Many aspiring filmmakers struggle most with one thing: producing their first film. It isn’t the camera, the budget, or even the script. It’s the pressure they put on the film before it even exists. Why? Well, they want it to be perfect, an emblem of mastery that sets the scene for all their success to come. Every festival laurel, every glowing review, every future milestone gets loaded onto a movie that they haven't made yet!
If you're reading this, I'm guessing you're someone with high standards. You know the vision you have has potential, and what’s so wrong with working meticulously to ensure you perfectly execute said vision, right? Honey, do I have news for you: you don’t have high standards! You’re a PERFECTIONIST! If the film never exists, it can never do what you fear most… fail. So, it never gets shot. The script gets another draft. The gear list gets longer. You wait for the right moment, for all the pieces to fall into place, but hear me when I say: that moment won't come, not until you're prepared to make a bad film. The unmade masterpiece stays flawless in your head, where nothing can confirm or refute its worth... or judge your potential as a filmmaker.
That safety is costly. A film you never make teaches you nothing! You don’t learn how long a scene takes to light, why your audio’s static-y, or how to deal with a camera-shy actor. That knowledge comes from the process of creating. The only way to learn what you need to improve is to create something to improve upon.
Don’t fret, dear filmmaker. Even some of the greats had a rough start! Quentin Tarantino’s first attempt at a feature was My Best Friend’s Birthday, a low-budget comedy he worked on with friends in the mid-80s. It was never completed, and a fire in the editing lab destroyed a large part of it. Seriously, things couldn't have gone more wrong for him! Think about this, though: had he allowed this failure to snuff out his ambition, he never would have become the world-renowned director he is today. Tarantino has often described that project as his film school – the sandbox he had to dive into in order to learn. He took what he learned and moved on to Reservoir Dogs.
Stanley Kubrick’s first feature, Fear and Desire, was a flawed war drama he later wanted buried! That's right, he reportedly disliked it enough to try to keep it from being seen, which is how many filmmakers feel about their first film. Again, had he quit, he never would've arrived at making Spartacus, which solidified his career.
Steven Spielberg made Firelight, a sci-fi feature, as a teenager with friends and a tiny budget, and screened it at a local theater. By most accounts, it barely broke even. Nobody thought it was a masterpiece, but it didn’t need to be one, just as yours needn't be. Creating what ultimately becomes a lesson for yourself is just as valuable as creating the eventual masterpiece. Sometimes the best way to learn anything is through failure.
The point is, none of these filmmakers waited until they were ready. They made the thing, learned from it, and allowed themselves the audacity to make the next one. Think of it this way: if a standup comedian bombs at an open mic, that doesn’t mean they aren’t inherently funny; it means something isn’t working, but they can fix it. In the same way, if your debut film isn’t a smash hit, which they rarely are, that doesn’t mean you are devoid of talent or “it” factor, it just means that you have taken the first step toward improvement!
If the pressure is the problem, shrink the project. Make something you can shoot in a weekend with the people and places you already have. Write one location, two characters, ten minutes. If a lack of gear's holding you back, use your phone if you have to! Aim to finish, not impress. Finish the edit, export the file, show it to someone, and start the next one. Skill builds through repetition, and repetition requires a first rep.
What I hope you take away from this article is that a crappy first film is not the end of the world. You’ll spot the flaws immediately, which is exactly how you get better. You can’t improve on something that isn’t there, and you can’t pursue a dream from the sidelines. If you never start, you will never start.
To every aspiring filmmaker holding out for the perfect moment, the perfect idea, the perfect first film: stop waiting. Be a beginner, be messy, be uncertain, be bad at it for a while, but please, for the sake of your inner artist, pick up the camera. Make the first film. Make it imperfect, and make it yours.
