Muse Storytelling

Filmmakers! We're tackling your top 5 business challenges live.

My bank balance was at $31.30. And it's payroll tomorrow...

The actual production of a course is no joke. We went through dozens of locations to find the perfect one. Sorted out rolling with 4 Red cams at once—including one in constant motion. And we had two directors at all times-a technical and a creative director. The technical director managed the cameras and angles, while the education director was responsible for ensuring the content itself is strong and clear. We asked Kaleb Kohart, a long-standing member of our community if he’d fly in and take on that role. But as he started directing the content, he also started to notice that perhaps there were some areas his MBA left out. Well, Kaleb is a filmmaker. And an improv comedian. So we asked him if he’d make a short film about his experience of directing a thing, but being changed in the process. What he came up with is HILARIOUS. Yet true. It’s a brilliant case study in what character, conflict, and humor can do to connect you.

Our second flagship course 'Profitable Filmmaking' is now open for enrollment through the end of next week. This course was founded on the belief that we, as filmmakers, can make films we love AND be profitable AND not have to endure crappy clients. It's a roadmap on how to create your vision, increase your value, protect your margins, and land dream clients. Learn more here: https://go.profitablefilmmaking.com/profit-with-purpose If you're curious if it's right for you, reach out and we can schedule a no pressure call to learn more about where you're at, where you'd like to go, and if/how Profitable Filmmaking can help on that journey :)

Live Lunch with Rebecca

Join me for lunch — and a discussion on how to find clients in the pandemic!

Had a few spare moments on an overpass yesterday and thought I'd share how we're rigging up the XT-4 with the One Wheel. A pretty rad setup. Fujifilm X GFX North America XT-4 with a 10-24 f4 or 16-55 f2.8 Vaxis Atom 500 SDI Atomos Ninja V with 500gb SSD Moment variable ND on the front Wooden Camera Side handle to help mount it all Not shown - RØDE Microphones Wireless Go to add a lav into the mix #story #storyiq #storytelling #storytellers #film #filmmaking #setlife #filmbts #filmmakers #filmmakersworld #woodencamera #moment #fujifilmxt4 #atomos #rode

An on-set walkthrough of how we lit a scene with the Ninja-like Westcott lights

We're here in Boston doing a commercial shoot and wanted to take you through how we're using our Westcott Flex lights to light in a tight space. With just three lights and a couple minutes of setup, we were able to add some dimension and get a great sequence. Check it out!

Why are you a filmmaker?

Let's chat about getting back to your freedom (and away from all the stress and overwhelm!)

Master the Art of Ninja Filmmaking

Small crew. Less gear. Big-story filmmaking. Become a Ninja filmmaker with our free mini-course. You'll get a 14-minute tutorial film where we take you in-the-field and show you how we brought a real film to life in just 1 day, with 1 crew member, and 1/10th of the normal gear budget. Plus, a solid 26-page downloadable PDF that breaks down: 🎥 three main techniques for thinking through your shoot like a Ninja 🎥 the Ultimate Ninja Gear guide (what gear we chose, and why) 🎥 worksheets for planning out your next production like a Ninja If you want more Ninja in your life, head on over to https://www.ninjafilmmaking.com/ and snag the whole mini-course, totally free.

Free mini-course to help you make more as a filmmaker

I don't know about you, but for us, being a filmmaker during the pandemic is tough. Like, real tough. Shoots have been cancelled, budgets are getting slashed, freelance opportunities are down and clients are nervous to spend any more. Right now, you might feel lucky to have even soul sucking work. But, there’s a better way. It's a timeless way to find clients you love at budgets that work if you stop selling videos and start giving clients exactly what it is that they really want. And yes, it works during the pandemic. Yes, it works if you’ve never sold a film. And, yes, it works even if you hate selling. Take control back. For the next week, we're offering an entirely free mini-course to help you make more money as a filmmaker by selling something beyond your videos. Head to https://stopsellingvideos.com and get access today.

