Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Bret Miller. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Bret thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

Filmmaking is an interesting medium, especially in the early days. It’s important to soak up all you can from trusted mentors and friends, but it’s even more important to just shoot something. Anything. There is nothing like learning on set, and it’s never been easier to just pick up a camera and go. Shooting a feature at 23, which I was in no way prepared for, was such a great lesson. An on-the-job MFA. I felt like I was launched into hyperspace, but I do think there is value in slowing down the process. I think social media contributes to this, but I’ve noticed more and more young filmmakers are hoping to break in at a faster pace than ever before. They don’t realize that time and valuable life experience make a world of difference for a filmmaker. Or any artist, really. I feel like I’m just starting to get an insight into all of the stories I could tell over a decade after my first film.

So, to me, the most valuable skill sets are a combination of patience and tenacity. It’s important to be open to a slow build because so many filmmakers flame out while trying to cut the line. You can only hit the baseball if you’re in the game, so do everything you can to stay in the game. Nights, weekends. Shooting with friends, borrowing props. Whatever it takes.

Bret, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Bret, I live with my wife and dog in Atlanta after growing up in the Metro-Detroit area. I write, direct, and produce narrative and documentary films. I sound like a broken record, but there was never a time in my life that I didn’t want to make films. I remember writing Loony Tunes stories and shooting my own versions of Peter Pan and Frankenstein with my parent’s VHS camcorder. Which I still have, by the way! I went to Michigan State University where I met Bill Vincent, the first in a long line of amazing mentors, and I’ve been working ever since.

As I get older, I find certain interests slowly changing while others are rooted in the very foundation of who I am. My narrative films tend to be a little blunt, nihilistic, and often violent. But my documentaries are usually rooted in interesting people doing their best in the circumstances they have. I prefer to showcase positivity with real-life stories while using fiction to showcase the reality that I see—the reality I wish to convey so others can see, too. I’m proud of that distinction. It’s fun for me to show a film about Motown Records only to turn around and share a ghost film about gentrification. I like spreading my wings and keeping audiences on their toes, so hopefully my work accomplishes that in some fashion.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Sure, there are many. One goal that’s constantly ringing in my head comes from a review of a previous film. Someone called it “safe.” That hit me hard, especially because I knew they were right. The film was safe! Ever since then, I’ve been driven to take chances, using my experience and curiosities to drive my work instead of calculating some formula to bolster manufactured success. Art is supposed to be shared, but it’s important for any artist to work for themselves first.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Support is key, and support comes in many different shapes and sizes. Instead of seeing Iron Man 12 on opening weekend, maybe consider a smaller movie before seeing a studio film the next weekend. Instead of buying art from Target, go to a pop-up. Being an artist or a craftsman can be a lonely existence, but seeing someone, anyone, enjoying what we worked tirelessly to create is worth its weight in gold. A perfectly timed laugh or, in my case, jump scare is more than enough to power me through any creative lull I’ll certainly face. Social media and word of mouth is always helpful, but the best way to support the artist is to truly enjoy their artform, whatever that may look like.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bretmillerfilmmaker.com
• Instagram: bretmiller_filmmaker
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bret.miller.735/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bret-miller-22a02775/
• Twitter: bretmiller_film
• Other: Vimeo: vimeo.com/bretmillerfilmmaker

Image Credits

Jeen Na