It's not just the story. It's how it's told.

“I like a good story, well told.”
— Mark Twain

Have you ever heard the same story told by two different people? It's pretty amazing, isn't it? The story, the general structure, might be identical. It could even be the same words being read. But the actual experience of listening to that story could produce two entirely unique experiences.

With films and filmmaking, it seems that there is so much emphasis placed on story structure and plotting, that crafting the experience of how the story unfolds is more of an afterthought.

But notice how Mark Twain doesn't just say, "I like a great story." It's the telling of the story that helps keeps an audience rapt.

Create your own language to tell your stories. And tell them well.

Don't Confuse the Tools for the Art

Anyone who's gotten married can tell you just how quickly the wedding planning process can spiral out of control. Before you're anywhere close to saying "I do," you're getting swallowed up by color swatches and place settings, and you're on the hook for thousands, if not tens of thousands more than you had originally bargained for. Why?

The industry built up around weddings is a finely-tuned instrument made expressly for this purpose. The wedding industry will tell you that you need this kind of dress, or this many passed appetizers, or this kind of wedding video. And how can you resist? You want the day to be special, right?

It's the same with any creative endeavor.

It's far easier to spend your time, energy, and money on how  you're going to make something than dealing with the most important question: what are you going to say?

Yes, your tools are important. And yes, mastery of these tools will help you communicate what you want to say. But don't fetishize the tools. What you do with them is far more important.