From Cocaine Cowboys director Billy Corben, via Indiewire.com 

Do you have any advice for kids who are starting out in film school making documentaries?

This is the secret to filmmaking.There’s two simple steps. Find a good story and tell it well. If you find a good story and you tell it well, it’s going to be good. Easier said than done, but that’s it, and from there, you play the RAS game: Relevance, Access, Style.

Relevance. Who gives a shit? Indie documentaries are like the proverbial tree falling in the forest. Presumably, you tell these stories and make these movies so that someone will see them. Relevant is different from topical; just because something’s in the news doesn’t mean people are going to the theater or streaming something on Netflix to learn about it. Who cares about it?

Access. Do you have access to everything you need to tell the story: Access to the people, access to the funding, access to a script, access to actors, access to equipment, access to location, access to archival materials.

Style. Not just what you say, but how you say it, and why re you the best filmmaker to tell this story. What do you bring to the table as a filmmaker and storyteller?