Story, Story, Story
One of the most obvious mistakes that beginning film makers make on their first films is that they loose track of the supreme importance of the story. Everything in the work of art is motivated by the story. The story drives the movie’s engine. Every camera position and angle must be fully motivated by the story. In fact, nothing should occur in the movie that isn’t motivated by the story. If a story has problems, then nothing else can fix the movie… not even famous stars. Much of what has come out of Hollywood over the past century could fill a football stadium with endless cans of film where producers and directors tried to distract the audience using stars, special effects, great music and other tools to try to camouflage the fact that their film had a flawed story.
Often beginning filmmakers put all their attention on getting “A” list stars attached to their project and spend much time raising funds. Film making on smaller budgets puts great demands on the above the line staff. It is for this reason that so often story takes a back seat. Frequently I hear new filmmakers describing their projects as “direct to video.” Most of the time, these new directors and producers have no idea of the competitiveness of the market or for that matter, what the market is. Recently I met a filmmaker who mentioned that their low budget project was aimed at the “direct to video market.” I asked them if they were going to attend the Independent Feature Film Market, but they were totally unaware of the market or the organization IFP. I visited their project web site and found no emphasis on their story. Instead, the emphasis was on the stars attached and their rudimentary perception of the market. What is the prime thing that film buyers find attractive at a market such as IFFM, Berlin or Cannes?
Story!
A good story is the talk of the market, especially if it is done on a shoestring such as Robert Rodriquez’s “El Mariachi.” If rumor spreads from your market screenings that you have a good story, you will have lots of deals offered to you. Let’s take it a step further. Why “Story, Story, Story?” The story motivates every thing in your film. The lighting should be motivated totally by it. Sound design, art direction and every other aspect of the project hinges on the story. If a scene doesn’t have coherent motivation, then there is no way a Director of Photography can create a properly motivated shot. Often if people such as your DP or Set Designer are having trouble with deciding a camera angle or color for a wall for instance, usually there is a flaw with the motivation of the scene.
One of the best ways to overcome a story problem is during rehearsal or other pre-production activities. As a director you look for any misunderstanding of the story that your staff has. This is one of the last times you can correct story problems. When a set designer asks you why a certain wall should be painted gray, for example, make sure that there is a consensus of opinion regarding the motivation for the color from the story. It shouldn’t simply be the opinion of an autocratic director, but actually the “opinion” as motivated by the scene. Of course everyone has their artistic opinion, but everyone needs to be in sync regarding the motivation coming from the story.
If one walks away from a film and is overwhelmed how great the music track was, then the film likely has a problem. How many films have you seen that all you can remember is the music? Probably too many. If a single element such as photography, music, sets or costumes stand out, then it was probably not motivated by the story. If all the elements stand out as being great in a film, then chances are, the story was great and all the department head and actors on the film understood the story.
That brings us to another way films often fail. A great story has been handed to a director who doesn’t understand it. If the principal auteur of the film hasn’t a clue, then the film is being driven by a captain without a compass. I know of many instances of this and have seen producers fire directors and replace them often with an actor. In nearly all of the instances, it is still too late to save the film as so much commitment was made in pre-production to the incorrect ideas of the director who didn’t understand the story.