David Worth’s Tips to Have the Right Mindset as Indie Filmmakers

written by Ana Ecaterina

“The expansion of independent film may be the only opportunity people get to see something that has a pair of balls.”

Filmmaker and cinematographer David Worth delivered that quote in a must-read interview with Vice some years back, but today, it’s evident that his belief in the grit and ability of indies to lead the whole film industry to greater heights remains stronger than ever.

I was recently given the opportunity by Raindance’s groundbreaking Postgraduate program to sample an actual online class with one of their industry-veteran teachers. The mentor for the session I attended was David Worth – and I couldn’t have been more fortunate.

Worth is best known for his work with Clint Eastwood (Bronco Billy, 1980) and Jean-Claude Van Damme (Bloodsport, 1988). But as a real Hollywood expert – he’s been working in the mainstream industry for over 35 years – he is living proof that what you bring to the filmmaking table should go beyond your strengths. There must also be a sense of pragmatism and knowing what to bring to the table when it’s needed.

As a genre-crossing director and cinematographer, Worth believes in making films. Not haggling over budgets, fighting over commercial viability, or being stingy with new filmmaking techniques. He embraces filmmaking in all forms, and loves what people and technology – both old AND new – can create. And now through initiatives like Raindance, he enables others to share this philosophy.

My encounter with Worth through the Raindance MA

Worth spends time online (though the program does allow for on-the-ground classes in London) with both aspiring and professional filmmakers from all over the world conducting courses for practical filmmaking. His most recent 10-session run covered real-world advice on directing, cinematography, scheduling, budget, and lighting – purely with what you have, whether it’s a shoestring budget, or nothing at all.

I was there to listen to his lecture on the DIY Revolution and independent filmmaking. I found him a natural and comfortable teacher, clearly knowledgeable in the field, in love with films and filmmaking, and incredibly approachable, making himself available to his students for whatever they needed.

Here are the three things that I found most striking in his discussion, which revolve less around practical advice for indie filmmakers, and more about the mindset involved in filmmaking, indie or otherwise. These don’t even come close to the amount of knowledge he has to share, but here’s a taster:

#1 – Know your history = Expand your knowledge

Worth is an effective and engaging mentor because it is clear when he speaks that he has been there – he has experienced filmmaking from the 70’s to the present, but he has also done his own studying up on the films that came way before, and after his period of most active involvement in the industry.

This knowledge informs his decisions as a filmmaker, and allows him to give the most applicable and practical advice in any aspect of the process – writing, storyboarding, directing, lighting, etc.

“You’ll get to the point where you will accept everything and expect nothing.” I believe that when he said, he meant that with an understanding of what is possible, you’ll be open to facing whatever comes as it comes. You will have the capacity (should you choose to hone it) to be prepared for anything.

This attitude of openness, adaptability, and acceptance is truly beneficial to filmmakers because the tools, technologies, knowledge available… the possibilities for us continue to evolve.

David used the example of The Blair Witch Project (1999). Among the many outlandish ideas the filmmakers had for this revolutionary film was a willingness to try camerawork that was at the time, completely puzzling and headache-inducing to viewers. They took the gamble, and as a result, big-budget films like Cloverfield (2008) have come to utilize the method. It is in fact now considered its own style of filming.

The lesson? History shows us what has been done and how it was done, therefore shedding light on what we haven’t done – what we can do.

#2 – Dismiss Nothing

Or in Worth’s own words, “nothing is to be looked down on”.

If the DIY revolution taught us something, it’s that there is always the opportunity to make it “big” – get recognized on large industry platforms and events – without spending that Hollywood dollar.

With certain basic elements, “natural settings, available light, non-actors, inexpensive equipment, very little money”, and an “episodic organic narrative”, you can produce something that is original enough to generate that buzz.

This is great advice not just for people who want to “make it big”, but for anyone who just wants badly to create and get their work out into the universe. Everyday filmmakers and semi-pros might often hesitate because of perceived quality issues – not having the right camera, locations, or actors… But if there is a will, there is, in fact, a way. You’ll have to find it, and that is the challenge, but make no mistake: the path is there!

Tangerine (2015) was filmed on two iPhone5s, and was a massive hit at Sundance. The key phrase here is: filmed on two iPhone5s.

#3 – “Concept” = Emotion

Something common to indie films that have since caught the world’s attention is concept. The Blair Witch Project had the “found footage” shtick. Tangerine garnered attention in part because of its DIY filmmaking process. Once (2007) was a quiet little love story which had a beautiful love song at its core.

“Concept” is really tough to define. A good concept might mean a new way of filming, a new way of framing or delivering a narrative, using new technology to assist the film, etc. But there is always something about concept that ties back to emotion – making people feel something. Anything.

Making sure that you are gunning for people to feel something overwhelming throughout their experience makes them believe in your concept. It might be fear, warmth and longing, or joy and victory in the everyday.

Whether or not you feel like you are doing something completely different with your film “conceptually”, make sure that you know what you want people to walk away with emotionally. Do you feel it when you think of your film and as you are working on it? Does everyone who collaborates with you understand it and feel it too?

Negotiated Learning Tailored to your Filmmaker’s Needs

Worth is a tutor in the Raindance Master’s program, which offers either an M.A. and M.Sc. degree through “negotiated learning”, wherein students are able to design up to 80% of their program to suit the areas they which to specialize in.

Held in collaboration with the University if Staffordshire in the UK, the course is taught online by professionals and industry veterans like David Worth, but more importantly, caters to what individual students are most interested in, that is, the films they wish to create.

If you are looking to learn and grow as a filmmaker, but want to pick and chose what you need to learn instead of going through a general program, Raindance’s MA might be just right for you.

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Ana is only sure of one thing in life: That stories sustain people, and that we will always tell stories – in every way, through every medium – no matter what. She is a writer, content developer, production unicorn, digital media faerie, and regular procrastinator. And she wants to help you tell your story. You can contact her at @ecaterinaaa