5 Ways to Learn Filmmaking
Filmmaking is a versatile art form encompassing various formats: including feature films, television shows, music videos, commercials, social media videos, and animation. While this article is specifically for film directors who want to make narrative feature films, the fundamental principles of visual grammar are universal and can be applied across mediums.
Let's look at the 5 ways you can learn filmmaking and nurture the skills of this highly demanding subject and craft. I don't see one way as better than the others. In fact, combining all these 5 ways in the right proportions is your best bet forward in terms of building creative confidence and competence. Filmmaking might sound and look entertaining for the outside world. However this is a highly serious business, with lots at stake, and one which demands a continuous learning mindset. It's good to respect the masters who have laid the foundational rules and defined the universal visual grammar of film. Equally, one should experiment to challenge the status quo and, if need be, even break the rules, as you find and build your own voice.
1) Film School
This is the most obvious route if you want to learn about film theory, film history, and all the fundamentals of filmmaking. I think it's important for filmmakers to get the fundamentals right and invest in some sort of structured learning, be it a short term program or an entire graduation program as such. (It depends on the learning objective) Synchronous learning works way better than asynchronous learning. Filmmaking is an amalgamation of various art forms and a highly collaborative field, which also demands certain set of soft skills. It's imperative for filmmakers to learn both the creative and business side of the things. I think film schools provide the time and space to hone the right mindset, learn the rich history, gain skills on a range of projects, and can provide you a strong foundation.
2) Film Books & Magazines
Books provide structured learning as well, and it's the best way to learn the various crafts that are involved in filmmaking. You might want to be a Film Director, however you should also understand the basics of production design, costume design, cinematography, etc. There's literally so much to learn from all the 24 crafts. A Director needs to have some base level knowledge to leverage the skills of team members, and books provide that overview and act as ready reference material for filmmakers. A book should inform and inspire you.
Here are six great reads, in no particular order.
1) Rebel Without a Crew (Robert Rodriguez) 🔥
2) Something Like an Autobiography (Akira Kurosawa)
3) On Directing Film (David Mamet) 🔥
4) Making Movies (Sidney Lumet)
5) Film Directing Fundamentals ( Nicholas T. Proferes)
6) The Anatomy of Genres (John Truby)
Reading periodicals is a good idea to stay current. For example, magazines like American Cinematographer provide rich insight into how the cinematography was approached for a particular film. These industry perspectives can help you deconstruct a film and study it in a better manner. You can utilise this knowledge to construct your work. Also magazines are good way to catch up with industry trends, gear, apps, and other handy resources. Here's a deep dive conversation on One Battle After Another by American Cinematographer. This is part of their series called "Clubhouse Conversations".
You can also refer Cine D's how-to guides.
Let's look at the 5 ways you can learn filmmaking and nurture the skills of this highly demanding subject and craft. I don't see one way as better than the others. In fact, combining all these 5 ways in the right proportions is your best bet forward in terms of building creative confidence and competence. Filmmaking might sound and look entertaining for the outside world. However this is a highly serious business, with lots at stake, and one which demands a continuous learning mindset. It's good to respect the masters who have laid the foundational rules and defined the universal visual grammar of film. Equally, one should experiment to challenge the status quo and, if need be, even break the rules, as you find and build your own voice.
1) Film School
This is the most obvious route if you want to learn about film theory, film history, and all the fundamentals of filmmaking. I think it's important for filmmakers to get the fundamentals right and invest in some sort of structured learning, be it a short term program or an entire graduation program as such. (It depends on the learning objective) Synchronous learning works way better than asynchronous learning. Filmmaking is an amalgamation of various art forms and a highly collaborative field, which also demands certain set of soft skills. It's imperative for filmmakers to learn both the creative and business side of the things. I think film schools provide the time and space to hone the right mindset, learn the rich history, gain skills on a range of projects, and can provide you a strong foundation.
2) Film Books & Magazines
Books provide structured learning as well, and it's the best way to learn the various crafts that are involved in filmmaking. You might want to be a Film Director, however you should also understand the basics of production design, costume design, cinematography, etc. There's literally so much to learn from all the 24 crafts. A Director needs to have some base level knowledge to leverage the skills of team members, and books provide that overview and act as ready reference material for filmmakers. A book should inform and inspire you.
Here are six great reads, in no particular order.
1) Rebel Without a Crew (Robert Rodriguez) 🔥
2) Something Like an Autobiography (Akira Kurosawa)
3) On Directing Film (David Mamet) 🔥
4) Making Movies (Sidney Lumet)
5) Film Directing Fundamentals ( Nicholas T. Proferes)
6) The Anatomy of Genres (John Truby)
Reading periodicals is a good idea to stay current. For example, magazines like American Cinematographer provide rich insight into how the cinematography was approached for a particular film. These industry perspectives can help you deconstruct a film and study it in a better manner. You can utilise this knowledge to construct your work. Also magazines are good way to catch up with industry trends, gear, apps, and other handy resources. Here's a deep dive conversation on One Battle After Another by American Cinematographer. This is part of their series called "Clubhouse Conversations".
