Filmmaker Magazine asked director Benh Zeitlin for a list of 10 lessons on filmmaking.
1. Pay tribute to your heroes, in your own voice. 2. Your film must be a done deal. Only the journey is negotiable. 3. Direct the camera just as another actor in your story. 4. Find a story that anyone can relate to. 5. Stay true to the key theme of your film, every frame of every scene. 6. Direct truth, even in fiction. 7. The old Hollywood formula for what makes a successful film is dead. 8. There’s no one-size fits all path toward making a feature. 9. Cinema is alive and thriving outside of New York and L.A. 10. Filmmaking is an adventure. Treat it as such.
Whether you are a filmmaker or a fan, the full article is worth a read. Find it here.