Planning before filming (1st timer)

[-Tom-]

So, I've finally decided to stop procrastinating and just start shooting something of my own.

Since it's the first time I'm doing it, my idea is to have everything planned and researched out in advance before I start to shoot. It will cut down my travel costs and my slack time. I started to outline the rough storyline around my main idea/premise and got stuck real quick. The problem is that my story has a bit of a ambiguous nature to it.

The focal point of my story is a well known, I would say worldwide known subject. But, the main issue, the moral of my story could be interpreted 2 ways; locally or globally.

If I choose the "local moral of the story" then I'll be preaching to the local community (the same community that won't do anything about the issue for years) and my audience will be very limited.

On the other hand, if I choose to narrate the story in a more "global" way (and in english, not in to my native lingo), I could be reaching thousands via YouTube/Vimeo and raise some kind of awareness and maybe get something moving towards fixing the issue...

Also, how much of my personality should I insert into the film? I personally hate "me me me" type of documentaries, I dont want to film myself talking to others, I would rather be out of the frame at all times and put the story from my own point of view, literally...rather than "fake" walking around or standing in front of the places like Im some kind of corny anchor.

Should I use sarcasm (I personally use it on a daily basis, I guess Im a cynic too) or should I be as fool-proof as possible? I would love to make a point in a sarcastic fashion, to me personally its very powerful to lay out the moral of a story with a note of cynical, it just makes the whole point sound serious...but on the other hand, I know some people could take it literally and completely miss my point.

Also, should I use Adobe Story for this, or are there other programs that could streamline my process...

 

[David G. Smith]

You should tell a story that expresses your views on a specific universal aspect of the human experience. The "How" must be subservient to the "What"; that is how you tell the story must always serve what you are trying to say. Every decision you make in producing you film will be an expression of your personality inserted into it. Concentrate on producing a compelling narrative detailing a specific universal aspect of the human experience in the context of the material that you have available and you should answer all of the other questions that you are asking.