enthuse.me blog

"It’s all about the way you tell a story. From a product to a brand to an idea to strategy, it’s about the core story, not just what you want to say, it’s what you want to tell. Then comes the implementation." 

A talented film-maker and screenwriter, Philip Berger narrates his journey, discusses some of his exciting projects and shares with us his passion about storytelling -as well as some cool advice tips on film-making- .

-You are a storyteller. Enthuse us with your storytelling skills while narrating your own story in a few words!

I began my love for film at a young age. But my real blossom into loving filmmaking started when I was 14. I began to volunteer at the local film festival. I would take the bus or be dropped off by my parents until I could drive or catch a ride. Every year for two weeks I fell in love with film. I would volunteer first as an usher, taking tickets, because that allowed me to sneak into each film after I took tickets. I saw 100s of films every year this way. And this was the real boom of American independent films in the mid-1990s. From there I applied to a visual and performing arts program at my high school in Orlando, Florida. It was focused on TV and film production. We produced music videos, documentary programs and short films. I continued volunteering at the film festival and then was accepted into film school at Florida State University. It was an intense 4-year course where we learned everything there is to know about the art. After film school, I moved to New York where I worked in an art department on short films and features. I assisted a production designer and learned a lot about art direction, production design and mise en scéne. At the same time I also started writing scripts for commercials which got me into screenwriting.

On the side, I was making low-budget music videos as well as shorts. When I moved to Stockholm, I began to assist a commercial director which led me into the commercial world. After that I began to work as a director, writing many of the films I directed with the agency and/or client. And then, as of the last few years, began to write feature film scripts which led me to where I am now. It’s been a journey but, in many ways, it feels like it’s just getting started. I was told at a young age, that you will get 10,000 no’s until you get the 1 yes. And that philosophy has kept me interested in film. It is important to just keep going.

-How do you make a story sound interesting?

I find that what interests me is when something is so outlandish, so far from my life or my experiences but when I find a connection to it, when I find that I can relate to someone or something so far removed, that interests me. I feel that as humans, fear holds us back from almost everything. But when you are given the opportunity to make-believe to make your own world, you can’t be afraid to let them go the distance.

I, personally, always start with the characters before I know the story. It’s very rare that I have a story without a human, so the characters began to develop before I know exactly what’s happening. I really love idiosyncrasies. It’s those small nuances that make a character interesting. Universality is also really important. I think that we can be so peculiar and strange individuals, but what makes that interesting, is when one can relate to these weird or completely boring characters. Then I think about the action. The core… what am I trying to say? Tell? And what are the wants and needs of the characters and how will they obtain them? What are the risks and goals?

What made you get into filming?

I always liked the word filmmaker, more than director.

I decided at a very young age, around 11 or 12 years old. I watched a ton of films, mostly in the horror section of the video store. I watched horrible zombie and gore films because they gave a thrill. But then, I ran out of movies to watch in that genre and moved into independent, foreign and dramatic films and that opened up my eyes to a whole world of storytelling. I also began to film my friends skateboarding. After a while I decided that I wanted nothing more than to become a filmmaker. To create a fake world in the moving form. To make. To do. And to realize stories that would move, shake and dance in people’s thoughts and fantasies.

One of the projects you have on your enthuse.me profile seems fascinating! ‘The Music of The Future’ where music is created using tools of the future and anyone can participate via online communities and social media. Tell us more about it!

I was approached by a music producer …that was looking for someone to write and direct a pilot for a web series. Russia’s largest bank, Sperbank, was looking to attract new and young clients. Many Russians don’t trust the banks as the country was ridden with crises in the 1990s. So, in conjunction with the Olympics and other events in 2014, the bank decided to sponsor a series of concerts across the country called ‘Red Rocks.’

Along with the festival, they wanted to reach out to people via web and social media. So, together with producers and a graphics team, we created a program format that would feature two artists, from two different countries as well as genres, that would come together to produce a track using tools from ‘the future.’

We produced a trailer and then they ordered a whole episode, which we produced. It was a different way of making a series, which was new to me, but I always like a challenge.

-You take a humoristic approach on the promotional video about Swedish Match - Snus. Many people would argue that it could be risky though as it might be misinterpreted. What are your views on that?

I was approached to pitch a concept and an idea with a colleague for Swedish Match’s launching of snus in the USA. They were looking for an informative site that would educate people about what snus is and its risks and history.

I pitched an idea that would feature a more of a ‘how-to’ use the snus. It was done in a matter-of-fact and humorous way, which was even more humorous to Swedes as snus is so prevalent here. The films were weaved into the site so they were in full frame instead of being separate from the site - an organic approach.

I don’t think it was risky, although, possibly perceived so. I think it was just different. People hadn’t seen something like this before - an informative and integrated campaign about snus, with a humoristic approach.

-How is the internet affecting your work and the way you promote it?

I think things have been changing in the past year or so. If you had asked me this 5 or 6 years ago, the answer would be different. The internet is inundated with millions of videos, millions of directors, etc. So it’s quite difficult to promote video work these days.

I have gone from sending out a physical dvd showreel to having a website to incorporating my website with a CV on sites like linkedin and enthuse.me. I think curation is becoming more and more important, so we can weed through the work and feature certain artists for a certain amount of time.

Curation is and will be a vital aspect of the internet in the coming years.

-How do you use your enthuse.me profile?

I honestly just put my enthuse.me profile up and hope it will be a vital aspect in my attempt to curate a little. Sites like enthuse.me are a great tool for this fact.

-Any advice tips to people that are making their first attempts at film making?

Yes! Many, probably too many. haha. We live in a time where anyone can make a film. It’s cheap and easy to learn the technology. But the same thing happened when it became cheap to be a photographer or painter. Millions of people have the opportunity to make films now. But what I feel is really important is to not rush into it. An even cheaper alternative is to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and begin to sketch out your story. Every film, unless an art film or documentary film, has the same elements. Well thought-out characters, plot, wants and needs, goals and twists, three acts (give or take) and interesting and personal emotions. I like to compare filmmaking to a human: It’s not about how amazing it looks or sounds, but it’s the meat and skeletons and brains of the story. Then when you have that down pat, we can begin to add the skin, hair and features. Spend more time preparing and pondering, then fixing everything in post-production, because no matter what, people want to see, hear and feel a good story.

Some tips that I find very useful are:

• Start. Start with coming up with a story.
• Focus. Focus more on the pondering, thinking and pre-production process; it will save you time, energy and money in the long run.
• Observe. Observe everything around you from people, to nature, etc.
• Listen. It is extremely important to listen to people, especially your actors.
• Core. Explore your core beliefs, aesthetics and ideologies to bring them out in your filmmaking.
• Watch and Read. Watch as many movies as possible from all genres and all time-periods. Read, read, read, read scripts, books, etc. to give you a taste of the art of storytelling.
• Connect. Connect with people familiar and unfamiliar. Film is about connecting us to the people on the big screen.
• Be patient. Patience! You are not going to become rich and famous overnight. If you get a ‘no’, just keep moving on.

-What’s the next exciting project you are up to?

I am trying to go back to my roots. So in the past year or so, I’ve been developing a few shorts, TV pilots and a feature. I went to a traditional film school and started off my career in shorts and features working in the art department. I am still working with commercials but I’m in the process of moving to the dramatic world too :) I’m also trying to finish a collection of short stories.

Very best of luck Philip!

Any questions for Philip?

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