[Julia]

Of course you can!
You can make a film with no experience. It might not be a blockbuster because it will be your first film and that is completely fine. You learn valuable experience. You will use that experience for your second movie. There are also some self-taught filmmakers out there and you can be one of them. You need to put in a lot of work but if you are willing to do it, you can do it!

[Colton]

Good day, Julia! Thank you for your kind words! Your perspective over this topic has given me a bit of courage to start working on my first movie!

[Maura]

Hello Colton and welcome to our extended community!

You have asked if someone can make a film with no experience and the short answer is YES! However, there are some things that you need to consider, and I will go into detail.

1. Making a film has a few requirements: gear, actors, editing software, props, a budget and a lot of time. Don’t worry if you don’t have a big budget, expensive gear, actors or props when you are just starting.

2. You don’t need professional gear to get started. As you mentioned, you can use a smartphone. You might, however, need a Lavalier, preferably a wireless one.

3. Lights are important and they can better the quality of your films. If you don’t have at least a ringlight, try making the most out of natural light: use windows, for outdoor shoots, try to shoot early in the morning when the sun rises, avoid Contre-jour (it’s best to have the lights in your subject’s face, not in his back).

4. At first, you might not have professional actors or a budget to hire them. On the other hand, you can ask your friends and family to act in your films. You could also ask a local acting club to help you out or actors that are just starting in their career and need a portfolio.

5. When you write the script, you need to consider the locations you have available and the props that you can use. You will need to adapt your script and story accordingly. Because you probably have a low budget, you cannot afford to rent a location or purchase many props. You will need to get creative and improvise a lot but don’t worry, there are plenty tutorials on the internet that can help you out.

6. You can use editing software on your smartphone but it will be more difficult than using an editing software on your PC or laptop. You will need to learn editing skills or you will need to find someone who already has these skills and is willing to collaborate with you. You can find plenty tutorials on YouTube on how to use editing software but it will require a lot of time for you to learn the basics.

It will be difficult to shoot your first film because there are so many things that you don’t think about. The good part is that the more you do it, the better you become! There are many examples of self-taught cinematographers who learned everything by themselves: Christopher Nolan, Quentin Tarantino, Steven Spielberg etc.

Good luck and keep us updated!

[Later edit] Don’t forget to take Production Stills while you are working on your movies and share them with our community!

[Colton]

Good day, Maura! Your reply is very detailed and helpful! Thank you very much! It really helps!

[Amy]

Good day, Colton!

I believe most of us are wondering the exact same thing: can we make a film with no experience? I am a student, I go to Uni and I still have no practical experience. The self-doubt can be overwhelming at times because we see all these great films with great stories.
Then, from time to time, I see an indie film, made by someone who was just passionate enough to not care about the level of experience. When you have a passion, you study hard by yourself and you learn how to do it. Fortunatelly, there are so many free resources out there that we can use these days and we also have access to affordable devices (such as iphones) that can be used to make films!

[Colton]

Good day, Amy! Indie films that receive the exposure they deserve are a great example!

[Hossein Martin]

You gain experience by making films (and by making mistakes; YOUR OWN mistakes)! Don’t be a perfectionist! Pick up the camera! 🙂

[Colton]

Good day, Hossein Martin! I will! Thank you!

[Asher]

Have no worry my friend! Every filmmaker who ever lived started without experience, think of it as the start of your great character arc. As long as you have a phone, you can make a film!

[Colton]

Good day, Asher! You are right!