Learning and Evolving in Film (MMM#53)
Greetings all,
Madeline here with another chapter in The Movie Minute. Today, we’ll be focusing on how learning something new is always important, no matter how long one has been in filmmaking.
I’ve been part of the Poor Bear Stories team since 2023, having previously interned with Jacob back in the summer of 2022, between my junior and senior years as I studied at the Savannah College of Art and Design for my BFA in Film and Television. But even with the immense amount of skills and talent I’ve earned over the years, I believe I could still learn more about how to become an amazing filmmaker.
That’s why Jacob had me take a couple courses from The Art of Documentary- one focused on editing and one focused on producing. Since he sees huge potential in myself in strengthening my skills as an editor and even taking on a producing role for upcoming projects, he believed I could take it a step further with these courses. While both the editing and producing contained some refreshers of things that I’ve already known beforehand for years, there were still a lot of important tidbits that will be useful as I advance further in my filmmaking journey. For example, the producing course empathizes figuring out the scope and setting boundaries with clients, which will be crucial when having a thorough and detailed plan that will result in an amazing story at the end.
This is also important when it comes to the different types of clients and projects. On one hand, documentary projects might offer some more leeway as the subject/client can be open to different ways to execute the story. On the other hand, corporate projects may be more rigid, with a firm and clear plan for what they want, although some may be willing to adjust as needed. In addition, the editing course stresses the importance of considering pacing, structure, and the meaning of different elements, such as music and color, that can have an impact on how the story is presented. Over the years as I did more editing and shooting with the team, I’ve become more diligent and independent through working smarter rather than harder. That meant planning more effectively with the footage that I shoot and what supplementary content I use, as that makes things a lot easier in the long run. This absolutely held true as I moved on from just editing reels to crafting full-on highlight videos from scratch.
To wrap things up, I continue to learn a lot of things as I continue to evolve as a storyteller. And as long as I keep strengthening my skills, whether it takes a day or many years, it will certainly pay off in the long run as I become more confident and independent with my growth in filmmaking.
And that concludes this entry in The Movie Minute. Wishing you all the best, and see y’all in 2! -Madeline
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