when you're down in the dumps, wondering if you shouldn't pack it up, give up, and go home, what advice/stories motivate you to keep making movies? For instance, someone noted that Steven Spielberg got regjected from USC film school. Twice. That kind of stuff, although minimal, gives me a little juice.
best stories/advice that keep you motivated
- Thread starter c.g._eads
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Robert86
Carbonite Member
The whole notion that filmmakers have about forty bad films in them...If you learn something new from every film you do, from your mistakes and what not, then you can't really call them failures if you take your lessons with you to your next film. I look back at a couple of shorts I have wrote and I notice a significant amount of progress between then and now. But if you never learn anything from them and keep making the same mistakes, then you might be a failure 
Why, did something dissapointing/depressing happen to you recently?
Why, did something dissapointing/depressing happen to you recently?it's just taking a really long freaking time getting money lined up for this film I'm directing. Sometimes you wonder if you'll ever find the money. That's when the doubts start creeping in.
this guy once said to me "well if you give up and move on, then you weren't meant to be a filmmaker." And that bothered me. I want to make films more than anything. But I also want to be rational if things don't seem to be happening. I want to be successful at *something* in life. Anyway, I'm going to stop before I start crying.
this guy once said to me "well if you give up and move on, then you weren't meant to be a filmmaker." And that bothered me. I want to make films more than anything. But I also want to be rational if things don't seem to be happening. I want to be successful at *something* in life. Anyway, I'm going to stop before I start crying.
Robert86
Carbonite Member
What that guy said to you should be some motivation. You should do it and prove him wrong which would really tell yourself something, that you won't let something someone told you get in the way of your passion or dreams. Believe me that is a lot of pressure for you, but if you can pull through with it and get it done then that will make you a stronger filmmaker, a true filmmaker. I don't even call myself a filmmaker and I have made some films, I don't think that I have justified that "title" yet until I can get a few more shorts done and edited some more projects. Make it happen and take everything people say that may be a downer and make it your ultimate motivation. Trying your hardest to make it happen is what really counts, even if you don't make it because of certain things, at least you gave all your effort.Hope this helps some.
Owen
Photoshop Savant
There's so much competition that when I encounter difficulties THEY are what motivate me. I find myself thinking, "Great! Hopefully X number of people will give up because they won't keep at it until they overcome that obstacle!" Any time you get beyond what is holding you back at a certain point just treat it like a weed out course in college. You pass = your odds just improved!
But you already are successful in life... how many people can say they are doing what they love.....really?
Daniel_Runyon
Well-known member
Honestly, I hope that anyone who's primary goal is "to make it" does indeed give it up rather than add to the already huge pile of crapola. Screw all the begging. Develope yourself to the point that if a Hollywood rep of more or less any sort approached you, you would have no interest in whatever pat on the head they offer....then make movies. Otherwise, you're only furthering the seperation between the way things are, and a culture of worthwhileness and integrity.
If you are making movies for the right reason, then you'll not need encouragement to "carry on"...you'll not be able to help but carry on. You don't need cheerleaders for your bowel movements to come, and making movies (or any other art) should be no different.
Oh yeah...how bout making movies that you can afford to make? Why sit around waiting on some mythical cash to be annointed upon you? That, to me sounds like a one way trip to mental illness. Screw the money men and waiting. Do a little of that proverbial "reaching deep within" and write something both worthwhile, and affordable to make with your present resources. You'll feel a LOT better.
And please, for the love of all things pure and good, purge yourself of any further use for the word "industry" within this context. Do you not want to just puke every time you see someone come into the forums and say something like "Well, as someone who works in the industry" in reply to one thing or another? It is little more than a perpetuation of the mass illness that's occuring surrounding the art. Screw "the industry" and screw seeking a place within it. Now, do not confuse that with saying it's bad to want to work on movie sets or whatever, that's fine, in and of itself...but I would encourage losing the mentality of satisfaction behind useage of the term idustry. That word rips the heart and soul from the art and turns things into little more than a commodity, no different than cola and cars.
