"The biggest creative mistake that I see people make is I feel like they don't get to the core of what they're trying to say."
- Nick Frangione, Director (Buck Run)
Great filmmaking illustrates the voice of the filmmaker through visual artistic expression. It is the seamless integration between the art of visual media and the science or psychology of the human mind. We all know a great film not just when we see it, but when we feel it, when we've connected with it in some way beyond our physical senses.
Independent filmmakers often try so hard to impress on screen that they lose their voices in the process. In their search to be recognized for something clever or strikingly unique, they overcomplicate the production with metaphor and nuanced representations of their subject matter. In the end, the audience is left with the job of peeling back the layers to find the filmmakers voice while finding themselves guessing at what that voice was trying to say.
Getting to the core of what you are trying to say means removing the noise from your communication. The concept of noise in communication dates back to information theory in the 1940s. 'Noise' refers to any factor that reduces the chances of successful communication but does not guarantee failure of that communication. There are four types of noise:
Physiological noise: Distraction caused by hunger, fatigue, thirst, or any other factor that affects how we feel physically.
Physical noise: Interference in our environment such as noises, extreme temperatures, or physical disturbances.
Psychological noise: Qualities within us (such as prejudice or defensiveness) that affect how we communicate with or interpret others.
Semantic noise: The noise that exists when the words being spoken are not mutually understood as a result or jargon or unnecessarily technical language.
For filmmakers, the issue is often one of semantic noise. In this case, the message is being lost in unnecessarily nuanced language delivered with an expectation for the audience to use artistic interpretation to decipher the message. The truth is: audiences don’t want to be left guessing because guessing implies uncertainty and uncertainty introduces noise. The more noise that's introduced, the less connected your audience becomes to the core of what you're trying to say.
To avoid introducing noise, consider removing anything that uses metaphor or symbolism to communicate the core message. Though it's ok to use such things to emphasize the message, they should not be used to deliver it. Another way to eliminate the noise is to avoid playing with time. Memory and dream sequences that cut into the current timeline without warning cause the storyline to be fragmented. Though the pieces may all fit together when you look back at the story, you replace emotional engagement with your audience with an intellectual exercise that makes them think when you want them to feel. This doesn’t mean that you can't have those memory and dream sequences; it just means that you should be deliberate about how you move your audience into them as an extension of the experience within the current reality.
The main thing to remember here is that your voice should remain clear and concise throughout your storytelling. Don't get in your own way by trying to be too clever or by expecting too much of your audience. If they don't get it, it's not their fault; it's yours.
I'd like to thank Nick Frangione for reminding us all to get to the core of the message. It's far too easy to get caught up in the art of filmmaking and forget the art of communication. If you'd like to hear more insights from Nick, Director of the award-winning film Buck Run (now available on Amazon Prime Video), you can hear him on episode 238 of the MAKE IT podcast.
As always,
Be Better. Be Creative. Be Engaged.
Full Episode with Nick Frangione
About the MAKE IT Podcast The MAKE IT podcast is a platform for the voice of independent filmmaker. We offer a variety of educational, aspirational, and entertaining content that promotes the success of creatives across the filmmaking community and the film industry. Our Conversations with filmmaking professionals are dedicated to sharing the advice, knowledge, and insights of experienced filmmakers while exploring what it truly means to be an independent creative in the highly competitive world of filmmaking. Each filmmaker conversation is backed by thoughtful research that allows us to uncover the raw, authentic truths behind each filmmaker's journey. Through our Indie Talks, we share our thoughts and perspectives on navigating independent film from the perspective of Advisory and Executive Producers. We discuss topics that are relevant to filmmakers across a wide spectrum of filmmaking perspectives, and we do our best to uncover hidden truths and new developments in the film industry. Our goal is to help filmmakers avoid the pitfalls and obstacles on the business side of film so that their filmmaking creativity can thrive. Our Industry Insights provide bite-sized actionable advice that filmmaking professionals and creatives of all kinds can use to keep their heads up as they continue their filmmaking journeys. With advice sourced from the filmmaking community, we build upon the wisdom of our filmmaking guests to provide our audience with truly aspirational and inspirational content. The Mistakes in the Making series gives our filmmaking friends an opportunity to speak directly to our filmmaking audience to share a specific lesson they've learned through a mistake they've made. We are firm believers that mistakes can be the gateway to success when we open our hearts and minds to learning from them, sharing them, and using them to Be Better.