Ever made a film about a thing that doesn't exist yet? It's tough. This short piece for Four Seasons Madrid was especially challenging as there was no hotel there when we filmed it–just the exterior. There was, however, plenty of characters already preparing for the opening. Through their voices and experiences we looked to bring this short to life. After extensive StoryFinding, we focused on a few characters who could speak passionately to various aspects of the up and coming hotel, while also documenting how they were preparing by following them to local markets or museums. All together that was enough to bring the spirit and energy of Four Seasons Madrid to life. We're excited to head back soon as a guest :) Check out the full film on Four Seasons YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uVTf9J_pEw

Here's Varina at the end of a lively dance session with the dancing grannies, KBG 84, named so because their average age is 84. The heart of our story, Tomi-San, was 94 at the time of filming. Okinawa, Japan is one of the few regions in the world classified as a 'Blue Zone', an area researchers have identified as having the highest concentrations of centenarians in the world. See the dancing grannies and hear Tomi-San's story right here: http://ow.ly/D31b50AQG9s

Last year we got the opportunity to interview Ira Glass (the prolific storyteller behind This American Life, Serial, and S-Town) for a series of films we were making with Fujifilm. As always, he was dropping knowledge nuggets everywhere. "When you're coming up and trying to invent this person who you want to be–it's debilitating and you feel terrible so much of the time. And you really have to be a soldier, you really just have to get in there and fight." Finding your voice as a creative is one helluva long, hard, exhausting process. There can be this constant push and pull between the work you want to do, what makes you come alive, and the work that pays the bills. On top of that, when you get the work you truly love, we then often have this gap (another Ira idea) between what we see in our minds eye and what we're able to create. And so it can feel like such a long, hard, exhausting process to develop your voice and make the things you really want to make. But here's one thing we've found to be very true. It starts with creating. Then shipping. Then creating. Then shipping. Get in the grind. Put in the work. There are no steps you can skip here. But when you do, when you arrive and you've found your voice and you feel you can make the things you see in your mind–well there is nothing else quite like it. And that's where the magic can truly happen. #film #filmmaking #setlife #filmbts #filmmakers #filmmakersworld #storytelling #storytellers #collaboration

Last year we got the opportunity to interview Ira Glass (the prolific storyteller behind This American Life, Serial, and S-Town) for a series of films we were making with Fujifilm. As always, he was dropping knowledge nuggets everywhere. "When you're coming up and trying to invent this person who you want to be–it's debilitating and you feel terrible so much of the time. And you really have to be a soldier, you really just have to get in there and fight." Finding your voice as a creative is one helluva long, hard, exhausting process. There can be this constant push and pull between the work you want to do, what makes you come alive, and the work that pays the bills. On top of that, when you get the work you truly love, we then often have this gap (another Ira idea) between what we see in our minds eye and what we're able to create. And so it can feel like such a long, hard, exhausting process to develop your voice and make the things you really want to make. But here's one thing we've found to be very true. It starts with creating. Then shipping. Then creating. Then shipping. Get in the grind. Put in the work. There are no steps you can skip here. But when you do, when you arrive and you've found your voice and you feel you can make the things you see in your mind–well there is nothing else quite like it. And that's where the magic can truly happen. #film #filmmaking #setlife #filmbts #filmmakers #filmmakersworld #storytelling #storytellers #collaboration

💣 Forget conflict and be forgotten 💣 Three reasons why conflict is essential to strong storytelling. #storytelling #conflict #staycurious #filmmaker #film #filmmaking #filmmakers #filmmakersworld #storytellers

Jeff Leatham YOUTUBE.mp4

"My approach to basically everything in my life is to have fun, and if I'm not having fun–Latham out." – @jeffleatham What role does fun play in your creative? Does it make it more bearable or does it help you go deeper with your ideas? Is it a nice to have, or is it a prerequisite? In producing a series of short films around the idea of collaboration, we got to spend some time with the world renowned artistic director and self-proclaimed flowerer whisperer Jeff Leatham. And let's be real–he didn't just claim to have fun, he sure made every moment on set feel that way. #film #filmmaking #setlife #filmbts #filmmakers #filmmakersworld #storytelling #storytellers #collaboration

