You can listen to the Podcast version of this story here.
When you start on a new story, especially one you care about, it’s easy to feel totally overwhelmed. There are a million directions to go and no clear way to begin.
You sit there thinking: How the fuck do I even start?
After two decades of filmmaking, here’s what I’ve learned:
Strip it back.
I know this is a cliche, but less really is more.
This helps in two big ways.
First, if you’re working on a shoestring budget, narrowing your focus can save you both money and stress.
Second — and honestly, we all need this right now — it pushes back against the endless craving for more. Often, the most beautiful and complex things are right in front of us… if we choose to see them.
Instead of running around chasing every angle and scene, try this: focus on one place.
One street.
I always come back to discipline in storytelling.
Imagine an uprising in a city. Your instinct might be to sprint across neighbourhoods, chasing fragments of chaos. But instead, pick one street where the protest has been happening for days.
That repetition is gold. You can go back, again and again, capturing the same moment from new angles.
Now, zoom in further: focus on a window overlooking that street.
Suddenly, you have a powerful storytelling lens. What’s outside that window? How do people watch the protest from there?
Could you make a film where we only hear the protest sounds, but see the faces of people looking out the window? Or tell the story from different points of view through that window, as chaos unfolds?
By subtracting all the noise and focusing tight, you open up a whole new world of storytelling possibilities.
You don’t need more: just precision and a curious eye.