Filmmaking is a powerful tool to engage people. Combining a strong story with the right audio and visuals can spark emotions and action!

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There’s no better place to find inspiration than nature itself. Go for a walk in a protected area near you and discover the beauties of nature. Take time to explore and observe and take it all in. Leave your phone turned off and note your storytelling ideas on paper.

The following questions can guide you through this process:

What are you passionate about?

What topic evokes emotions when you think about it?

What emotion is it?

What would you like to share with others?

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The protagonist creates an emotional connection to your story. It helps the viewer to identify and relate. Remember, your character could be an object/animal and doesn’t need to be a person.

Try to find someone who can answer the key question for your film. Think about characters you already know, ask friends and family, and do research online.

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If you break it down to its basics, every story is divided into three parts: The beginning, the middle, and the end.

• The opening of your story is the HOOK. You grab people’s attention, e.g., by introducing the protagonist or showing the location. Use your best shots and editing skills in the hook as it determines whether people watch the rest. After the hook, you establish the conflict. This can be an obstacle or challenge your protagonist has to overcome. The conflict creates tension in the minds of the audience.

• The middle part of your story starts with the initiation of the character‘s JOURNEY. Show the journey of how your protagonist takes on the conflict. The journey can include setbacks on the way to overcoming the conflict.

• The RESOLUTION is the climax of your story. It is the moment when your protagonist overcomes the conflict. The audience finally finds out about the learnings, losses, and goals that the protagonist has experienced on their journey. The central question of the film is answered.

• The ending of your story is called the jab. Here you can include a call to action.

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Instead of using the original audio of an interview, a voice-over is a wonderful alternative to narrating your film. A voiceover overlaps a sound or film recording with a spoken text. It helps you deliver the video’s overall message in an exact and planned way, as you can choose every word. A voicer over could be a poem, an interior monologue, or a classic narrator.

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A moodboard is a collection of images, films, music, colour schemes, etc., which help you define your film’s visual idea. You should prepare a mood board before every film. If you are working in a team, it helps the others better understand what your film might look like and what colours and perspectives you want to include.

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A shotlist helps you plan your film production. It will give you an idea about your shooting schedule and what pictures you need to capture to tell your story.

Think about scenes that you need to tell your story. Write down rough ideas, then go into more detail about the shots you need. You can follow the „Basic Coverage“ Method to shoot each scene:

ESTABLISHING SHOT: this is a wider shot that sets the context for a scene by showing the relationship between its important figures and objects.

EXTREME WIDE SHOT: the extreme wide shot is taken from a distance. It can be used to show landscapes.

LONG SHOT: features the entire character/ protagonist/an object/animal from head to toe

MEDIUM SHOT: frames a character from their waist up.

CLOSE-UP: shows a detail like a hand or an object.

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Locations have the potential to create depth and intrigue your characters and your stories. They can also help us visually communicate a great deal of information in a short amount of time. A bad location can completely disconnect us from our scene or character. So places are essential! With today’s technology, it is possible to do location scouting without leaving your home. Searching for a location online is also good before seeing it in person.

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Before filming, you must visually understand where you will work and know the best angle and time to shoot. Check the location for the following factors:

RELEVANCE | Does it fit or relate to our character and the story?

COMFORT | Will the characters feel at ease in the given environment?

PRODUCTION FRIENDLY | Can we get good light and sound, and is it accessible?

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Bluntly speaking: It doesn’t matter what gear you have! What matters far more is that you know how to use your camera. Almost any camera will do a good job as long as you’re telling an interesting story and you shoot in good light.

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