🎬The Story Behind The Shot 🎬 : Jbeil, Lebanon

For our short film 'I Am Dust', we found ourselves in a small town just outside of Beirut, Lebanon standing on a 4' wide brick wall that separates the ocean from a small marina. Our story followed Kelly, the main character, who in a manic episode leaves her hometown to escape to the Middle East. This shot was to be one of the first moments upon arriving to the Middle East–and so it needed to embody the peace that our character felt (by going to a place that wouldn't recognize her mental illness as such) while also displaying the manic state. By going for one continuous long shot on the wall, we are able to hold the audience in the moment, allow them to feel the waves crashing and the peacefulness of the marina while also making it clear that something isn't quite right,. As is often the case, one long take is far more costly and time-intensive than a series of quick cuts, however, by removing any edits we can more immerse our viewer in a moment and heighten our sense of reality. Just look at how far Roger Deakins went in 1917 to have the shots feel more continuous. It's a powerful storytelling tool. For this shot, we busted out the old Steadicam, paired it with a Red Gemini and remote follow focus, and three of us attempted to glide down the marina wall, rotate around our talent as she dances, all without falling into the water below. Note how @april_billingsley moves a few steps forward as the camera crosses her, allowing for just enough room to then swing around her back. For me, as the director, it is one of my favorite shots in the film–one for how challenging it was, and two for what it says.

First day back on production :) The Airbnb was smaller than pictured, the AC was broken and we arrived to 115 degree heat, plus a crew of two to split 6 or so roles. Any boy was it AMAZING. Feels so good to have a camera back in my hands. Our short, I Am Dust, needs to wrap this month to submit to festivals so it was now or never for this pickup shoot. Huge thanks to @april_billingsley for making it happen despite the challenges :) #film #filmmaking #setlife #filmbts #filmmakers #filmmakersworld

Pay what you can to learn storytelling live with Muse

This health crisis has hit the filmmaking industry pretty darn hard. Many in our community, including us, have lost a lot of gigs and we're not too sure if and when they'll come back. On top of that, we're stuck inside and feeling quite alone. As a way of giving back, and to bring us together, we're teaching the Science of Storytelling live over the course of 7 sessions in April and you are welcome to join by paying whatever you can. This is the same course we've taught to Apple, the United Nations, and over 10,000 of filmmakers across the globe. With a powerful lineup of guest speakers, a community Slack channel, and weekly challenges to put the concepts into use (from home)–this is a great opportunity to come together and develop your perspective and understanding on how story works, and the mechanics for telling them remarkably.

Filmmakers unite globally to spread a different message.

When the worst happened, we offered an invitation for filmmakers to come together and to make a choice. To choose action. To choose hope. To choose love. To choose to do something. If you're feeling alone, isolated, like you've lost a piece of yourself and/or your purpose, take a look and please remember that we're in this together.

I Am Dust Day 1/11 — How we 10x the Effectiveness of our Kickoff Meetings

"I have never been to a kickoff meeeting like this" is the best way to kick off a project like no other. Today is the first day of I Am Dust production — a passion project where we are sharing the story of Kelly Asselin, Patrick's mother, and her struggle with mental illness and bipolar disorder. Up first, a truly remarkable kick off meeting — and a quick lesson how you can create remarkably too.

FREE Webinar: In Search of 2020 Vision — a powerful path to getting everything you want out of your business

Hey Musers! You asked, we listened! We're going to join you, live, on Thursday for a totally free webinar, designed to help you transform your business — from overwhelming and uncertain to confident and enriching. In only two years, we've gone from a feast and famine cycle to more client work than we can handle, an ability to plan and maximize our time AND the ability to make dreams come true through passion projects, for ourselves and our team! And it all started with our Vision Quest process, which we'll share, in detail with you on the webinar! Hope to see you there!! https://go.musestorytelling.com/2020vision

Miami Vision Quest 2020 — want a sneak peek of what we're up to?

