Forget CGI and megastars: The keys to making a film everyone wants to see are emotion and luck.
That’s the advice of three established producers and decision-makers speaking at a Dubai Film Market panel discussion on Saturday.
Newspapers and the internet are filled with inspiration for filmmakers, but a personal connection is key to a successful production said Mike Lerner, director of Roast Beef Productions. It is important to find the personal connection in a way that there is something in the story that audiences can empathise or identify with, he said, but added: “In terms of how we choose [an idea], luck is the key,” Lerner said.
He was part of Creating Universal Stories for Film and TV, part of the ongoing Dubai International Film Festival.
The session on Saturday was moderated by Liz Shackleton, Asia editor of Screen International, and also featured Ayman Al Zyoud, president of Charisma Group, and Nils Hartmann, director of Original Productions at Sky Italia.
Speaking about the process of finding stories, Al Zyoud said that people went to college to study film and TV a long time ago, but today there is a lot of content on the internet. He added that digital platforms provide online stories that have the basics of any production and resonate with an audience. Hartmann’s advice was to tell a tale that is emotionally believable and close to reality. He added that the nationality of actors is not important as long as they work for their character and make it convincing.
The panellists also discussed the differences between stories that work for TV and film. Lerner said that there are stories that cannot be told in 47 minutes, which is the traditional television hour, citing the Oscar-nominated documentary The Square, a 110-minute film that tells the story of a three-year revolution. “I could not imagine telling that story in an hour,” he said. “Certain things do demand more time and space.”
Explaining how a story can help in transcending cultural barriers, Al Zyoud said “people need more authentic approach” and a plot has to focus on human themes by tackling common things, such as religion and music. Regardless of geographical proximity, viewers can relate to a story once they are interested and mirrored in it, he added.
