Make Your Movie! - Make/Believe!

I get asked ALOT about "How Do You Make A Movie?"
Usually it's someone who wants to do it, but is afraid to take the leap, or unsure how to start...
I'm a lucky man... I've been able to follow my dreams and make puppets, and movies with them. Sure, I've made sacrifices. And yes, it does take up much of my time. And it's all worth it. Whenever someone comes to me and tells me they want to make a movie but aren't sure how to start I'll ask a few questions -
"Do you have access to a camera?"
"Do you have a story idea?"
"Do you know anyone who would want to be in a movie?"

I always get "yes" to all three.

And then I ask "So what's stopping you?"

Then I always hear their reasons: "Well, I don't have a huge amount of money," or "I don't have time", or "I have to mow my lawn."... And so on and so on...
These "reasons", I call these excuses.
I don't have have huge amounts of money. I have a lawn to mow. And, sometimes I feel like I don't have time.
But I do it. I want to do it.
And that is really where you start.
If you WANT to do it, you CAN. You have to commit.
You see making a movie is a commitment. Even a short film that may take a day to shoot.

So how did I do it? It brings me back to the three questions.
Well, I had help. I had a friend with a camera. I had story ideas that others helped expand on. I knew people who wanted to be in movies, or in my case wanted to puppeteer in movies.
And we did it. And we keep doing it.  
No, it's not "that easy"... Scheduling, puppet making, casting, locations, all that and more do make it hard. But if you have those three things you have a place to start.
And you CAN do it. You CAN make you're own movie.  

I believe in you.