A big hi from Miami where we (Patrick & Rebecca, that's me!) are on a Vision Quest for 2020. Only a year ago, our vision looked really different. Truth be told, often, we barely knew what was happening next week, let alone a few months from then — but today we have almost our full year mapped out! 2020 is going to be a year of powerful growth and meaningful storytelling. We have BIG THINGS planned. :) It's remarkable how good it feels to have so much intention and purpose for ourselves, for Muse and for our team in 2020 — and we want to know — would that be helpful for you too? It doesn't matter if you're solo, have a team or are still dreaming of making films full time — our vision process can work for everyone. So let us know, would you like us to share the vision and strategy process that has completely transformed Muse over the last two years?

The Film That Almost Didn't Happen

Have you ever had a story fall apart so much that you find yourself standing on a street corner in the freezing cold, wringing your hands and figuring out how the hell you are going to walk inside, look in the faces of the people you are supposed to be helping and tell them that you can’t finish the project, your team needs to pack up the cameras, lights and head home? This was my position, at hour 16 of 24 for @musestorytelling’s first #24Good project. For us, #24Good is the ultimate storytelling training ground. We challenge ourselves to find a story, develop the creative, and film it ALL within 24 hours. An unreal challenge with a powerful social side. I had been challenged to direct the film, an exercise in getting me to think bigger and I (very apprehensively) accepted. And let me say, i have never directed a film in my life. I am a producer, who lives in spreadsheets and schedules. We had arrived early in the morning to get all our b-roll and nice light shots. All that was left was to interview and spend some time filming with our main character. Then at hour 16, and fifteen minutes after we were supposed to start filming with them, we were told our character was unable to make it today. We had already done four hours of StoryFinding the day before and this was the character that we built the creative around. And they were 100% out. So, I was a first time director, with no main character, creative that was no longer relevant and 8 hours left on the clock. What do you do? You trust the process. You lean on your team. And...you’ll have to wait for the making of to follow us behind the scenes and see exactly what went down. But until then, I want to share the final film with you. We spent 24 hours with @sistersoftheroad and it was truly awesome. We met some incredible people who show kindness, acceptance and love every day despite having experienced some of the world's cruelest moments. Please take a moment on this #GivingTuesday to watch t

Ever consider why we say 'take, capture, and shoot' in image making??

Ever consider the language we use around photography or filmmaking? 'take', 'shoot', or 'capture' It's rather oppressive and it suggests that its surely not a collaboration with those you're making images of. Hear Josué's story about why it is so important that we create a space for those we make images with and invite them to be a part of telling their own story.

Day long free workshop that will transform your storytelling

Listen up New York, Nashville, SF, and Portland–we've got a powerful day of storytelling experiences planned for you in the coming weeks. We've partnered with Fujifilm to put on this whole experience which means, for the first time ever, we can offer you this workshop at absolutely NO cost. And no, it's not a sales pitch session. There will be no products, services, or anything inside the workshop thats for sale. We believe in the power of a well told story to drive change. And we want to empower you to be a change maker–in your personal life, in your business, and for your client. Watch the video for more details. Then snag your seat in the city closest to you.

Grant shares how he started and something you don't want to miss

As an image maker, we spend SO SO much of our time telling stories for others that we forget about our own. Here's the thing that few of us realize... There is no story more powerful than the one you tell yourself. The story you tell yourself shapes your perception of the world, it is a filter, a set of glasses, that augments everything you take in. This story can be incredibley empowering, or it can be disabling and limiting. We'd like to help you deconstruct that story. We'd like to help you build a new story. One that is inline with the work, the clients, and the impact you want to have. We believe this such an important message that Fujifilm came on board to sponsor 5 cities of workshops so that they can be totally free to you. That means over five hours of interactive activities, experiences, and ideas that can change your path for the better. Look, we care deeply about creating stories that matter. And we believe the world needs more of them. There is no fee to join. There is nothing to buy at the workshop. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. So the question becomes–are you ready to take yourself on? If so, join us in New York, Nashville, San Fran, and Portland for a powerful day of storytelling.

We don't always know it, but there is a thing we are meant to do

What's the hardest thing you've had to endure? And how has it shaped you? For Ian, it was PTSD from too many years as a paramedic. It got so bad that he could barely find the force to get out of bed. But conflict leads to growth. It's true in story and life. Watch Ian's story and see how his greatest challenge also led him to exactly where he needed to be.