You can also refer Cine D's how-to guides.
3) Watching Films (Actively)
Watching films is a great way to learn about story structure for motion pictures, genres, themes, plots, storytelling methods, and learn the first principles in filmmaking: shots and beats. These first principles build the scenes, sequences, acts, and the entire film as such. Actively watching films, helps in building an eye for detail when you start noticing the writing, lighting, editing, colour, sound, etc. A good understanding of sound design helps in building the right aural and visual experience for your own film. Learn about Diegetic and Non-Diegetic sound.
It's also a good idea to write film essays and reviews to dissect a film in a better manner. The point is you should be actively watching a film and even repeatedly watch a good film. In my case, I watch a good film twice, once to enjoy the movie and the second or even a third time with a critical and analytical lens. This helps me to sort of deconstruct the shots to understand composition, blocking, staging, lensing, and makes me put in active effort to understand the why behind the shot or scene. There's no way to validate my analysis, however it helps me explore other possibilities of composing a shot.
When you analyse a film, try to dissect why the director chose to compose a shot in a specific manner. Everything in the frame needs to be observed. If something is in the frame it needs to have absolute purpose and meaning both from a shot objective and from an overarching objective of the film itself. Mise en Scène matters and once you develop the keen eye, you can bring the same level of detailing into your screenwriting as well as the shot composition.
Here are some questions you'll start asking when you dissect the Mise en Scène. Why are the characters wearing a specific type of colour of costume? What is the eye level of the character? If there are several characters in a frame, how are they placed in terms of distance, posture, etc. Why is the colour of a specific car so and so? Why not some other location for this particular scene? What's the director trying to convey in terms of the beat? What's the subtext? Study the layers of the film, right from the shot to the overall theme of the film.
A good film is loaded with subtext. Here's an example: Did you notice that when someone is killed in the Godfather (1972) movie, you'll notice oranges in the scene. Why did the Writer or Director choose to do this? Subtext can be delivered via dialogue, location, blocking, camera movement, camera angles, colour, sound, framing, lensing, props, costumes, production design, etc. Learn about Staging and Blocking (Hollywood Camera Work)
In the movie Blue Streak (1999), when Miles Logan (Martin lawrence) is released from prison, the camera angle changes exactly at the prison gate, from a high-angle to a low-angle, signifying the character's transition into the free world. Watch the scene here. Now, a director can choose to do this many other ways, however this particular choice had a purpose. (BTW it's a fun movie to watch)
Here's another example of subtext delivered in the form of subtle body language inline with the dialogue. In the movie Sarkar (2005) movie, when Rashid (Zakir Hussain) visits Sarkar (Amitabh Bachchan) for the first time and offers him a deal, you'll notice Sarkar seated and leaning forward, straightening and ironing out the newspapers placed on the coffee table. Why did he choose to do this? The body language signals that he is ready to set things straight on how some people perceive him and clarify the wrongful expectations. The beat being, Sarkar doesn't approve of Rashid's deal. Watch the scene here.
I think you should also read and dissect screenplays. There are several websites where you can download movie scripts. You can watch the movie and read the script to analyse how the movie was constructed and what were those specific choices made by the Director. Also, I think reading scripts builds that required respect and patience to write screenplays. There's no rule that Directors need to Screenwriters as well, however if you ask me, I think you should write and direct your screenplay, which is where it all begins.
Screenwriting resources
New York Film Academy Blog
The Writers Guild Foundation
One final point on shot construction and analysis.
David Mamet's book (mentioned above) is a must read for directors and editors. A director needs an editor's perspective in crafting a shot and an editor needs to think like the director as well. If you want to summarise this book in word, it's Juxtaposition. The uninflected shot and juxtaposition of shots create the movie and meaning.
Here's an excerpt from David Mamet's book "On Directing Film"
How would you shoot a car crash scene?
The way to shoot the car crash is not to stick a guy in the middle of the street and run over him and keep the camera on. The way to shoot the car crash is to shoot the pedestrian walking across the street, shoot the shot of the onlooker whose head turns, shoot the shot of a man inside the car who looks up, shoot the shot of the guy's foot coming down on the brake pedal, and shoot the shot underneath the car with the set of legs lying at a strange angle (with thanks to Pudovkin, for the above). Cut them together, and the audience gets the idea: accident.
Watching films is a great way to learn about story structure for motion pictures, genres, themes, plots, storytelling methods, and learn the first principles in filmmaking: shots and beats. These first principles build the scenes, sequences, acts, and the entire film as such. Actively watching films, helps in building an eye for detail when you start noticing the writing, lighting, editing, colour, sound, etc. A good understanding of sound design helps in building the right aural and visual experience for your own film. Learn about Diegetic and Non-Diegetic sound.