Not to mention, perhaps packing up and going home is the absolute best thing you can do for yourself and your movie making venture. Go make a movie that comes from the same turnip patch that you squirted up out of, using local actors and local sets, coming from your own deep rooted desire to express yourself and your organics, would likely be far more truly worthwhile that whatever you're working on in California, land of the industry. Perhaps The Force itself doesnt want you to make that movie, for whatever reason, and if The Force aint with it, why bother trying to force it?
If you are making movies for the right reason, then you'll not need encouragement to "carry on"...you'll not be able to help but carry on. You don't need cheerleaders for your bowel movements to come, and making movies (or any other art) should be no different.
Oh yeah...how bout making movies that you can afford to make? Why sit around waiting on some mythical cash to be annointed upon you? That, to me sounds like a one way trip to mental illness. Screw the money men and waiting. Do a little of that proverbial "reaching deep within" and write something both worthwhile, and affordable to make with your present resources. You'll feel a LOT better.
And please, for the love of all things pure and good, purge yourself of any further use for the word "industry" within this context. Do you not want to just puke every time you see someone come into the forums and say something like "Well, as someone who works in the industry" in reply to one thing or another? It is little more than a perpetuation of the mass illness that's occuring surrounding the art. Screw "the industry" and screw seeking a place within it. Now, do not confuse that with saying it's bad to want to work on movie sets or whatever, that's fine, in and of itself...but I would encourage losing the mentality of satisfaction behind useage of the term idustry. That word rips the heart and soul from the art and turns things into little more than a commodity, no different than cola and cars.
Not to mention, perhaps packing up and going home is the absolute best thing you can do for yourself and your movie making venture. Go make a movie that comes from the same turnip patch that you squirted up out of, using local actors and local sets, coming from your own deep rooted desire to express yourself and your organics, would likely be far more truly worthwhile that whatever you're working on in California, land of the industry. Perhaps The Force itself doesnt want you to make that movie, for whatever reason, and if The Force aint with it, why bother trying to force it?
Kirk Gillock
Rebel with a cause
Daniel - Well said. Although it was more "tough love" than inspirational. Haven't seen you around much. Hope you're doing well.
My Mom once said something that was inspirational. She was on the porch looking into the sky. Curious what she was looking at I asked her, "Mom, what are you doing?" She replied, "Looking at some hawks."
Living in central Texas hawks were not a rare sighting. What had me confused was the use of the plural, hawks. A hawk is a bird of prey and doesn't usually hunt in packs. Curious, I walked out to the porch and had a look for myself.
After a brief moment I turned to my Mom and said, "Those aren't hawks, they're buzzards."
My Mom replied with the best response I ever heard. She said, "You see buzzards, ...I see hawks."
Yes, it's an uneducated response, but it makes sense and can work with almost anything. "You see a crappy short film, I see a filmmaker with a dream."
Haven't seen you around much. Hope you're doing well.My Mom once said something that was inspirational. She was on the porch looking into the sky. Curious what she was looking at I asked her, "Mom, what are you doing?" She replied, "Looking at some hawks."
Living in central Texas hawks were not a rare sighting. What had me confused was the use of the plural, hawks. A hawk is a bird of prey and doesn't usually hunt in packs. Curious, I walked out to the porch and had a look for myself.
After a brief moment I turned to my Mom and said, "Those aren't hawks, they're buzzards."
My Mom replied with the best response I ever heard. She said, "You see buzzards, ...I see hawks."
Yes, it's an uneducated response, but it makes sense and can work with almost anything. "You see a crappy short film, I see a filmmaker with a dream."
daniel, I thought that was a great post. And that exact voice speaks to me often. The voice that says "you're doing what you love. If you're thinking of doing anything else, maybe you weren't cut out for this." Which is exactly the problem I have. I think I am cut out for it. But then I go through rough patches and doubt myself, just like everyone does. It's times like these that the most minimal or trivial thing can get you back on track. I remember first seeing the trailer for Garden State (about 20 times better than the movie). That motivated me for six months.
