Hello fellow filmmakers,
If you are newer to filmmaking, here is some advice below. I hope this helps!
First and foremost, I would not recommend becoming a filmmaker unless you absolutely love doing this and breathe it day in and day out as I (and a handful of filmmakers I have met) do. It is a long, expensive and stressful journey that often doesn’t come close to giving you back what you put in from a financial/recognition perspective. But if you truly love doing it and receive the level of satisfaction that I do from working on and completing your films, I think you should continue to push forward and hopefully things will work out. Even if they don’t, you will always have something to be proud of and no one can take away the satisfaction that you receive from completing your passion project.
Second, understand how competitive this industry is, never expect anything and never act like you are owed something. Unless they had some incredible connection, even the best and most successful filmmakers on planet earth had to start at the bottom and grind it out in order to rise to the top. Be professional, kind and courteous to others, and always do what you say you are going to do. The film industry is very oversaturated and you need to do everything in your power to present yourself in the best light
Third, just do it. I slowed my career down at times by stressing over trying something for the first time and not taking initiative, giving myself various excuses. Of course, you should plan ahead as much as you can, but studying is never the same as actually getting out there and doing it. Accept the inevitable fact that you will make mistakes, be flexible and move forward and you will learn from your mistakes and improve as you go.
And last, just remember to enjoy the process and don’t focus too much on the endgame. I am currently editing my first feature film “The Corridor Crossing”, which I shot last spring/summer, and post-production is taking me a lot longer than I initially anticipated it would. I could obsess over this fact and make myself go insane, but I have instead decided to understand that this was my first feature film, so it is okay that I couldn’t properly estimate how long it would take to edit the film and simply enjoy the journey, which has been an absolute blast so far, despite all of the unexpected hurdles that I have faced to this point
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Thank you for this valuable information.
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Thank you for jumping in and sharing these thoughts, Harry Waldman! "I slowed my career down at times by stressing over trying something for the first time and not taking initiative, giving myself various excuses"- This is a problem that so many of us have. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to make the leap and try. But success at anything takes first doing it, failing, and then doing it again. Over and over. I'm so glad that you've been having a blast! That's what matters and makes a difference in the long run. =)
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Great advice, Harry Waldman! I really like the last tip ("just remember to enjoy the process and don’t focus too much on the endgame"). I know I get so caught up with the endgame sometimes, I forget to enjoy writing. Thanks for the reminder and thanks for sharing the advice.
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Solid advice for filmmakers! Emphasizing the importance of passion, humility, initiative, and enjoying the process is key. Keep pushing forward and learning from the journey.
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Spot on! You gotta love the game and the hustle. Takes spinning a lot of plates at the beginning, but just keep making small projects until one pops a bit
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Definitely have to enjoy the process. I grew up in this business, loved it, then we moved to New Hampshire - I doubted that I could then be in the film business...But a couple years of an office job after college and I decided I had to give it a try and I drove back out to Hollywood. In 1987, I got my first official production assistant job and the rest is history! Joining DGA and working my way up. Can't think of anything else I'd rather do.