Unlike so many other aspects of filmmaking, what happens in the editing room is as close to magic as you can get. Close to magic, because how exactly do you explain what it is that makes a person want to keep watching something? For Chris Franklin, this magic happens when he’s living and breathing the narrative.
Amid the hustle and bustle of getting things done, it’s easy to lose sight of who we are and what we’re about—it’s easy to neglect our brand. We can get so caught up creating that we forget the “why” behind our work, and everything we do starts to feel fluid and ungrounded.
In this episode of YouTube Masters, YouTube duo Colin and Samir talk about the biggest mistake filmmakers make — here’s a hint: it’s before you even start filming.
In Episode 3 of YouTube Masters, Satchell Drakes, who has worked with brands like Nintendo, Nike, and eBay, (not to mention was also a YouTuber on the board of the Internet Creator’s Guild), talks about how empathy for your viewers is the driving force behind impactful and effective communication.
In Episode 2 of YouTube Masters — an educational series from leading creators, for creators — photography/videography duo Becki + Chris break down the storytelling aspect of filmmaking.
For Nike’s Lebron 17 spot, the team at Blue Ox Films knew they needed to do more than think outside the box—they needed to create a new one.
When the team at Park Stories was tapped by Quibi to produce the new series Prodigy, they had a vision in their head—an extremely polished, yet creative examination of young athletic talent at the highest level. So, when they were hunting down music for the show, they knew they needed music to match the quality of their work.
Iz Harris has done a lot of things. She’s created wedding videos, branded content, tutorials, vlogs, and more, which she attributes to “creative ADHD.” We attribute it to being a good creative—and her YouTube channel is blowing up because of it. Her personality, authenticity, and editing make for a compelling watch on a consistent basis, but most importantly she can tell a good story. Simple as that. And, as we discuss in this interview, that’s all you truly need as a creator on YouTube.
Two of the latest trends in film have existed for centuries in the theater. Plays are all done in one take. And plays are 3D. But while the medium has been around since before anyone can remember, it hasn’t changed all that much. In the end, it’s actors on a stage telling you a story. Which is what makes theater an ideal training ground for film directors. Stripping something down to its essential components teaches you how it works.
In film, it is not enough to be a storyteller. You have to be a storyshow-er. A storyvisualizer. You need to tell stories cinematically — which, as you might expect, is what Jennifer Van Sijll’s book, Cinematic Storytelling, is all about. Sijll explains there has been an unhealthy divide created between the technical side of filmmaking and the story side: “In teaching filmmaking, story and film are often taught separately. Screenwriters are housed in one building, production people in another. Unintentionally, a divide is created where there should be a bond. Technical tools become separated from their end, which is story.”
