Letters About Filmmaking

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120 / Visual Storytelling (in Three Acts)

A step-by-step guide to the many choices a filmmaker or comics artist makes in telling a story.

• 8 minute read

118 / The Storytelling Stick

Sticks, Twitches, Gifts and Touchstones — let me show you how these simple devices can make your stories rich with meaning.

• 3 minute read

117 / Poor Miss Lonely Hearts

Let me tell you about The Golden Action — visual storytelling at its most creative and potent.

• 4 minute read

116 / Making The Invisible Visible

I attempt to explain visual storytelling - with emojis! 🤯

• 5 minute read

107 / Three! New! Things!

Two videos and a comic short story - all finished this week.

• 1 minute read

101 / One Thing At A Time

Some thoughts on productivity and visual storytelling.

• 3 minute read

096 / You Don't Have To Start At The Beginning

Spending time with Hayao Miyazaki has kickstarted my comics storytelling!

• 3 minute read

063 / Eating Toilet Paper for Coronavirus

This week I made a satirical video for The New York Times about this new coronavirus thing.

• 2 minute read

051 / Banksy And The King

A story about the time Banksy squared off against London’s greatest graffiti artist - and lost.

• 5 minute read

047 / More Thoughts On Words And Pictures

From Tilly Walden to William Blake - some inspirational notes on telling stories with words and pictures.

• 4 minute read

040 / More Of Your Questions, Answered

I answer your questions about how I made Jaron Lanier Fixes The Internet for The New York Times.

• 4 minute read

031 / All Sorts of Things Become Possible

Some lessons in filmmaking from the set of my latest video project.

• 2 minute read

030 / A New Film I'm Proud Of

A behind-the-scenes look at a new film I’ve made for The New York Times - plus some exciting news about a film I directed last year!

• 4 minute read

025 / The Threshold Of Awareness

This diagram helps me tell visual stories that make the audience both think and feel. Here’s how to use it.

• 2 minute read

020 / You're Weird

Exceed algorithmic description - make art the computer cannot categorise!

• 4 minute read

019 / Five Miscellaneous Things

There’s a lot in this one! Poetry, filmmaking, graphic novels and visual storytelling - take your pick!

• 6 minute read

018 / Planned Improv

Notes on the balance between preparation and improv in the creative process, while shooting a film for The New York Times.

• 4 minute read

017 / Practicing Scales

Some practical advice on how filmmakers can build a daily practice habit that improves their craft.

• 6 minute read

014 / Outsider's Luck

Do people who aren’t trying so hard have some kind of outsider’s advantage?

• 2 minute read

013 / Three Thoughts on Visual Storytelling

On Spiderman Into The Spider-Verse, the nature of juxtaposition and writing screenplay dialogue.

• 4 minute read

011 / Five Days

A day-by-day account of writing and designing a film for The New York Times.

• 5 minute read

007 / Haiku

A great example of The Third Something at work — in words, not pictures!

• 4 minute read