Do you think you're talented?

Richard J. Johnson

Richard J. Johnson

Joystick Member
We have been having the talent discussion lately and I don't think I know what talent really is when it comes to filmmaking.

To me, my dad was talented. He could play five instruments and has played jazz trumpet with some of the greatest musicians in the world including touring with james brown back in the day. I don't think I'm talented when compared to that.

the films one makes could be hated by some and loved by others so what makes a TALENTED or GIFTED filmmaker? and by definition could a "hack" director still have talent? You all know how much directors actually do on set, so what separates amazing and average?

My friends and crew think I'm talented but I know that I have way too much work to do on my self to even think of myself as good filmmaker.
 
Talent is only the seed. The rest comes from hard work. But if it usually feels like work, then the talent may be missing.
 
some of it is luck and I think it has a lot to do with getting talented people to work with you.

I think it is best to let other people decide
 
Unless you are some kind of savant, it's all about working hard enough until you become really good at it. The difficulty with directing is that it takes so long and requires so many resources just to do one project you only have so many chances to get good at it before reality intervenes. This is ultimately why so many directors come out of commercials and music videos, because you can direct hundreds of them and get practiced before getting your shot at a feature. Unfortunately, music video and commercial talent doesn't always translate to the big screen.
 
I will add one wrinkle to this...some people can do the work and get really good at their craft, but don't have anything interesting to say. I think Gore Verbinski is a really talented craftsman, but I don't feel he has a unique point of view or anything interesting to say at all.
 
i'm like a car that has a supercharged engine, that doesn't go anywhere because the transmisssion is in need of some serious work.
 
Forget what others like or think about your work, keep pushing until you're satisfied! What separates you from others is your work, not what people say. Sorry man but if you think like that your not going to ever be satisfied.
 
I just think that too many people get caught up in the whole question. Personally I believe that some people are more talented. I'm just not convinced it matters all that much.

What matters is what you do with what you have.
 
The question is, are people paying you to do what you want? If the answer is yes then let other people fret over whether you're sufficiently talented, or not.
 
We mine as well have the argument "What is Art?"

It's a hopeless circle

My first reaction to the question was "No I'm not talented", and my second reaction was "Only the people who think they aren't talented are"

Even this is wrong, as I know of numerous egomaniacs who are GREAT artists...they live up to their hype.

I myself align my perspective with the self deprecating individuals more easily because I myself am just that kind of person...I'm introspective, I listen to everyones advice(although I don't always take it...this requires MUCH study into their words), and I constantly seek out knowledge and experience to make myself "worthy".

Am I worthy? Hell if I know, lol. I'll continue using the techniques, lessons, methods, and my own unique persepctive to create Art, while at the same time trying to constantly improove....and if by some fluke someone thinks my Art is good, then by god I'm pleased as punch, but I'll never trully take it to heart...Do, listen, learn, improve, and do again. Rinse, Repeat.
 
The good news is people with no talent can make alot money in this business, you just have to have a little business smarts. Very little actually.
 
I believe I have a lot of talent. Refining that talent and applying it fully towards filmmaking, however, will be a lifelong journey.
 
There is a somewhat famous quote on filmmaking by Woody Allen that is something along the lines of, "80% of success is just showing up in the first place, the other 20% is skill, talent, experience, etc..."

While maybe this is a bit of an exaggeration, it is true in a sense, some filmmakers might not have a lot of natural talent. If they are persistent and never give up they have a much better chance than someone with huge reservoirs of talent who just thinks they can wait for Hollywood to come to "discover" them.

I've known a few people who are really talented, not much in film, but in music and they just piss it all away because they never set goals or really had much ambition to do anything with it past playing in garage bands. Kinda sad really, but also a huge eye opener for me in terms of how important it is to be really hardcore motivated and organized about pursuing your dreams.

I also think that filmmaking is a little different than the other arts in terms of how far your natural talent will take you. A painter, sculptor, writer, or a musician can just go and do their art, and if they have a lot of natural talent they have a pretty big leg up on the competition. But with film (and in many ways, theatre too), there is so much money involved, even a no budget indie needs equipment. Then there's locations, which even if not costing anything can be a pain to secure sometimes. Don't even get me started on scheduling, which is important but also a huge pain in the ass, especially when doing a little no budget film and using unpaid actors. Then the alternative is to shell out the dough for all these things, and frankly, film is just a different beast in a lot of ways than other art forms. The business/logistical side of things is such a huge part of it that can really overshadow the other elements, no matter how talented the filmmaker is.
 
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