Great Filmmaking Needs Good Karma

As a service to the young filmmakers who submit films to the YoungCuts Film Festival, we will be featuring weekly filmmaking tips from YoungCuts Alumni, Partners and Friends.

If you want to become a filmmaker, learn to become a good listener and an observer. A filmmaker who wants to speak and not listen is doing herself a great disservice. What your mother told you growing up is true: you have two ears and only one mouth, because you should listen twice as much as you talk. 

Work on other people's projects in any capacity that interests you and give it your best shot without worrying about how it serves you. Karma is at work more so in cinema than in any other field of art. And it is an entirely collaborative field.

Having said that, do not leave yourself open to abuse. Protect yourself, but be open to learning.

Trust your instincts and your gut reactions when casting. It is the most important element when it comes to directing actors.

The same is true of your crew. You are building a team to make your film. Each person that you add to your film's team has to be good at their job and great at working with everyone else on your team. 

Be kind, but make sure your crew is well rested and on the ball. No drugs on or off set during a shoot. No late night parties and no negative energy on the set.

Arshad Khan is a Montreal filmmaker. He was the Art Director on Deepa Mehta's Midnight's Children. His film Doggoned was one of our Top 100 International Short Films for 2012. Follow Arshad on Twitter: @arshadfilms

Agree with Arshad? Disagree? Have your own filmmaker tips, best practices or mistakes to avoid that you would like to share? Get in touch! E-Mail the YoungCuts Film Festival Director: festivaldirector@YoungCuts.com