filmmakers usually start from the bottom, and this is what makes them very effective. So, let’s take baby steps. Check out the initial things to do to become a filmmaker.
1. Get professional experience
Experience outweighs education. Of course, having a degree would give you a competitive edge, but your in-the-field experience is the most important in filmmaking. Famous filmmakers like Christopher Nolan didn’t have a degree to begin with.
Hence, it’s not enough to learn theories. You have to see how the industry goes in real life. Start by applying as an intern or for an entry-level job under your filmmaking heroes. Then, study the basics through the crew and observe your filmmaker hero’s filming strategies.
While starting from the beginning, hone your skills and experiences.
2. Build a network
Build a connection with the rest of the crew. Gain inspiration and learn new techniques from experienced professionals. Creating meaningful connections would also be beneficial in the future as they may become a valuable network.
3. Prepare a portfolio
Ready your portfolio and highlight your past works. Show them a vivid scene of how your experiences molded you as a filmmaker. Think of your portfolio as your audition piece that showcases your qualifications for the job.
Planning a creative resume
Besides your portfolio, your resume also presents what you can offer as a filmmaker. So, it pays for you to ace it.
Here are the best practices for you to follow:
1. Use an appropriate resume template
Choose a resume template that will help hiring teams follow the information you wrote. Pick a template for your film resume that would fit the essential information:
- Contact details. These should include your name, work title, phone number, email address, and website URL.
- Skills. Write down the hard and soft skills that make you a good fit for the job. List down also the filmmaking tools you know how to use.
- Education. If you have an educational background in filmmaking, write it in this section.
2. Open with an attention-grabbing career summary
Promote yourself as the top candidate. Use specific keywords that fit what you know the hiring team would love to hear. Entice them with your concise yet powerful choice of words.
3. Highlight your film credits
Work your resume like it’s doing the initial pitch for you. Write down the best films you were part of, or list the directors you had a chance of working for. Organize them by completion date and type of genre, so the hiring team has an idea of which genres you’re an expert in.
4. Show and don’t tell
You may come to an investor to show your passion for filmmaking, but all they’ll ever think about will be profits. We know it’s harsh, but it’s the truth.
As such, show them data. Write out the actual numbers, like your films’ viewership numbers or movie sales. If you don’t have a precise number to present, use percentages.
5. Add finishing touches
Make sure your resume is perfect and ready for viewing by designing it well. Write and design your resume professionally but creatively. Use subtle designs that reflect your character. Or, pick design accents that will help make your design look polished.
Finally, run through your resume for any errors. Scan for possible misspelled words or incorrect grammar.
And the scene!
The easy answer to building on your filmmaker resume is to study filmmaking and apply everything you learned. But to become the best filmmaker, you need to understand the ins and outs of filmmaking.
Study the history and explore the trends. Learn cinematography techniques and immerse yourself in different writing styles. You can even go ahead and travel to better grasp how humans in every area usually behave. All these will result in seamless storytelling via film.
After you work on your experiences, gather them all in one creative portfolio and resume. Good luck with your future in-person or video job interview!
Did you know?
- Raindance members save 20% on filmmaking courses?
You can join online >HERE< and access freebies and discounts immediately - This course is FREE for our HND, top-up BA and postgraduate/MA/ students
- You can book a free 1-1 consultation about our full-time filmmaking degree courses HERE
- The Raindance Guarantee: If any filmmaking course fails to meet your expectations, let us know at the break and we will make a full, 100% no-questions-asked refund
- We don’t teach ‘filmmaking’ at Raindance. At Raindance we make filmmakers.
