Our minds are wonderful. They allow us to create, explore ideas, travel to places all in our heads. We create alternate realities all the time. The places we’d rather be in, times we would like to go back to. It’s all there for us to revel in. All we have to do is close our eyes. That’s the power of our minds.

I believe filmmaking is an extension of that power we have within us. It’s the ability to create a story through which anyone can immediately connect with the place, situation or characters. It happens on such a basic level that it becomes a part of that person, even if only for an instant.

Think Fight Club - a dark film that seems superficially about underground fight clubs. What could I possibly have to identify with? But underneath lay a much deeper, beautiful story of a man stuck in a big city’s rut of work and loneliness. Who in our generation cannot identify with that?

The word “filmmaker” sometimes seems scary, even to me. It creates this image that you, as an aspiring director, need to fulfill; as if anything less would be unworthy. It draws up visions of god like figures of Godard, Truffaut or Fellini with their 35 mm cameras directing their picture-perfect heroes who pelt out politically charged statements with effortless finesse. It reminds us of the movies we’ve watched and the impact they’ve created in our lives. From Amitabh and Dharmendra on a motorbike celebrating friendship to the Von Trapp family running around scenic landscapes in clothes made from curtains. Film makers have created icons. They’ve changed our lives. They have, in some small way, contributed to who we are.

But these are just a handful of people in a world of millions.

The truth is, we’re all filmmakers. We all tell stories. We’ve all researched the field for years, after all we’re always watching movies. It’s not like there was ever a dearth of talent, just of opportunities. It’s not like people weren’t creating fantastic films in their own countries. There just wasn’t an easy way to spread it across the world. It’s only now that we’ve been given the ability to do so.

Look at the way film has changed over the decades. It has always molded to society and the need of the hour. The 40s had films on war. Which then moved to a darker type of cinema and film noir. Movies then evolved to include the colourful musicals of the 50s and 60s. Then came television shows - talk shows, quizzes, live performances etc. The 70s gave birth to some action packed, stunt-driven fare. And the 80s ushered in the digital age. With the introduction of the digital format, filmmaking suddenly changed once again to encompass more - independent cinema, short films, music television, videos and documentaries became part of the cinematic experience. Not only was there a new medium to shoot in, but now new formats were being developed along with full length feature films. Today, you don’t need to make a film to be considered a director. That is just one route to take. There are many more options to prove your filmmaking skills.

The word “filmmaker” has taken on more than its original meaning. The digital era had ushered in a new wave of film makers who would have otherwise never received an opportunity to do what they love. Apart from it becoming easier to shoot, we now have the capability to edit as well with PC compatible easy-to-use software. So we now have at our disposal a more economical way to shoot as well as to edit - the world is our oyster.

With the world wide web coming into our lives, filmmaking has moved into another level entirely. Now, you can create, shoot, edit and distribute your film/documentary/music video/short film etc entirely on your own. It has taken away the power of filmmaking from the hands of a few and handed it out to the masses. No longer is it elitist. It has opened doors for people with an idea - with something to say, by giving them the opportunity to say it through film, including and especially the digital medium.

A revolution has begun. People are picking up cameras all over the world and creating impactful, meaningful, heartfelt, funny, dramatic, ridiculous, path breaking content. A small American band called Ok Go made a 3 minute low-low-low budget music video with the 4 band members “dancing” on 4 treadmills. 26 million people worldwide watched it. That’s the same amount of people who watched the IPL finals. One tiny unknown band had the same impact as a national craze. Imagine the possibilities.

People across the world are watching, commenting and being inspired by films being created by other people. We are exploring ourselves as artists. We’re opening up our minds to possibilities. We’re reaching into our imagination and putting it out there for the world to see. We’re connecting with each other as human beings.

That’s the power of filmmaking. A power that each and every one of us now has. It’s up to us to explore it, create from it and, who knows, maybe change someones life by doing it. So what are you waiting for?