For Mitchell Mullins, the greatest challenge in storytelling is translating fleeting ideas into tangible work, with writing serving as the blueprint for transforming creative concepts into cinematic reality.
But with his talent for blending VFX, FPV, and motion design, he and co-director Nick Dean were able to craft futuristic visuals set in a bleak, post-apocalyptic wasteland in their spec-ad Carry Us.
We chatted with Mitchell about his creative process, his passion for storytelling, and the delicate balance of client direction and creative exploration.
Filmsupply: What sparked your passion for filmmaking/storytelling?
Mitchell Mullins: From the time I was 6, I’ve been inspired by movies.
Movies can take us to another world. And like many other 6-year-olds, I was captivated by the idea that I could live there.
My curiosity got the best of me, so I began using my parents’ camcorder to recreate my favorite movie scenes shot by shot.
Later into my teenage years, I began filming action sports and stumbled into the world of video editing.
Unbeknownst to me at the time, these moments were some of the first steps toward a lifelong obsession with filmmaking and storytelling.
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What storytelling elements do you think are essential for crafting a compelling narrative?
Crafting a compelling story comes down to our ability to evoke emotion in the audience. It relies on fostering relatability and empathy towards the characters and situations we depict in our films.
Stories are compelling by nature, but great stories challenge how we see the world; they let us know what else is out there and what we might be capable of.
As stated before, a great story takes the audience somewhere they’ve never been but somewhere they already know.
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“Great stories challenge how we see the world; they let us know what else is out there and what we might be capable of.”
Mitchell Mullins
What is the most challenging aspect of being a filmmaker and a creative?
The most challenging aspect of being a filmmaker is being able to put it all together.
Many artists have great ideas, but the catalyst for our abilities lies in bringing our visions to life. I can navigate the chaos by writing my ideas down.
Ideas, by nature, are fleeting; if we don’t capture them, they’re lost. “Nothing is real until it’s on paper,” an adage reflecting the whole filmmaking process—the journey from concept to concrete.
By exploring our thoughts through writing, we can lay the foundation for building, revising, and bringing our ideas to life.
Footage from Carry Us
You can license footage from Carry Us, the post-apocalyptic spec ad from Mitchell Mullins and Nick Dean.
Check out all 170 clips from Carry Us, fully released and available to license: https://www.filmsupply.com/shoots/carry-us/20095
