How to Become a (Great) Film Director

“But what I really want to do is direct,” goes an old joke. For most of film history, this was wishful thinking. That is no longer the case. These days, almost everyone walks around with a sophisticated film camera in their pocket Smartphone cinema: Make great films on your cell phone (Routledge, $48.99), Dallas filmmaker Bart Weiss shows you how to use it like a pro.

There couldn’t be a better teacher. If you’re from Dallas and interested in film, you’re almost certainly familiar with Weiss, whose resume is as long as an Andy Warhol art film: longtime professor of film at the University of Texas at Arlington; Host of the series State of mind (featuring independent Texas filmmakers) on KERA; Founder of Dallas VideoFest; Co-host of the podcast fog of truthabout documentary film; and former contributor to this article.

In smartphone cinema, Weiss covers everything an aspiring filmmaker would want to know, from developing a story to the basics of composition, techniques for achieving high-quality audio recordings, advice on useful applications and equipment, and strategies to get your magnum opus accepted by South by Southwest will (good luck).

What are you waiting for? Start shooting.

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