Does a Good Story Have to Be a Film?

Well, it's been a minute since I last posted here, and during that time so much has come into focus. What do I want Filmmaking Portugal and this blog to be about.

I enjoy all aspects of filmmaking and storytelling. My experience has been a mix of acting in front of the camera and storytelling though travel, or general observations about my new life in Portugal.

Let's face it: a 30-second commercial can tell a story. So can a two-minute travel video. And we're increasingly seeing people tell the story of their day on social media, from the mundane to the crazy.

And sometimes, you don’t need words at all. Someone receives a text message on their phone. A mysterious key left on a table. A pastel de nata disappearing from a café. Give us the right images in the right order and our brains start creating the story for us.

That’s the part I find fascinating.

After São João is the latest Filmmaking Portugal Original. It has given me plenty to think about: how images, text messages and sound can carry a story without spoken dialogue. I’ll be sharing more of those discoveries here, along with things I’m learning as other projects take shape.

-Bob