visual-storytellingGetting started in filmmaking can be tough.

It was tough for me since I had no formal training and didn’t know where to start. I’d acted but never tackled making my own film. In 2008, when I started Abandoned Allies, I jumped in head first with no idea of what challenges were ahead. I was pretty ignorant.

Now I’m a less ignorant. I’m a lot more comfortable with the chaos of filmmaking. And I have no qualms about saying, “I don’t know. Let’s figure it out together.” (Remember, filmmaking is collaborative. You don’t have to do it alone.)

If you’re in a similar place — just getting started, not sure where to go —  know that there are plenty of resources out there available to help. A lot of them are free, which is great because filmmaking can be expensive. You just gotta take the time to do a little digging.

Recently I stumbled across a resource that might help ya. It’s a free e-book titled Visual Storytelling: The Digital Video Documentary written by Nancy Kalow, available on the Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) website. You can download the PDF here.

Hope it helps, y’all!