What Makes A Great Filmmaker?
There is no tool.
You don’t get better at making films, videos and art, by learning the tools. You get better by diving into the process.
As a professional graphics designer, video editor and someone who’s worked on many indie professional film sets, I’ve experienced the introduction and the passing of software and apps, and gear—from cameras to microphones.
I’ve learned that storytellers make great filmmakers. I’ve learned that photographers make great graphic artists. I’ve learned that graphic designers and artists make great cinematographers. Most importantly, I have learned something magical about how storytelling connects to everything and everyone.
There is no single tool available that can learn any of this for you. If you don’t learn this on your own, you won’t be the artist, the designer, the storyteller, or the filmmaker that people feel are great.
Not everyone wants to be rich or famous. Art is a process that feeds us in a healthy way, mentally. It requires us to dive into the depths of our soul, our intellect and our connection to everything. Again, there is no tool that can learn this for you.
If you don’t enjoy the time it takes for you to create something don’t call what you end up with art. Instead, consider it a chore, like dusting or cleaning, making your bed, whatever. Just don’t call it art.
The process of creating a work of art is mentally soothing. If you ever watched documentaries or videos of how things are created or made, you’ll understand a bit of what I am trying to explain.
My dad makes guitars. He is one of the best luthiers in the world. I can say that because many professionals name him as such. I’ve watched him work on a guitar or another string instrument. The time and effort he spends with the details from every aspect of it is beyond dedication. No one but him knows the true pleasure he gets from it. His work is like a piece of art, and most people agree it truly is.
Painting and sculpting, dancing and playing instruments, performing, acting, singing, all these involve an artistic element that is human.
If you reduce them to a tool because people use digital processes then you are not understanding the human element and therefore, not understanding what art is…and wait, before you get offended, let me explain.
Most people don’t understand what art is. Some people spend a lifetime educating themselves by experiencing it before they understand it. I don’t mean just by creating art, I mean by simply appreciating it. Recognizing what is art and what it’s not is easier.
That’s because art makes you feel something. Even if you don’t know what it is. At three years old you may have been attracted to art as opposed to something synthetic without knowing why. It’s part of our human subconscious to feel and recognize things without understanding them. I explain that this way. Language.
Humans existed before they invented language. Sounds silly right? However, sometimes we just take things like that for granted. It was a desire to communicate that gave us language. It was our desire to tell stories and share them that motivated us to define language in all its forms.
There is no tool I’ve ever used that has not been replaced by another.
Our first tools were rocks and sticks. From them we built other tools. The concept was the same. I’ve explained this before and if you haven’t known me that long, I’ll say it again because it’s one of those obvious things that we sometimes forget.
When it comes to phones, that’s a tool that has existed for a long time, in one way or another. What mobile phones can do with a camera is turn it into a tool that has not existed since the beginning of humanity. The same tool that everyone has access to.
We used the tools I mentioned, rocks and sticks. All humans did. Didn’t matter what part of the earth you happened to be standing in. We used them for drawing art on cave walls too. We used the art to tell stories before we learned how to use language, especially spoken language. Rocks and sticks were everywhere and used by everyone.
Fact is, when it came to phones, not everyone had access to one. That’s because not everyone had a wall. A home. When cell phones were invented they were too pricey. Only certain business people could afford them. They were also not so portable, quite honestly.
As phones got smaller, they could fit in our pockets, and their popularity was increased. On 9/11/2001 though, the world became aware of just how detrimental they became for communicating and sharing our stories away from home.
That is why I saw the people who built them were going to add cameras to them. As soon as they did, I knew everyone would eventually have access to a cell phone.
As I pitched making movies with them, part of what I would say was the following:
This is the first time humans have had the same tool to share our stories since we used rocks and sticks. After rocks and sticks, we built many tools. Everyone had access to different tools. But now, we all have the same tool accessible to everyone around the world to to share stories. AND the best medium to share stories is film.
Film has the farthest reach, it’s the most desirable amongst the most humans everywhere, and requires the least effort to experience. Not to mention, that a filmmaker has access to sound and moving pictures to create a psychological effect which we term as science, to filmmaking.
When it comes to filmmaking, it’s all you—or you’re wasting your time. Part of the process of making films is learning from your own experience.
You can watch all the YouTube videos you care to, but until you grab that phone (turn it sideways please) and start making films, you won’t learn what the greatest filmmakers learned, how to make great films. Every great film is a work of art.
Don’t be afraid to spend the time it takes to experience it. It’s not a chore. I promise that if you want to get the real benefit of creating art or making films, you’ll enjoy the experience a lot more than you think. After you do it more and more, you’ll realize more control of the outcome from your efforts. Those mundane details?
They’ll become second hand. Like jumping on a bike, putting your feet on the pedals and going where you want to go. The more you repeat something, the easier and faster you can master the task.
I advocate for all artists and independent filmmakers because I value you as a human being. I believe your stories matter and I want nothing more than to see you succeed. Everything you just read is obviously my opinion, but it comes from a perspective of experience and having been involved in this industry many years. I believe in you more than what I can communicate through my writing. I hope to inspire you to believe in yourself too.
There is no tool available in the world that will make you a great artist, a great storyteller, or a great filmmaker. It’s all you!
© Susy Botello. 2026. All rights reserved.