Storytelling Beats Gear Every Single Time

If you think having the latest and greatest camera is going to make your work great, well you're wrong. There's an idea that films cannot be art unless the tools are accessible to everyone. Just like artists are able to paint on a canvas and all they need is a brush and paint, up until recently, films needed to have expensive equipment, large crews, and, it's gate-kept for everyone who wants to be an artist.

So what do you do? You have a phone in your pocket right now that has better quality than some feature films were shot with 20 years ago. At the end of the day, story is what matters. You need to be able to connect with your audience on an emotional level. I

have worked with budgets of 6 figures and up, used the best camera and lenses the industry has to offer, and so many crew members on one set, you couldn’t keep track of everyone. But does that make the project, good? We see it all the time, how can large Hollywood movies, be so bad at times? They had every resource that was available to them, but maybe there was not a clear vision. Maybe, there were too many cooks in the kitchen, or the script just wasn't where it needed to be when the project was green lit.

An Aputure 600x Pro light being used on set.

Why is there such a cult following for indie films? A lot of times, those films don’t have the budget, or the equipment you need to make it industry standard- but they come from passion. When you have passion- then the emotional narrative will ALWAYS connect with the audience.

So don't lie to yourself and say you can't do produce your next film because you don't have the right gear, or you don't have the right camera, because right now, the only thing holding you back is yourself.

And I get it. I've even told myself that many times, “If I only had this. If I only had that.” If you're creative enough, you don't need to have the latest and greatest gear to make incredible work.