Just lazy or what?

Zim

Zim

Veteran
I just can't seem to get going on anything. Maybe it is the cold weather. Christmas I don't know. I have wrote out the script out for my short film,,,which is good.

But everything else is just a blank. Love fest? Nothing working out. So I just surf the internet and waste time!

What are some of the ways to get out of a slump?

Thanks I'll check back later. My part time job is a stagehand. I have to go load out for the the Wynonna Christmas show.
 
I'm on the exact same boat. Just can't get motivated (which is NOT GOOD when you've spent 25k on equipment).
 
Go to a library without wifi, break out your laptop and fire up Final Draft. If you can't come up with anything, start with a line of dialogue or a word that's your beginning point. Writing exercises work. Or go to your favorite coffeeshop, and don't connect to wifi. Get your coffee and just do it.
 
Read some newspaper articles or magazine articles. Then brainstorm. This should get the creative flow going, hopefully. :)
 
Yeah, especially since some of us are in the exact same boat...

...with deadlines looming.
 
Here's my advice - and it works :)

What you need, dear friend, is collaborators! This helps you keep focused, because you're not just answering to yourself, but to someone else. Not only do you not want to disappoint your collaborator by flaking out, but there's also the positive aspect of becoming inspired by the collaborator. Just being forced to respond to ideas can spark your own ideas and energy.

This technique is in fact used in a different way, when you don't have access to a collaborator. What many folks in your situation do, is to announce to friends/family "by such and such a date, I'll have my short/feature/script/novel/album/painting done!". This public commitment does wonders for your motivation. You then regularly check in with a progress report, just to keep you on your toes. Something similar is used to even achieve fitness/weight loss goals on the internet - you sign up on a website, and pledge to lose x pounds or run x miles by a date certain... and you keep updating every day. It works.

Good luck!
 
Old Corpse - good idea - and I couldn't help but think as I read your suggestion that that is exactly what the DVXUser Fests are here for... to get people off their butts and making movies.

So there you go Zim - get something together for LoveFest.
 
OldCorpse that is really good advice. I had two people who were all fired up but in the end they have failed to come through. So I'm leaving them behind and will try and find a new collaborators.



OldCorpse said:
Here's my advice - and it works :)

What you need, dear friend, is collaborators! This helps you keep focused, because you're not just answering to yourself, but to someone else. Not only do you not want to disappoint your collaborator by flaking out, but there's also the positive aspect of becoming inspired by the collaborator. Just being forced to respond to ideas can spark your own ideas and energy.

This technique is in fact used in a different way, when you don't have access to a collaborator. What many folks in your situation do, is to announce to friends/family "by such and such a date, I'll have my short/feature/script/novel/album/painting done!". This public commitment does wonders for your motivation. You then regularly check in with a progress report, just to keep you on your toes. Something similar is used to even achieve fitness/weight loss goals on the internet - you sign up on a website, and pledge to lose x pounds or run x miles by a date certain... and you keep updating every day. It works.

Good luck!
Click to expand...
 
I'm going to try and thanks.


Luis Caffesse said:
Old Corpse - good idea - and I couldn't help but think as I read your suggestion that that is exactly what the DVXUser Fests are here for... to get people off their butts and making movies.

So there you go Zim - get something together for LoveFest.
Click to expand...
 
If you just start doing before thinking inspiration will usually come. For me the worst thing I can do is say to myself "ok, come up with something". All my best ideas come from miscellaneous babble the leads to seemingly unrelated inspiration.
I think in high school literature they called it a "free write". Steps "B" to the end are easy, it's the first step "A" that's a ***** if you think about it.
 
The old corpse gives good advice.

This is why I've been looking to build this circle of production friends for going on 4 years now. Every time it seems like we're getting somewhere as a group, somebody in that group flakes and takes 1 or 2 with them. At this point it's kind of down to me again.

The plan is to work together on short projects almost like a "book of the month" club... and the fests are a great way to mark each effort. Where the problem comes in... is we do somebody else's idea with the understanding that next time around it's my turn (or at least somebody else's turn) to steer the ship... and then whoever got their idea done checks out of the group!

So if you can make this creative circle happen... I think you'd be cured... but as I said... I've been trying for nearly 4 years now and it's pretty hard to do.

If you can't find inspiration through friends... or this board... then you may want to look into books on whatever subject. For this next fest... look into the best books about Love... or the definition of Love... or short stories about Love that make unusual points.

For my own inspiration a friend suggested that I get a book of quotes... and use the best quotes to represent the POINT in whatever short story I'm doing. A great quote can sum up an idea really well... and if you create your short around a great and simple idea then I think you'll be less likely to get bogged down.
 
Luis Caffesse said:
Yeah I don't think asking the rest of us is really going to help....
Click to expand...

I don't know why but reading this line made me spit out my coffee...






Lack of motivation is troubling. As I mentioned in an earlier thread, I have two DVXs collecting dust...but I am planning on entering the LOVEFEST...though I am WAY behind here....won't have a finished script until tomorrow. Hey, its a start. When you film as a crew of 1, it aint easy...
 
I like the quote idea. It started me looking up a few things and now I have sort of an idea. I friend I know sent me a email and he is back fro NYC were he does some acting and modeling. He said he would do some acting,,,it is a start.

I\
MattinSTL said:
The old corpse gives good advice.

This is why I've been looking to build this circle of production friends for going on 4 years now. Every time it seems like we're getting somewhere as a group, somebody in that group flakes and takes 1 or 2 with them. At this point it's kind of down to me again.

The plan is to work together on short projects almost like a "book of the month" club... and the fests are a great way to mark each effort. Where the problem comes in... is we do somebody else's idea with the understanding that next time around it's my turn (or at least somebody else's turn) to steer the ship... and then whoever got their idea done checks out of the group!

So if you can make this creative circle happen... I think you'd be cured... but as I said... I've been trying for nearly 4 years now and it's pretty hard to do.

If you can't find inspiration through friends... or this board... then you may want to look into books on whatever subject. For this next fest... look into the best books about Love... or the definition of Love... or short stories about Love that make unusual points.

For my own inspiration a friend suggested that I get a book of quotes... and use the best quotes to represent the POINT in whatever short story I'm doing. A great quote can sum up an idea really well... and if you create your short around a great and simple idea then I think you'll be less likely to get bogged down.
Click to expand...
 
Zim said:
I like the quote idea. It started me looking up a few things and now I have sort of an idea. I friend I know sent me a email and he is back fro NYC were he does some acting and modeling. He said he would do some acting,,,it is a start.
Click to expand...

Go ahead - throw your hat into the ring...start a thread in the LoveFest forum... force yourself to move forward so you have something to post for updates.
That'll get you moving.
 
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