I really love this world. And I don’t like it at all. People are awesome. And they suck. We know it is never either/or. It is always: both, and. I understand why you pick your side even if I will never agree. It is hard for any of us to feel we belong. And in that we are united.
If someone tells me they want to be a filmmaker, or any type of artist, I have my go-to reply. The same solution also applies to entrepreneurs and hustlers of all sorts. Ditto for the seasoned pro who is looking for a new burst of creativity or the mid-career creator who is hungry for some innovation.
The answer, my friend, is you have to show up. You have to be willing to play the game, because the game is very real indeed. Be part of something greater than yourself. If you aren’t, we can tell. Dabblers need not apply.
I think we all may need a refresher course on how to participate. I also think we’d do well to be reminded how to walk, how to sit, and how to breathe. So there’s that. I am that guy. We do it all wrong and that is actually sort of wonderful. You see a bit further why I feel it is so crucial to “always be learning”.
When we think we are in the habit, we let go of the strings that need to be pulled. Learn and unlearn and then learn again only this time do it all differently, even if you end up in the same place. Remember to forget. This is that reminder to think through the things you once did naturally because no doubt the corruption has taken hold and you need to go back to square one. You have been infected by the virus that is life.
Participation is the key to any creative practice. Participation is also needed to do the maintenance. It may be the oil or perhaps the glue; it maybe the soil or else the fuel, but the thing it really needs is you, baby, you. Or rather: you mixed in with all the others too.
In examining our industry and ecosystem, and in trying to answer how we got into such a mess, where we lost our way, and why did it land so upside down, if we remove the obvious answers of capitalism, bias, and corruption, I think it may land on our lack of participation. Of course, this goes both ways, or rather all ways always. It is the system we are in and the system within us. It is all our fault and none of ours individually.
All of this is just a note to say we should take a beat or two to ponder our participation in our art, in our community, in our industry, and our world. It’s a deeper breath than the deep one we took before. We should think of where our current method works and where it doesn’t. We should ask ourselves why. We should explore how we do it and how we don’t. What choices do we have? Can we improve?
So to get the ball rolling, I took my morning walk and set my goals. Twenty ways to find as I strolled the garden path. This walk was a short one and up they came fast. Please let me know what I left off. Let me know if it is helpful. I have a friend who says that all I really do is say the obvious. Yeah, maybe. And maybe we need the Wizard to come from behind the curtain and give us that degree to show we had courage, or a heart, or even a brain – even though we always knew we had those things to begin with. Maybe that friend is not who I think they are. Maybe that criticism would be better served as a trophy.
How To Better Participate In The Filmmaking Community
1. Get out of your comfort zone.
2. Recognize & demonstrate you deserve a seat at the table.
3. Truly connect when given the opportunity
4. Mentor and be mentored.
5. See movies in theaters.
6. Talk about movies with everyone.
7. Share your positive feelings about movies, the process, and the film business on social media.
8. Choose the movies you want to see and seek them out.
9. Create virtual meeting groups about the film problems you want to solve and invite others to participate. Or join those of others.
10. Create get-togethers with others in your cohort.
11. Actively seek out meeting new people and forming new alliances.
12. Attend film festivals and their events.
13. Find communal methods that advance your skill set.
14. Lend a hand.
15. Leave comments on film community blogs. And “heart” the things you like (like this post please).
16. Ask for meetings.
17. Volunteer.
18. Find the things you can share.
19. Expand your knowledge and share it.
20. Promote others; provide opportunities.
21. Learn & share how people elsewhere do things.
22. Dream utopian.
Make the best film you can.
Don’t settle.
I love this list Ted! anne
And today, just one day later, Brian Newman , brilliantly covers Tubi, and all that is happening there focusing on how the audience can be, as well as the filmmakers participatory.