Anyway, I agree a lot with what you're saying. I did write a movie that I could make on the cheap. That's what I'm trying to raise money for ($250,000). But maybe you're right. Maybe I need to come up with something even cheaper.
As far as going home, I think of it often. But whether you're a filmmaker, a business entrepeneur, a carnie, an actor, singer, whatever. There is still a primal part of you that has pride. That knows walking back into that town where everyone knows you, and basically conceeding "i didn't make it in Los Angeles", would be tough. It would make me feel like a failure.
Call me weird but I do want to "make it" as well as make movies. Putting together a little feature that maybe 500 people see *isn't* enough for me. I want the whole world to see it. i want to affect as many people as possible. If that's being in the business for the wrong reasons, then I don't want to be in it for the right ones.
Anyway, don't worry, I'll never use the word "industry" again.
Anyway, I agree a lot with what you're saying. I did write a movie that I could make on the cheap. That's what I'm trying to raise money for ($250,000). But maybe you're right. Maybe I need to come up with something even cheaper.
As far as going home, I think of it often. But whether you're a filmmaker, a business entrepeneur, a carnie, an actor, singer, whatever. There is still a primal part of you that has pride. That knows walking back into that town where everyone knows you, and basically conceeding "i didn't make it in Los Angeles", would be tough. It would make me feel like a failure.
Call me weird but I do want to "make it" as well as make movies. Putting together a little feature that maybe 500 people see *isn't* enough for me. I want the whole world to see it. i want to affect as many people as possible. If that's being in the business for the wrong reasons, then I don't want to be in it for the right ones.
Anyway, don't worry, I'll never use the word "industry" again.
FourStarCinema
Well-known member
I feel the same P.K. Even if the film is bad, somebody is doing something right by simply following their dreams. If you have made even one short film, you ARE a filmmaker, whether you feel the term is justified or not. People are always going to flake out on you or try to bring you down, until you are successful. So Screw them! If the money doesn't show, re-write the script to make it affordable, or simply put it in a drawer and start a new one that costs little money, something you can fund yourself. You can always come back to it later when you do have more money.PK Gillock said:
If you haven't already checked out "Rebel Without a Crew" by Robert Rodriguez, go buy it NOW!! I wasn't a big RR fan before the book, but after reading it, I totally respect the guy, and his story is truly inspirational. You'll feel a surge of energy and a new outlook on the whole filmmaking process after reading that book. Also, take a look at James Cameron's biography. He is a self-taught filmmaker who put it all on the line for his desire to make movies. He was driving a truck one day, making Piranha II the next, and Terminator and Aliens after that. Do what you love, stick with it, have a great work ethic, be the best you can at it, and there is no way success won't come. This should be the fun part...making movies you have COMPLETE control over. Just wait until "Hollywood" castrates one of your films. That's when you get upset! :beer:
Daniel_Runyon
Well-known member
Ok...we're getting somewhere...
But you're not quite getting it all...see if this helps...
**** Los Angeles, and **** making it. As near as I can tell, more or less everything that gets done in Los Angeles is done for the wrong reasons, and gets done by some of the most arrogant, egotistical assholes in the world. I delt with some of them a few years back and it changed my life. Those people's Mamas didn't raise em right.
Here's what I propose:
Instead of going back home with your tail tucked between your legs with an attitude of "I didn't make it in LA", how bout going back with a surge of energy that cannot be contained, saying instead..."I had a vision while in LA". How bout saying, "While in LA, it all became clear to me". See? You get to keep your pride and make something real and worthwhile, that comes from your own soul and juices.
Dude...that aint cheap. But if you've got anywhere near that amount saved up, then you're in some real luck. Take $10,000 or so....hell, even $50,000...and put it up to make youre movie. Get out of that expensive town and live on the rest while you seek you're vision. You don't have to go home, but go somewhere else that is much quieter and has a significantly lower cost of living...a place thats truly conducive to the arts and vision seeking. A couple of examples I can think of are the San Juan Islands off the coast of WA state, or perhaps Yellowstone or some other National Park area. I've lived for many months around the country on less than $2000. Get yourself a van, and eat canned foods from local scratch and dent grocery stores. Maybe even get yourself a little job in one of these places. I for example, have cleaned cabins, outfitted people in snowmobile suits/helmets at snowmobile rentals, and even cooked pancakes. Because these "jobs" were in such amazing and foreign settings, they never felt like slavery, and I wasn't doing them to survive, but rather for stepping outside my own box and seeking and inspirational mode of living.
