For the third installment of Dys- Day, I'll be answering V-Man's question: "I know filmaking and the filmaking process is your passion but are there parts of the filmaking process that you like or dislike more than the others?"
This is a
tricky question to answer and, even if I love every aspect of filmmaking, I
must admit that I do find the whole producing/financing aspect to be draining
and time-consuming. And I absolutely HATE negotiating. Now, don’t get me wrong,
I do love producing, but constantly having to switch “hats” between thinking
like a producer (business) and like a director (creative) can become quite
overwhelming. On the flip side,
producing is also great because that when you’re actively planning your film
and setting things in motion to get started shooting. I did produce a few of my
friends’ projects and it’s always easier (and more fun!) to produce when you’re
not the filmmaker as well.
I’m someone who is crazy organized and I actually love scheduling, planning, problem-solving, etc. But, my creative side is the complete opposite: a post-apocalyptic, chaotic wasteland! On Dys-, I was super lucky to have an awesome production team that really helped relieve some of the burden and allowed me to put all my energy and focus on the creative side of things.
I wouldn’t
say that I’m a control freak, but I always find it really hard to let go of
this role, even if I have a love/hate relationship with it. I’ve had a few experiences
in the past when someone else was supposed to take on the producer role, only
to drop out or only do half of what they signed up for. In all those cases, I
had to step in at the last second and fix everything which meant that this is
where all my energy went instead of being focused on directing and it ended up
hurting the shorts. Because of this, I’ve always been wary about relying entirely
on someone else to produce. I kept repeating the following motto: “If you want
something done well and done your way, do it yourself.”
However, I
am hopeful and I’m ready to keep my mind open for the future. My 100% positive experience on Dys- taught me to trust other people and
it helped me grow as a filmmaker. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to
completely let go of the business and logistics side of filmmaking, but I’m
definitely hoping that one day I’ll find a like-minded producer to work with and
who can help me push my own limits as a filmmaker.
Don't forget! You can always ask me your question(s) or suggest a topic by commenting! :)
Don't forget! You can always ask me your question(s) or suggest a topic by commenting! :)
Posts
1 comment:
Thanks for the great reply! I think it's a common theme that independent artists or creative types have that problem of trying to balance the creative side with the business side.
Thanks again
Post a Comment