Updated: Jul 21, 2021
In our 2019 interview with Dean Shortland, he offered the filmmaking community the perfect question when considering getting involved in a new project:
"Are you going to be able to use this work to get more work?"
This seemingly simple question gets to the core of the filmmaker's journey, the end goal of which is to build a career as a filmmaker.
A career, by definition, is "an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person's life and with opportunities for progress." Let's key in on that last part for a second: "with opportunities for progress". A career, then, is not just what you get paid to do on an ad hoc or for-hire basis, but a profession that offers opportunities for progress.
This is exactly what Dean is getting at. If you want to have a sustainable life as a filmmaker, each project you sign onto must afford you new opportunities for progress. If not, the paycheck may not be worth the opportunity cost of missing out on the right piece of work.
When Dean offered us this pearl of wisdom, he did so in the context of recognizing his obligations to his family. As a family man, he believes it to be his responsibility to chase his dreams so long as they are coupled with tangible and continued value to himself and his family. Not wanting to live for the paycheck, he is strategic in his decision-making so that he can ensure the longevity of his career and the sustainability of his income. This is not only wise but it is noble as he seeks not only to serve himself but to remain accountable to those who depend on him.
We invite you to ask yourself the same question when you are in search of your next film project. When doing so, consider the caliber of your potential collaborators and whether they have what it takes to pull the project off. Consider the quality of the story and the depth of the characters to determine whether it will showcase your talents and the talents of others. Consider the path to distribution and the probability that the project will makes its way to a sizable audience. Consider how you will leverage the opportunity to grow your network so that you remain in consideration for the next project down the line. Consider whether the role you play is significant enough to get you noticed.
"Are you going to be able to use this work to get more work?"
This is truly a defining question for the indie filmmaker and we thank Dean for sharing this with us. We look forward to speaking with him more about how he goes about making this determination for himself so stay tuned for another interview with Dean in 2020!
As always,
Be Better. Be Creative. Be Engaged.
Updated: Apr 10, 2021
In this series, we consider how the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey relates to indie filmmakers. In this post, we discuss the "Sharpen the Saw" habit.
When we first started out our journey into helping independent filmmakers, we did our best to build a library of filmmaking resources to give our audience the best of the best at the click of a button. What we soon came to realize is that, though these resources were indeed valuable, they weren't the critical resources that were missing from filmmaker's lives.
There's no doubt that the teachings of Mamet, Goldman, Biskind, Obst, Kazan, and Lumet are timeless and truly valuable. There is so much that filmmakers can learn from D4Darius, Corridor Digital, and The Nerdwriter. The knowledge and insights shared by Director's Club, IndieFilmHustle, and the Go Creative Show provide a treasure trove of goodness. But indie filmmakers are people first.
"Sharpening the saw"is about becoming a better version of yourself as a human, as a friend, as a partner, as a collaborator, as a parent, as a listener, as a coach, as a student, and whatever else you may be so that you can become a better filmmaker. It is about creating opportunities for renewal through refinement.
As your filmmaking journey continues from one day to the next, it is important to carve out opportunities for renewal in a few key areas:
Physical
Spiritual
Mental
Social/Emotional
Each of these areas is important because continued renewal enables you to create balance in your life to maintain the resources (both tangible and intangible) to reach your goals.
Imagine being so physically exhausted that you can't make it through another day of filming. Now imagine how the disappointment of not getting that next shot will weigh on your spiritual health and mental state. To make matters worse, this negative mental state may cause you to lash out emotionally, hurting others around you in your social circle. That's imbalance and that's no good.
This is where we believe filmmakers tend to lose sight of their own personal development. They become so lost in the doing that they forget about the "being". They neglect routine physical, spiritual, mental, and social/emotional healing and renewal which eventually affects their ability to be great filmmakers.
So, without further ado, here are just a few resources we believe will help our filmmaking friends refresh and renew:
Physical
Centr - Home health and fitness training brought to you by Chris Hemsworth
The 4-Hour Body - Tim Ferriss provides his minimalist approach to total body transformation
Spiritual
Headspace - A top-rated mindfulness and meditation app
The Artist's Way - Julia Cameron provides vital tools for artistic recovery
Mental
Masterclass - Learn from the very best.
Udemy - Learn anything, on your schedule.
Social/Emotional
Houseparty - A face-to-face social networking app that keeps you connected to friends and family
TikTok - Just let loose for a while and have some fun. Let the family in on it and it will just get better!
We'll continue to provide more resources like these as we strive to curate the best content and resources for the filmmaking community.
Here's to a better you!
As always,
Be Better. Be Creative. Be Engaged.
If you're looking for someone to help you on your creative journey, feel free to reach out to us. We'd love to work with you!
Updated: Apr 10, 2021
In this series, we consider how the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey relates to indie filmmakers. In this post, we discuss the "Synergize" habit.
Filmmaking is a community affair. From the moment an idea pops into a your head, the community begins to gather. Friends and family gather 'round to listen to the idea and cheer you on. Their positivity and belief in your potential builds your confidence and ushers your forward.
As you put pen to paper and write your story, your fellow filmmakers weigh in on your plot development, character choices, and sense of tone. Some even go the extra mile and proofread your work to remove all of the distracting mistakes. Your idea begins to take shape and become more than the idea it started out as.
Throughout each phase of production, your idea continues to evolve. What was a toddler on paper reaches adolescence while filming and adulthood in the editing room. Your community of collaborators comes together to create something that was born of the idea of one and yet raised by the hands of many.
This is synergy.
Synergy exists when you exploit the win-win. It's when your friends and family give you words of encouragement because they want to show their love and respect. It's when your fellow filmmakers treat you like family and offer you their time and attention because they see your success as their own. It's when your production team comes together to give their best because the next step in their careers are measured by the step they are taking with you.
Synergy exists when you recognize that you can't survive in this business alone. There is only so much that one person can know or endure on their own. Synergy means recognizing the limits to your own understanding, experience, capability, and energy while leaning on others who can fill the gaps. Synergy means recognizing the strengths in your own understanding, experience, capability, and energy and offering it to those who need it.
Synergy exists when you respect and value differences of opinion. If you had all the right answers, you'd be successful already. Understanding that alternative perspectives and insights can only bring greater value to your work allows you to expand your horizons and consider new possibilities. You can take advantage of this at every stage of your creative journey by listening, understanding, reflecting, and considering the ideas of others.
Synergy is the lynchpin to a filmmaker's success because it is what brings people together to be greater than the sum of their individual parts. This is what we all aspire to be: greater. The only way we'll do it is together.
Now go synergize!
As always,
Be Better. Be Creative. Be Engaged.
If you're looking for someone to help you on your creative journey, feel free to reach out to us. We'd love to work with you!