Is Filmmaking a Young Person's Game?
As some of you may have noticed, I had no posts for Tuesday or Wednesday. This was due to me taking a couple of days off to have fun with my kids. We had a great time and I had no room for the blog in that two day span. I've tried very diligently to maintain a schedule of one post every work day (and have succeeded for the most part), but sometimes life gets in the way of your dreams.
These events led me down another train of thought. Can family and filmmaking exist in the same space, especially if it's not your livelihood? It's one thing if you're married and childless, but once the kids start coming, your time for making or even thinking about movies is significantly decreased. How can you possibly make those things work together?
Don't get wrong, I love my family and adore my kids. I can't imagine life without them, and love to come home to those incredibly beaming faces. I have a job that gives me lots of down time to work on things such as this blog, but a feature film needs more than just downtime to complete. It's a child in its own way, and needs care and attention and lots of time to flourish.
I'm am no longer (and haven't been in quite awhile) in a position to live out of my car and make movies. It will take lots of extra effort and planning and sacrifice for me to succeed as a filmmaker. I know I can still do it, and am driven to tell these stories. It's a desire, a passion, even an obsession to some degree. It's been over a year since I shot my last narrative, and I'm getting antsy to do another.
I guess my point is that if you are thinking about trying your hand at movie making--start now. The longer you wait, the harder it will get. Experience is a great teacher and the more stuff you can do will only serve you in the future. Focus all your energy on a project, finish it, then start another. Building your reel will help in getting others to assist you and could get you a job.
"So at what age do you give up on your dreams?", someone once asked me. Well, filmmaking isn't like sports, you don't have a physical prime that limits your abilities. You can make movies well into your elderly years, if you really want to. For me, the satisfaction I get from a completed project is so good, that I never want to give it up. Do you?
These events led me down another train of thought. Can family and filmmaking exist in the same space, especially if it's not your livelihood? It's one thing if you're married and childless, but once the kids start coming, your time for making or even thinking about movies is significantly decreased. How can you possibly make those things work together?
Don't get wrong, I love my family and adore my kids. I can't imagine life without them, and love to come home to those incredibly beaming faces. I have a job that gives me lots of down time to work on things such as this blog, but a feature film needs more than just downtime to complete. It's a child in its own way, and needs care and attention and lots of time to flourish.
I'm am no longer (and haven't been in quite awhile) in a position to live out of my car and make movies. It will take lots of extra effort and planning and sacrifice for me to succeed as a filmmaker. I know I can still do it, and am driven to tell these stories. It's a desire, a passion, even an obsession to some degree. It's been over a year since I shot my last narrative, and I'm getting antsy to do another.
I guess my point is that if you are thinking about trying your hand at movie making--start now. The longer you wait, the harder it will get. Experience is a great teacher and the more stuff you can do will only serve you in the future. Focus all your energy on a project, finish it, then start another. Building your reel will help in getting others to assist you and could get you a job.
"So at what age do you give up on your dreams?", someone once asked me. Well, filmmaking isn't like sports, you don't have a physical prime that limits your abilities. You can make movies well into your elderly years, if you really want to. For me, the satisfaction I get from a completed project is so good, that I never want to give it up. Do you?
Comments
They actually started wanting to be involved in it and I had my own little actors for some shorts (How to be a girl) and they even did there own podcast reviewing movies (cinekids). It gave me a chance to practice things with lighting and sound while having a great time with them.
But I agree, keep going! I have a great time making little podcasts with the kids, now they are taking my smaller camera and making their own shows! Lots of fun!