Filmmaking And Pursuing Our Passions
Paul is a perfect example of dedicating your time to a practice. He started filmmaking as an adult because he has always loved to tell stories, especially on camera.
Since then he’s filmed and edited hundreds and hundreds of videos, some corporate, some for fun, but all creative.
We talked about pursuing your passion, ideas for being a great filmmaker and building habits as a creator. We took a masterclass style approach when it came to learning about making your own videos.
Enjoy The Journey
Paul has focused on his true love for filmmaking when it comes to being a content creator. Of course he loves creating for clients. But his ability to make something truly creative is what sets him apart.
He now strikes a nice balance between making money doing something he loves, but also creating just for the sake of enjoyment with vlog style videos, documentary and photography.
His ability to enjoy the whole process and not stress about the numbers is really incredible. Paul also reminded us how valuable it is to live outside of your comfort zone. We should be willing to learn from people that have a different life experience. We can learn a lot from people who are different from us.
Go For It
Paul decided to take a college filmmaking course because he wanted to know what it would feel like to have the skill set of making movies. He quickly began to understand the basics of planning, shooting and editing movies in order to scratch his own itch of filmmaking.
He talked about this bias toward action, sticking to the process, and how important it is to keep going. It might be because he recently read Rick Rubin’s “The Creative Act” but it was clear that Paul understands how important it is to make art for yourself first.
Whether it’s podcasting, writing, or making videos, you will find an audience. Make the art for you first.
Interview the people you find interesting. Collaborate with people you enjoy working with. Go with your gut when it comes to making art.
It was like a Masterclass when Paul shared with us the basics of video creation. How to get started, using a storyboard, cameras, lenses, frame rates, and music. Paul shared his whole tech stack and tips on making a movie, whether documentary, vlog, or cinematic.
15 Reminders For Great Filmmaking
- Have fun!
- Create in your style. Anywhere from super scripted to completely random.
- Know what you want to show when you think of things like frame rate, lens and lighting.
- Make things you want to make, the audience will follow.
- Start with shorter films and use deadlines to focus on quantity and consistency at first.
- Shoot with the best camera you have at your current disposal.
- Always have a beginning, middle and end in mind.
- Make a ton of videos because each skill will stack onto your next creation.
- Organize your footage so it’s easy to find stuff in your edit.
- Start your edit with a hook and then the start of a quest. Keep people tuned in to see if the payoff happens.
- Add copy-write free music and sound effects to spice up your edit.
- Practice a lot.
- Find your personal presence on camera by patiently building confidence.
- Use project management skills and checklists to keep your workflow simple.
- Get things done on time by pre scheduling your workflow into your 168 hours.
Memorable Quotes
“At any point it would be easy to stop going. Especially when no one else is paying attention to what you’re doing. That’s why it’s so important to stick to the process and keep going.”
“You learn by taking action, actually trying something. Making it from start to finish, and then applying what you learned to the next one. And doing that over and over again.
“It all depends on what you want to show.”
“Know what is really important to you, so that you can say ‘no’ to the other things.”
Guest Bio
Paul is the manager of the creative meetup group “Get Out And Shoot” which has thousands of members learning photo and filmmaking in Toronto.
He is a passionate content creator well versed in all creative software and tech stacks. Paul has worked with tourism boards, local businesses, and community stakeholders since 2015.
He is a photographer and filmmaker himself. He currently creates videos for small businesses. And he makes his own films where he taps into his creative, unicorn space. Paul creates vlogs, documentaries, and co-hosts a weekly live photography show, called “Open Shutter”.
FOLLOW PAUL
Instagram- @PGuch
Youtube – @PaulYeghouchian
Twitter – @PaulGuch