FILMMAKING WASNT MADE FOR EVERYONE, IT WAS CLAIMED BY EVERYONE

EVERYONE CAN MAKE A FILM. THAT IS NOT THE QUESTION

I actually agree with the argument that anyone can learn filmmaking. We live in a time where the tools of filmmaking have become more accessible than ever. You don’t necessarily need a million-naira camera, a major production company or a film school to begin. You can pick up a phone, write a story, gather a few people and make something. You can learn cinematography from YouTube, study directing online, teach yourself editing and even understand screenwriting without ever stepping into a classroom. So yes, filmmaking should be accessible to everyone. But accessibility is not the same thing as mastery. The fact that everyone can enter a profession does not mean everyone will become exceptional at it. And I think this is where our conversation around filmmaking becomes slightly dishonest. We have become so eager to say “anyone can be a filmmaker” that we sometimes forget to ask the more important question: what actually makes someone a good filmmaker? Because owning the tools, learning the terminology and even completing a film does not automatically answer that question.

LEARNING FILMMAKING DOESN’T AUTOMATICALLY MAKE YOU A GOOD FILMMAKER

Someone recently said, “filmmaking wasn’t made for a selected few, they all learnt it.” And my response is: yes, but does learning filmmaking automatically make you a good filmmaker? If it did, then every person who attends film school should become a great filmmaker. Every person who completes a directing course should be capable of directing a great film. Every person who watches hundreds of tutorials about cinematography should immediately know how to create beautiful images. But we know that isn’t how any creative profession works. Education gives you knowledge. Practice gives you experience. But neither one automatically gives you taste, instinct, imagination or a unique perspective. You can teach someone the technical rules of filmmaking, but what they do with those rules is where the real difference begins. Two directors can receive the exact same script, work with the same actors, have the same budget and use the same camera, yet produce two completely different films. The difference isn’t always what they know. Sometimes it is how they see. And how you see it, isn’t taught. It’s innate.

THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MAKING FILMS AND BEING A FILMMAKER

This is probably the part of the conversation that makes people uncomfortable, because we have gradually made the word filmmaker so broad that almost anyone who has made a video can claim it. And technically, I understand why. If you have made a film, you have participated in filmmaking. But filmmaking as an art form requires more than simply putting images together and calling them a story. A filmmaker needs a point of view. They need to understand human behaviour, emotion, conflict, rhythm, silence, performance and visual storytelling. They need to understand why a character is standing in a particular place, why the camera is positioned where it is, why a scene should last two minutes instead of five and why sometimes the most powerful thing a character can do is absolutely nothing. There is a difference between knowing the mechanics of filmmaking and understanding the language of cinema. You can teach somebody how to operate a camera. You cannot simply hand them a camera and expect them to suddenly understand what the audience needs to see.

THE TOOLS CAN BE TAUGHT. THE INSTINCT HAS TO BE DEVELOPED

One of the biggest misconceptions about filmmaking is that technical knowledge is the same thing as creative ability. It isn’t. You can teach someone the difference between a wide shot and a close-up. You can explain lenses, lighting, composition, camera movement, blocking and editing. You can even teach them the principles of directing actors. But the difficult question is: when do you use all of these things, and why? Why should the camera stay still in this scene? Why should we cut now? Why should the actor pause before answering? Why should we see the character’s reaction instead of the person speaking? Those decisions are where filmmaking becomes an art rather than simply a technical exercise. And yes, instinct can be developed through years of watching, studying, experimenting and failing. But even then, people develop differently. Some people naturally observe human behaviour more closely. Some people have a stronger visual imagination. Some people understand emotion instinctively. Some people can walk into an ordinary room and immediately see a scene. That ability to see beyond what is physically in front of you is one of the things that separates a filmmaker from someone who simply knows how to make a film.

AND THEN THERE IS THE PART NO FILM SCHOOL CAN FULLY TEACH YOU: PEOPLE

Filmmaking isn’t only about cameras, scripts and beautiful images. It is also about people, and directing people is an entirely different skill. A director can have an incredible vision and still fail if they cannot communicate that vision to an actor, cinematographer, editor, production designer or producer. You are often asking dozens, sometimes hundreds, of people to believe in something that exists only in your head before it exists on screen. You have to lead without becoming unbearable. You have to listen without losing your vision. You have to make decisions when there is pressure, when there isn’t enough money, when the weather changes, when an actor isn’t delivering, when the schedule is collapsing and when everyone on set is looking at you for the answer. That is why directing is not simply about knowing where to put the camera. It is about knowing how to move people towards a common creative vision. And while those skills can certainly be developed, not everybody will develop them to the same level.

SO, CAN ANYONE BE A FILMMAKER? YES. IS THE MASTERY OF FILMMAKING FOR EVERYONE? NO

I don’t believe we should create unnecessary barriers around filmmaking or tell people that they aren’t qualified to tell stories. Quite the opposite. If you have a story, tell it. If you have a phone, shoot it. If you have access to a camera, learn how to use it. Make mistakes. Make terrible films. Make better ones. That is how the craft develops. But I also think we need to stop pretending that participation and mastery are the same thing. Everybody can learn to play football, but learning the rules doesn’t make you a professional footballer. Everybody can learn music theory, but knowing the theory doesn’t automatically make you a great musician. Everybody can learn to write, but not everybody becomes a great writer. Filmmaking is no different. Everyone can learn the craft. Everyone can make a film. But filmmaking at the highest level requires something beyond access to knowledge, it requires vision, discipline, taste, emotional intelligence, perspective, instinct and the relentless ability to keep getting better. So perhaps the real question isn’t whether filmmaking is made for everyone. It is whether everyone who learns filmmaking is willing, capable and equipped to master it. And I think the answer to that will always be no.