As an aspiring filmmaker, you can learn a lot from these iconic local artists.

We tend to think of filmmaking as something exclusive to Hollywood. But plenty of directors from the Chicago area have made their best work while living in the city. All of these artists started somewhere small, and have plenty of thoughtful advice for aspiring filmmakers everywhere.

The Wachowski Sisters:

The Wachowski sisters, who wrote and directed The Matrix (1999), may have spent plenty of time in Hollywood, but for years they kept a studio running in the Chicagoland area. Even their biggest Hollywood blockbusters are influenced by their Midwestern roots. While they aren’t the types to offer direct advice, shying away from too many interviews, their occasional words give plenty of hope to aspiring filmmakers.

In a profile surrounding their cult film Cloud Atlas (2012), the Wachowskis’ discussed their inspirations, from Dungeons & Dragons to the classic 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). And it’s not difficult to see the impact these various works have had on them throughout their career.

Everything you do at a young age – the films you watch, the games you play, the books you obsess over – can inform your passions and future career. This is exciting for young filmmakers, knowing that you’ve already started to develop your own voice, simply by doing what you already love.

Read more about how to find inspiration everywhere

Joe Swanberg:

Few directors instill Chicago with the same level of personality as Joe Swanberg, who made a name for himself with his dirt-cheap productions. He’s even managed to bring that low-budget, personal mindset to his more recent and high-profile works such as 2013’s Drinking Buddies and the Netflix series Easy (2016-). How does he do it?

What other artists might view as limitations, Swanberg sees as advantages. When Swanberg says to “use what you’ve got”, it doesn’t mean to settle for whatever and whoever you have sitting around. It means understanding that those people, places and things are your greatest opportunity, because they are unique to you.

Swanberg gives his films personality by often choosing to shoot in local businesses and specific neighborhoods. His films feel real because they showcase more personal locales than the usual glossy settings of the Loop and Millennium Park. Using the places that means something to you can help share the story of your Chicago.

Here’s how you can learn to “Use what you’ve got.”

Bing Liu:

Bing Liu’s Rockford-set Minding the Gap (2018)may sit outside of Chicago proper, but it is one of the most powerful pieces of filmmaking to come out of the area in years. Originally Liu didn’t know where the documentary would be centered. He had vague ideas about wanting to make a film about skateboarding communities, but it wasn’t until he returned home that he understood exactly what that story would be. For Liu, the return opened up old wounds that he realized he wanted to explore.

Not all inspiration must come from a dark place, of course. Liu’s advice speaks to the broader idea that everybody has a story to tell. Liu dug into his past, filmed his friends and family, and wound up with an Oscar nominated documentary. Nothing is stopping you from doing the same.

“Everyone has at least one story within themselves that only they can tell.”

What’s yours?

Want to tell your story? Or have a kid who has one of their own? Get that story out there at the Facets Film 101 Summer Camp. Take some advice from local Chicagoland filmmakers and let us help you develop your voice so you can share it with the world. Sign up here.

Author: Josh Oakley is formerly a critic, currently in film marketing and, hopefully someday, an author.