I recently had the opportunity to speak with Michael Williams, an independent filmmaker from West Point, who told me some of the challenges of getting an independent movie off the ground. Here is what he taught me on how to make a movie.

1) Get inspired:

The first thing to know is that filmmaking requires inspiration and love for creation. “I became interested in film in 2004 during high school. My friends and I would make silly short films on an old 8mm tape camera,” said Williams. After working on his technique a little bit, Williams went on to submit one of his films to the Tupelo Film Festival, which made him realize that a career in film was possible.

Williams is not alone in his drive to enter the film industry. West Givens, MSMS class of 2016 alum and current film student at the Savannah College of Art and Design, went through a similar experience when becoming interested in film. “I started exploring filmmaking a few years before I went to MSMS. I began shooting a short film, but I never finished it. The first short film I finished was called ‘On the Edge.’ After I finished ‘On the Edge,’ I knew that filmmaking was something I wanted to do forever,” said Givens.

2) Make a film:

Sometimes the best way to learn how to swim is to jump straight into the deep end, and this is exactly what Williams recommends to young people interested in film. “I always tell young people to just do it. You can’t always wait for opportunities to come to you. This is the perfect time for young filmmakers to learn, practice, and master their craft,” said Williams.

Givens echoed his sentiment stating, “Make movies. That’s it. You can talk all you want about how much you want to do it but it’ll never hold any precedence until you actually do it. Yeah, your first short film is going to be bad. Mine sure was. But the best way to learn is to do it.”

3) Work through the challenges

Like any rewarding process, filmmaking has its ups and downs. There will be challenges, but the only way to gain experience and climb the creative ladder is to work through them.

Williams recounted to me his struggles of making his most recent feature length film, “The Atoning,” stating “There are a lot of challenging aspects of making a film; however, they’re challenges that I enjoy. …. However, when you are working with little to no budget, the challenging part is making a quality film without those resources. You don’t have to have a lot of money and resources to make a good film. If you welcome the challenge with a lot of creativity and preparation, it is possible,” stated WIlliams.

4) Consider studying film in college
For those who are already heavily interested in film and have already made a few short films, both Givens and Williams have recounted the benefits that studying film in college have given them. Film school teaches young film makers the intricacies of working behind the camera and gives those young people the tools that they need to succeed in the industry. Givens reminds young film makers that film school is “not necessary” to be successful in the film industry and it is “expensive and takes a lot of time,” but it may just be worth it.