The One Filmmaking Skill You Can’t Buy
Here’s the equipment no camera store can sell you:
Your taste.
Your eye.
Your instincts.
Your voice.
There was a moment on Summer of Violence when we had already shot the scene and needed to move on because the budget and the schedule were tight. We only had the room for one more day. But I knew I didn’t get what I needed. We were so focused on getting the shots the DP wanted, but I wanted something more magical.
So I went back in, and I was really clear about what I needed the DP to shoot. It was simple atmospheric stuff, because we had built this incredible location from scratch, and it was telling a whole story that no one saw but me.
To be fair, the room didn’t exist before. It was only in my head. And once we built it and I saw it, I had to decide very quickly how to shoot it. It took me a day, which was too long, but that’s another story.
We went back in and shot the scene, and it became one of the most beautiful, quiet moments in the film because I knew what we needed to reveal about that character, the feeling of getting inside her head. A simple moment that elevated the story.
If I had let my DP stick to the list, “we need this shot and that shot,” instead of trusting my gut, we would have missed the whole emotional core of that moment. That location held part of the character’s truth. It wasn’t on the page; it lived in the space itself.
Always look for that. Locations can be extensions of the character. They can hold story that isn’t written down. And noticing that, choosing that, comes from your brain. Your thinking. Your instincts.
A director with taste can make a beautiful scene with:
- One lamp
- A window
- A lav
- A textured wall
Don’t collect gear.
Collect taste.
Collect judgment.
Collect the courage to say, “This is enough. Let’s shoot.”
These five tips are everything you need to start shooting your indie film right now. Whether you’re making a short film, a full feature, or a vertical drama, it’s all the same. Go with what you have. Trust your eye. Trust your story. Save these emails and refer back to them whenever you get stuck.
If you want to go deeper to have support, structure, and real guidance on getting your project made — come to my free class.
I’ll walk you through the exact steps to bring your film to life.
Talk soon,
Nicki Micheaux