It's also a good idea to write film essays and reviews to dissect a film in a better manner. The point is you should be actively watching a film and even repeatedly watch a good film. In my case, I watch a good film twice, once to enjoy the movie and the second or even a third time with a critical and analytical lens. This helps me to sort of deconstruct the shots to understand composition, blocking, staging, lensing, and makes me put in active effort to understand the why behind the shot or scene. There's no way to validate my analysis, however it helps me explore other possibilities of composing a shot.
When you analyse a film, try to dissect why the director chose to compose a shot in a specific manner. Everything in the frame needs to be observed. If something is in the frame it needs to have absolute purpose and meaning both from a shot objective and from an overarching objective of the film itself. Mise en Scène matters and once you develop the keen eye, you can bring the same level of detailing into your screenwriting as well as the shot composition.
Here are some questions you'll start asking when you dissect the Mise en Scène. Why are the characters wearing a specific type of colour of costume? What is the eye level of the character? If there are several characters in a frame, how are they placed in terms of distance, posture, etc. Why is the colour of a specific car so and so? Why not some other location for this particular scene? What's the director trying to convey in terms of the beat? What's the subtext? Study the layers of the film, right from the shot to the overall theme of the film.
A good film is loaded with subtext. Here's an example: Did you notice that when someone is killed in the Godfather (1972) movie, you'll notice oranges in the scene. Why did the Writer or Director choose to do this? Subtext can be delivered via dialogue, location, blocking, camera movement, camera angles, colour, sound, framing, lensing, props, costumes, production design, etc. Learn about Staging and Blocking (Hollywood Camera Work)
In the movie Blue Streak (1999), when Miles Logan (Martin lawrence) is released from prison, the camera angle changes exactly at the prison gate, from a high-angle to a low-angle, signifying the character's transition into the free world. Watch the scene here. Now, a director can choose to do this many other ways, however this particular choice had a purpose. (BTW it's a fun movie to watch)
Here's another example of subtext delivered in the form of subtle body language inline with the dialogue. In the movie Sarkar (2005) movie, when Rashid (Zakir Hussain) visits Sarkar (Amitabh Bachchan) for the first time and offers him a deal, you'll notice Sarkar seated and leaning forward, straightening and ironing out the newspapers placed on the coffee table. Why did he choose to do this? The body language signals that he is ready to set things straight on how some people perceive him and clarify the wrongful expectations. The beat being, Sarkar doesn't approve of Rashid's deal. Watch the scene here.
I think you should also read and dissect screenplays. There are several websites where you can download movie scripts. You can watch the movie and read the script to analyse how the movie was constructed and what were those specific choices made by the Director. Also, I think reading scripts builds that required respect and patience to write screenplays. There's no rule that Directors need to Screenwriters as well, however if you ask me, I think you should write and direct your screenplay, which is where it all begins.
Screenwriting resources
New York Film Academy Blog
The Writers Guild Foundation
One final point on shot construction and analysis.
David Mamet's book (mentioned above) is a must read for directors and editors. A director needs an editor's perspective in crafting a shot and an editor needs to think like the director as well. If you want to summarise this book in word, it's Juxtaposition. The uninflected shot and juxtaposition of shots create the movie and meaning.
Here's an excerpt from David Mamet's book "On Directing Film"
How would you shoot a car crash scene?
The way to shoot the car crash is not to stick a guy in the middle of the street and run over him and keep the camera on. The way to shoot the car crash is to shoot the pedestrian walking across the street, shoot the shot of the onlooker whose head turns, shoot the shot of a man inside the car who looks up, shoot the shot of the guy's foot coming down on the brake pedal, and shoot the shot underneath the car with the set of legs lying at a strange angle (with thanks to Pudovkin, for the above). Cut them together, and the audience gets the idea: accident.
4) Learning Just-in-time
Filmmaking as a subject is too vast to learn and then begin doing, apart from the foundational concepts. The idea is to learn just-in-time. For example: How to handle a clapboard? I bet you'll easily find around 100 tutorials on this topic. As and when you need to learn something, you learn it on the go, making this an outcome driven learning process in a given context. The other day, I saw a video on YouTube about changing a lens step-by-step as per Hollywood standards. It might sound simple as a topic, however it can make or break your shoot day.
Let's say you need to learn about Animatronics, what's the point of learning in depth, unless there's a need for your film? This is highly contextual and on-demand learning. It's bridge to cross when you get there, and learn only the latest techniques, as filmmaking technology is evolving by the day. If your learning doesn't have an objective, it's wasted energy and time. I think it's a good idea to spend time on knowing the fundamentals of filmmaking, and then learn on-demand in every new film project.
