After directing & editing a micro budget feature film (Deadlocked) that took up over 5 years of my time, I felt stuck as a filmmaker. I felt like I had lost all momentum as this project was the only thing I had to show for the last 5 years...and I wasn't thrilled with how it turned out. Suddenly, I was creating tons of pressure for my next films to be better than what I had done before, which made for a great cocktail of crippling pressure and anxiety.
Now I'm starting to get unstuck as a filmmaker, and here's 5 things that I have found have helped me in that process.
0:00 Intro
1:00 #1-Make Stuff & Embrace the Suck
2:43 #2-Don't Treat the Project Like It's the Last Thing You'll Make
3:52 #3-Put the Project Aside & Work on Another
4:40 #4-Work a Little Every Day
5:51 #5-Add Limitations
#1-Make Stuff & Embrace the Suck
Don't worry so much about your movies being "bad", that's pretty subjective anyways. The important thing is to make movies, make mistakes, and learn from those mistakes. Just know that you'll continue to improve and this is how precisely how to improve.
#2-Don't Treat the Project Like It's the Last Thing You'll Make
This is a great way to create loads of pressure on yourself and to create an unfocused mess of a movie. Stay focused on your vision for your film and don't try to do too much.
#3-Put the Project Aside & Work on Another
Sometimes you've got writer's block or things just ain't working and you're going around in loops. Rather than continuing to pound your head against the wall trying to break through, consider setting it aside and picking up another project. You can always revisit it and working on new project may spark an idea that will help you solve your issues with the first project.
#4-Work a Little Every Day
Forming filmmaking habits makes everything easier...like it literally puts you at ease with filmmaking. This removes the pressure of having to be super productive or come up with earth-shattering ideas in your once a week writing times.
#5-Add Limitations
Sometimes there's just too many possibilities. Adding limitations is a great way to narrow your focus and is a great practice in general for us indie filmmakers who don't have big budgets to work with. Try giving yourself deadlines to create more movies and improve faster. Or try making some creative limitations to hone your skills and keep it fun (like making a short film that only has 10 shots).
People like Joel Haver, Social House Films, Doomed Productions, and Dan Lotz / 922 Films are killing posting so much content.
Don't over think it! Keep moving forward! Failure isn't bad, it's a way to move forward. Now get out there and make some movies!
21 июл 2024