Get yourself into a whole new mindset...one you could never have previously imagined, and then start building your vision, perhaps piece by piece, perhaps it will come to you in a whollup. But make sure you allow it to be truly from your deepest self, and make sure you don't let impurities slip through.
Well, sorry, but that's not up to you. That will be decided by your audience, and it will have to start out with 500 or much less. But if those few who see it are astonished in some way, then they will tell others and it will spread on it's own. No budget you can gather will change that, and no minimum budget will stop it. But if you're truly earnest in your desire for people to see it (rather than for the glory of Miramax distribution or similar) then you can indeed get your movie seen by many, many people. But again, this will require vision.
Have you considered building a sweat lodge?
Robert86
Carbonite Member
If you just want to make films to make money and become really popular and be a star, then your films will come out lacking content, that is the wrong reason. You shouldn't care how much it makes only that the world sees it and is affected by it, making people think and wonder is the best thing a filmmaker can get. Screw the money, forget the popularity it's all about doing what you love, don't be a "popularity whore" as my friend puts it.
mrblue1022
Well-known member
When I first started working in commercials there was this old guy who I kept running into on different sets. I finally talked to him one night and found out that he had been working in Hollywood, mostly as a gaffer. He also said he had optioned a couple scripts and directed a few short films and one feature that was never released. Yet, he continued to work as a gaffer and grip, but kept dreaming of being a writer and director, even after working at it for forty-some years. I asked him how he stayed focused, and he said that whenever he felt like he should give up he would go to his favorite Chinese restaurant, get an order of sweet and sour chicken and a fortune cookie. He said that little fortune in the cookie would usually provide him enough inspiration to keep plugging away at it.
Now this is where the story gets weird, lately I've been working on pitching a couple scripts to producers, but without much response. Two weeks ago I went to my favorite Chinese place, ordered my Sesame Chicken and got a fortune that read "Expect a change for the better in job or status in the future." Then on Friday I get an email from a producer who is interested in one of my scripts.
Okay I know it sounds hokey, but some times the false promises of a cookie fortune is enough to keep me going.
Rob
Now this is where the story gets weird, lately I've been working on pitching a couple scripts to producers, but without much response. Two weeks ago I went to my favorite Chinese place, ordered my Sesame Chicken and got a fortune that read "Expect a change for the better in job or status in the future." Then on Friday I get an email from a producer who is interested in one of my scripts.
Okay I know it sounds hokey, but some times the false promises of a cookie fortune is enough to keep me going.
Rob
thartley
Veteran
Robert86 said:
Maybe this is the kind of subject matter that interests him, and if he is making movies, then he is learning something. And he is off his duff and doing it, instead of sitting around and talking about it. If you are saying the movies he makes are bad, then its your opinion (and could be fact, who knows?) but he is out there, learning the craft, even if its on bad material.
We dont all come out of the gate so gifted that we dont make a boatload of crap in the beginning. You gotta cut your teeth somewhere, and even on the worst of this guy's films, I'm sure he learned something, even if its what not to do next time.
Robert86
Carbonite Member
Yeah I'm sure he is learning something and I am not saying that they are bad neccessarily but what I am saying is that everyone and their mother(figuratively speaking) makes those types of films. I am just saying that he should put some meaning into his filmmaking, something that would help him get himself out there instead of doing something everyone else is trying to do to get them into the "industry". Money is the worse drive you can have, it just obscures your true vision and prioritizes it second which takes away from quality, thus turning it out to be something else everone else is doing. And they all seem to be trying to become the next best director, which could have something to do with the long for popularity or fame.