What makes a Film?

People have been making films for over a century at a constant rate. Some have been good, some have been bad but nevertheless, every film ever made has been a chance for filmmakers to practice their craft and create, even just a single frame, a glorious masterpiece that will grace audiences for generations to come.

But what makes a film? What truly makes a film?

As we all know, Filmmaking is an art form. a technological art form that is constantly evolving and adapting, but many people don't see it that way. Many audiences just want to see a blockbuster or a horror or a romcom or an extravagant action film. To many filmmakers, stuff like that is worthless. They just want to create art, and that is the very very first step into making your film!

It starts with an idea, whether its for a script or a scene or even just a single shot. Every film ever made has started from a single idea, much like every art piece, painting, sculpture and mosaic. It all started from a single light bulb inside the brain lighting its way into reality. That is where it starts and from there, the feeling of making it starts to kick in!

"Filmmaking is a chance to live many lifetimes." Robert Altman, Producer, 20/11/2006

So where do we go from here? This is where the beauty of filmmaking happens. You start to bring together people.

People are what makes a film happen. You will collaborate with cinematographers, sound editors and recordists, artists, producers, lighting specialists, actors, editors and so on. Once you have people helping to make your film then there you go, you are making a film! That's what makes a film.

It's the incredibly talented people who help design the perfect, most beautifully crafted shot, who help craft a delicate and authentic sound that has never been heard before, the most wonderous performance which gives you the opportunity to meet your written character in real life! and its the editors who present to you the film you have always dreamed of making.

Collaboration is filmmaking. Its what makes the Industry happen and how everything functions. Once the passion is there, it never goes away and its one of the most fundamental cogs that makes a film.

This is where networking comes in. It may seem daunting and terrifying but the passion is still there and networking is vital to find the people that will help make your film. This is the Film Industry.

It is full of people who want to help make films happen, whether its for money or for free. The Film Industry is where the movie magic happens and its where you go to make your film. Its where you find the people you need and where the tools and money are and once you finally understand how it operates and how to navigate it, you can make virtually anything you have ever dreamed about!

So you have your people, the tools, the money and now you have your film!

But there is one last thing that makes a film and you have to wait till the end of the process to fully understand its vital importance: the audience.

Every artist who ever lived has made an art piece for themselves and then displayed it to the world because they want people to understand its importance and appreciation and it is the same for films.

Films were originally created to show the audience something new and interesting and the same principal has carried on to this day. Films are made to be beautiful, but the audience are what truly makes a film because they are the ones who watch it, who see it and decide if its good or bad, not the filmmaker.

Unfortunately, this is the harsh reality of filmmaking. You will always get people who will dislike your film, its inevitable.

This is where learning comes in. If you have a film that you knew was incredible, but the audience disagrees, then that is your opportunity to learn from that film and bring those lessons to the next film you make and so on and so on. Then the next film you make will be better that the previous and the audience will begin to appreciate your work more.

Every filmmaker and director who ever lived has made a bad film and they have learned from it and made something better. Those lessons helped them grow into the filmmakers they eventually became.

Learning is what makes a film! Failure is what makes a film! The audience is what makes a film!

So there you have it, you have made a film!

Not literally, like you have learned how to make it and I can almost certainly guarantee you that if you keep the three things I have talked about in your mind (the idea, the people, the audience) you can make absolutely anything!

Art always begins somewhere and it keeps passion alive and as long as you are passionate about what you do then there is no stopping you. The world of filmmaking is your oyster and an adventure in itself.

Once you know how to navigate it and understand its operations, its routes, its functions then you can make the film you have always dreamed of making and these three things I have talked about on what makes a film is exactly what the title of this blog means!

The idea starts the film, the people make the film and the audience see the film.

As long as you fully understand all three of these things then nothing can stop you and you will become a very successful and passionate filmmaker.

I guess that's the last thing that needs to be said and probably the most important thing that makes a film:

Passion is what makes a film!