Who are these people, and what do they do?

First, What does the word ‘Filmmaker’ mean? It is pretty simple. There is no doubt about it; a filmmaker makes films. Until you practice it, you are not one. You are what I call a ‘Fake Filmmaker.’ And here’s why:

A fake filmmaker is someone who pretends to be a filmmaker while doing nothing. Not even a single finished video. These kinds of people spend their time hanging out in front of the different types of Youtube channels on filmmaking, scrolling on Tik Tok and Instagram reels without making any videos… Yet they call themselves filmmakers.

There are two types of fake filmmakers:

The first one: Those who claim to know things about cinema while they have never completed a single project, a video, or a short film. Nothing. What is annoying is that these kinds of people criticize the most on social media. Most, who have achieved nothing in their lives, pretend to know things about filmmaking while they have never set foot on a film set. The only film set they have seen is called ‘Behind the scenes video’ on YouTube. And, of course, they are experts in making excuses. We’ll come back to that later.

Don’t talk about mythomaniacs. Oh, dear! There are among them who have good profiles on social media, with pro equipment, ultra-expensive. From the looks of it, it looked like they were the best experts, but in reality, they weren’t. Mythomania! They spend their time following people on a film set and taking pictures with other people’s equipment, and you know the rest. If asked, they don’t even know how to break down a script. They don’t even know how to interpret a script, and so on.

Second: some are very passionate. They follow all YouTube channels about lighting, read tons of articles about cinematography, and read books, but when it comes to making a video, things get complicated. How often have I heard amateurs say to themselves: ‘I don’t have a professional camera to film. I don’t have lightning equipment to light the scene. I don’t have any sound equipment to record the dialogues…and so on…’ all these are just lame excuses for not starting a project. We’ll talk especially about it in another article.

The problem with these people is that they compare themselves to other filmmakers they follow on social media. And excuses flow, the self-doubt, the lack of confidence. Then they end up doing nothing without even realizing it. To me, they are part of the Fake Filmmaker. But you may wonder who the real filmmakers are and how they become one.

I will give you a summary to make it simple; a real filmmaker doesn’t worry about what he owns or not because no matter what equipment or instrument he has in his hands, he always manages to create something. Take a real guitar player, for example; a real guitarist will never blame a guitar because he manages to play no matter which one he has in his hands. The same goes for a real filmmaker. They know that material is just material and that what matters most is how you use it to achieve your need.

A real filmmaker learns and puts what he has learned into practice. Simple! A filmmaker makes videos and films… from the moment you write a script, create some things without worrying about what you don’t have, and by focusing on what you have, you will become a filmmaker. It’s a fact.

Assuming you don’t have a DSLR, you can use your phone. Go to YouTube and type in ‘Mobile Short film.’ You’d be surprised what people can do with their phones these days.

Now you’re going to say you need professional lighting equipment to light your scenes. Well, go to a store near you and buy light bulbs, LEDs, and some fabric in white to use as a diffusion or a reflector. Don’t worry about the material; the only thing that matters is the result, whether you did it with cheaper lights. Be creative, and you will see. The more you practice, the better you get.

You have the choice; either you stay as you are, pretend to be a filmmaker, do nothing and wait for the opportunity to come your way. Either you act now by doing something or by creating opportunities. Save your time. Act now. If you are genuinely passionate about filmmaking, then start filming.