Chapter 6 Creative Approach

Give any group of filmmakers the same general subject—even the same general story—and you’ll still end up with films that are very different in style, tone, point of view, focus, and more. These differences describe the approach: how a story is presented on screen. Is it a half-hour special or a 10-hour series? Is the tone humorous? What production elements are used, such as live shooting, recreations, a narrator, time-lapse photography, music, sound effects, or animation? Is the program produced quickly and inexpensively, or does it take a more considered approach to both content and the craft of storytelling?

Even within a subset of films, such as high-end features intended for theatrical release, the range of approaches ...

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