Filming vs. Screenwriting

In retrospect, I think there are many similarities as well as differences between film making and screenwriting. For one, I initially thought filming would be easier than screenwriting because the story was already laid out, and we just had to visualize it. I was wrong. Film making takes much more coordination, planning, thinking, and creative process. Film making is very cooperative. You can't make a film alone. You may be able to write a story alone, but you won't be able to film it alone. You need actors, make up artists, costume artists, cameramen, audio men, props, production assistants, etc. It's a very cooperation driven process. Everyone needs to be on the same page and the same vision to make good progress. I also think film making needs more creativity than screen writing. This is because you are somewhat limited in what you can do, but still have the freedom to visualize the story as you want it. One scene can have dozens of cuts, angles, transitions, shots, not to mention the lighting and audio. I also like filming in the sense that it is very hands-on. Although it was a lot more work, I enjoyed being outside and filming, rather than being stuck indoors with a piece of paper. There were however, similarities between filming and writing. I think the similarities are very essential and significant in that both process is a way of telling a story. Screenwriting and filming ultimately tries to tell a story in a particular way. This is the part in which we as writers and film makers have to think the most. I also think they are similar in that there are many ways to approach creativity. For writing, you can take walks, free write, have dreams, read other stories, etc. to get ideas. For filming, actors/actresses may improvise on the scene, directors may decide to change things up in the middle of a shot, or be very methodical. It all depends on how the director or the writer wants to tell the story. I also believe that you have to have patience for both process. There will always be things that go wrong whether you're trying to write or trying to film. I think its the ability to have patience and working around a problem that make a good writer or film maker. Overall both process were hard but rewarding.