Filmmaker Michael Lovan Shares Thoughts on Improving Your Filmmaking Abilities

You might have been working on several movies for a while. Some home videos, music videos, short films, or you could even be working with a client. And despite being good at your job, you might feel that you are lacking in some way and feel stuck with your work. You could even feel unsatisfied with your work or think of ways to do things differently. 

If you are feeling any of these things, then know that you are not the only one. Several filmmakers worldwide – even veterans – have reached a point in their careers where they have gone through the same phase. Hence, it is time that you start taking your filmmaking skills to the next level. 

You must first remember that you will only enhance if you take the time to critique your work. Similar to problem-solving, the first step comes from knowing that there is always room for improvement. 

How do you do it? Get all your films, grab a notebook, sit for a few hours watching them, and jot down everything you could have done better or something you wish you could change. Look into your stories, dialogues, editing, sound, etc. and then ask yourself, is this something you would pay to watch? Are the visuals up to par with what you want? And after careful evaluation, the answers to these questions will allow you to start fixing things you are unsatisfied with. 

Additionally, avoid the error of completely recreating your film look in a single evening. Instead, narrow down the skills you need to enhance and work on them one at a time. No matter how you go about it, just remember that you need to spend a reasonable amount of time getting better at one skill before moving on to the next. 

Furthermore, it also helps to look at other existing professional filmmakers’ work and see what makes it exceptional. For example, consider Michael Lovan – a brilliant American filmmaker who you might know for his popular debut feature film, ‘Murder Bury Win.’ 

Lovan has also taken on the roles of a revered screenwriter, director, producer, and actor known for his work worldwide. He was the former host and director of the North American World of Tanks-branded web show called “World of Tanks Weekly and, more recently, the creator of “Forged in Aeternum” for Amazon Games’ open-world MMO game New World. In 2012, he co-directed the documentary “Japan in a Day.” 

Lovan has also co-written and starred in the 2014 romantic comedy called “A Reunion” and assisted his wife, artist Amy Everson, in the art direction behind Modest Mouse music videos “Lampshades on Fire,” “The Ground Walks With Time in a Box.”

Naturally, he has also won several awards for his filmmaking. A few of his accolades include being the Winner of Best Screenplay in the Maverick Movie Awards, Best Original Screenplay in the Florence Film Awards, and the Winner of Gold Awards for the Best Director of Hollywood Gold Awards. Murder Bury Win won Best Feature Film at Phoenix FearCon, Best Comedy at Another Hole in the Head, Best Feature at Seattle Film Summit, and Best Feature at Independent Horror Movie Awards.