Occasionally, It's a good idea to also catch up with trends, how-to tutorials, network with fellow filmmakers, attend film festivals, follow social media pages of studios and companies that manufacture gear for the motion pictures industry, follow behind-the-scenes content, and read movie reviews. I think like any other field, filmmaking is evolving and it's a lifelong journey of learning and doing. So it's best to learn just-in-time and apply the knowledge.
5) Making Films
Finally, there's nothing more valuable than learning by doing, and actually making a film. Start making short clips or short films to experiment with your writing, directing, cinematography choices, editing, and sound design. You can make films with your phone and you don't need fancy equipment to experiment and learn. By making films, you are also making skills and creating richer possibilities. It's a good idea to collaborate and work with other filmmakers, support them in various departments to pick up a range of skills. Start making films at the earliest and do not wait for external permission and validation. The more you seek them, the lower your odds of making a film.
I'd like to reiterate the importance of the foundation and the need to blend these 5 methods in the right proportions for the best outcomes.
Let's sign off with this interesting take on cinema.
Here's an excerpt from the book "Something Like an Autobiography" by Akira Kurosawa.
Here's his response to the fundamental question.
Filmmaking as a subject is too vast to learn and then begin doing, apart from the foundational concepts. The idea is to learn just-in-time. For example: How to handle a clapboard? I bet you'll easily find around 100 tutorials on this topic. As and when you need to learn something, you learn it on the go, making this an outcome driven learning process in a given context. The other day, I saw a video on YouTube about changing a lens step-by-step as per Hollywood standards. It might sound simple as a topic, however it can make or break your shoot day.
Let's say you need to learn about Animatronics, what's the point of learning in depth, unless there's a need for your film? This is highly contextual and on-demand learning. It's bridge to cross when you get there, and learn only the latest techniques, as filmmaking technology is evolving by the day. If your learning doesn't have an objective, it's wasted energy and time. I think it's a good idea to spend time on knowing the fundamentals of filmmaking, and then learn on-demand in every new film project.
Occasionally, It's a good idea to also catch up with trends, how-to tutorials, network with fellow filmmakers, attend film festivals, follow social media pages of studios and companies that manufacture gear for the motion pictures industry, follow behind-the-scenes content, and read movie reviews. I think like any other field, filmmaking is evolving and it's a lifelong journey of learning and doing. So it's best to learn just-in-time and apply the knowledge.
5) Making Films
Finally, there's nothing more valuable than learning by doing, and actually making a film. Start making short clips or short films to experiment with your writing, directing, cinematography choices, editing, and sound design. You can make films with your phone and you don't need fancy equipment to experiment and learn. By making films, you are also making skills and creating richer possibilities. It's a good idea to collaborate and work with other filmmakers, support them in various departments to pick up a range of skills. Start making films at the earliest and do not wait for external permission and validation. The more you seek them, the lower your odds of making a film.
I'd like to reiterate the importance of the foundation and the need to blend these 5 methods in the right proportions for the best outcomes.
Let's sign off with this interesting take on cinema.
Here's an excerpt from the book "Something Like an Autobiography" by Akira Kurosawa.
Here's his response to the fundamental question.
What is cinema?
The answer to this question is no easy matter. Long ago the Japanese novelist Shiga Naoya presented an essay written by his grandchild as one of the most remarkable prose pieces of his time. He had it published in a literary magazine. It was entitled “My Dog,” and ran as follows: “My dog resembles a bear; he also resembles a badger; he also resembles a fox…” It proceed to enumerate the dog’s special characteristics, comparing each one to yet another animal, developing into a full list of the animal kingdom. However, the essay closed with, “But since he’s a dog, he most resembles a dog.” I remember bursting out laughing when I read this essay, but it makes a serious point. Cinema resembles so many other arts. If cinema has very literary characteristics, it also has theatrical qualities, a philosophical side, attributes of painting and sculpture and musical elements. But cinema is, in the final analysis, cinema.
The answer to this question is no easy matter. Long ago the Japanese novelist Shiga Naoya presented an essay written by his grandchild as one of the most remarkable prose pieces of his time. He had it published in a literary magazine. It was entitled “My Dog,” and ran as follows: “My dog resembles a bear; he also resembles a badger; he also resembles a fox…” It proceed to enumerate the dog’s special characteristics, comparing each one to yet another animal, developing into a full list of the animal kingdom. However, the essay closed with, “But since he’s a dog, he most resembles a dog.” I remember bursting out laughing when I read this essay, but it makes a serious point. Cinema resembles so many other arts. If cinema has very literary characteristics, it also has theatrical qualities, a philosophical side, attributes of painting and sculpture and musical elements. But cinema is, in the final analysis, cinema.
Originally published on LinkedIn on December 27, 2025