MMMM: What's The Best Road For A Fast Build?

How important are guardrails or even paved paths? Some whys and hows for us all.

Be it building or tearing down, we’ve got work to do.

Five months in, I guess it is time to ask myself what I hope to accomplish here. Where’s this all heading?

I have been asked by a few of my more established FKATFB friends what exactly it is that I am trying to do on my HFF Substack. And then there are those pals that are civilians — you know: friends! — who are actually more interested in me than they are the film world, who just remark that they are glad to see me having some fun here, and they recognize that one of the reasons I write so much is because I enjoy writing. Yup. That’s true. But the former group is on to something too: I have always been a mission-driven person. I can get a lot more done when I truly feel I am in service of something greater than myself. That was the impetus of this newsletter.

Yet, as more than one of my long term allies have pointed out, I may be even more productive when I feel I have something to fight against. Having a bit of a chip on my shoulder definitely fuels a great deal of action. Mission and battle have been the peanut butter and jelly for many decisions. Okay, that may not be the best analogy but it is still early in the morning.

Let me have some more coffee and see if I can more accurately define my mission for Hope For Film this morning. And don’t get confused: this may sound like it is about me, but it is really about YOU. This practice is itself a stand-in for any new venture — like that production company you are thinking of launching, even the job you are thinking of quitting, or the operational improvements you want to bring to your workplace.

I find applying a process of structured consideration to my new ventures have helped me jump in quicker by both knowing and accepting the risks. I find many friends keep sitting on the fence whereas I more often switch horses even mid-race. My analogies are not getting any better — maybe I should try switching coffees? I deeply value change and new experiences, whereas others are forced to look for more stability and security than I am.

It seems obvious, and even if it is, many don’t bother with the first step of asking why you want the change. You need to, and you need to also ask if it is really needed. Otherwise you may start a Quibby. Change for change sake is as bad a choice as opting for the new because of its shine or sparkle. Does what you have still work? Can you make it better?

One of the reasons I launched this incarnation of Hope For Film was a bit selfish; I wanted a place I could go to in the morning where there was discussion about the creative process, inspiration, wild ideas, and even some provocations. I couldn’t find one, and if you know of any please do let me know. Social media initially held that hope, but quickly became a tool of self-promotion. I wanted a place that was focused on the film business but wasn’t all gossip and hype— not about deals that were done or who was in a scandal, but about the actual experience of making things and having a sustainable creative life. I found many newsletters about the process of writing, but not much that went beyond that.

But of course it isn’t ALL selfish! Granted, I care tremendously on how I use my labor. I don’t want to squander it, particularly simply to make money. I want it to make the world a better place. I wish someone could have told me how, particularly when making movies (or trying). I only sort of had a mentor. I always wanted someone to sit me down and tell me how it really was and how best I could apply myself. Some good folks did lend me a hand, and I am very grateful to that, but I could of used a coach. I like playing a coach and do that for some friends now, but this is a bit of me trying to bring that process to scale. Coach Ted? Nah… It’s a bit of that why though I like doing these MMMM posts… to keep it loose and conversational, like a coach would.

This is the point where I suspect some of you are a bit “get to the point Ted!” but this is Monday, before the work week is in gear. I am trying to go through all the steps. The point is coming. I promise!

I have spent most of my professional life managing people. I don’t get any pleasure in doing so, but I found I prefer managing when it is in the process of making things. I  like to try to solve problems, to help others focus and on the right things, to get things done, and to bring peace or calm and a better environment – and the film business is always in chaos. I really don’t think it needs to be that way. Our industry’s focus has always been primarily limited to getting movies made, and not truly about improving the process or sustainability. Perhaps it is time to change that?

I really get frustrated when people think THIS is just the way it is. When some friends ask me why I am doing this newsletter, I hear a bit of the “why bother?” in their question. We can change things. We have all seen this happen time and time again. Perhaps some of us have even participated in the change. My favorite attribute in teammates is their commitment to making things better. I certainly know that my least favorite is the lack of that commitment. The answer to the question those friends seem to silently ask is because we CAN change things.

I find change is driven by first recognizing where you are, and then imagining where you can be. Problems occur because most apply a hefty dose of wishful thinking, both positive and negative, to both practices. You have to keep it real. Take stock and then brainstorm. I like my partners to do both of these too on a regular basis. That’s what we are doing here on HFF hopefully.

I think I have given you my whys now. So now it is time for the hows.

I believe in tenets. Tenets help in evaluating what we are doing. They can also define the why. They keep up headed in a specific direction. Utilizing tenets, our decision-making speeds up. However, I generally would say that with new ventures such as this newsletter, although it helps to have tenets to guide you initially, you also want them to develop out of what you are actually doing and want to be doing. Setting tenets too early in a process can hamstring you and limit opportunities.

FWIW particularly those of you working at a company or considering starting a production company, I strongly encourage you to build out some tenets for your company now, if you haven’t already. If you have already done the work, but don’t yet review such tenets on an annual basis with your entire team, now is the time to do so. The same goes for new initiatives or programs. At the very least, they work as an experiment that will deliver some sort of results. It all seems like common sense, but for whatever reason, I have not seen it readily embraced in our industry.

If you are the creative team leader, building a project now, be it a script, album, object, film or something else that is going to involve you for most of the year, consider when it will truly be helpful to do such a process for the project. As mentioned before, you don’t want to start too soon and shape the outcome, but you do want to provide some discipline. You have a lot to make. This one will not be the only one. You want it to be distinct. But for a pure creative expression, tenets are a balancing act. They are a tool, but not an end all.

Be warned though, when you are part of a team or a process that have tenets, and you and others feel that the tenets are not actually being utilized or followed, it is alienating and disappointing. It actually should be motivating because that should be a call to action, but sometimes there are systemic barriers from addressing the tenets. For me, that is a call to move on. It is not a bad thing in those instances, but you need to be attuned to the dissonance, and leaders will need to make changes if they want to drive the machine forward.

HopeForFilm is an ongoing process. It will evolve. But I do have goals. So I list these tenets now, marked with the caveat that they are highly subject to change. After all, despite feeling that IMAHAINGTTIAM… FYIWDWYTM! Right? The journey is the destination. I will know my route only by the prints I leave. Still though, I like to hold a map even if we don’t yet know where we are headed.

HFF TENETS:

1.     Inspire others, inspire myself.

2.     Encourage/deepen a love for cinema & filmmaking process (and not glory, privilege, power, hype) in those that participate in both or either.

3.     Help build a process enabling a sustainable creative life. As someone who has built a rather elaborate mechanism to do so over many years, I will clarify and offer mine in hopes that others can improve upon it for themselves and others.

4.     Talk straight, talk truth about the film biz. There is no central place you can turn to and get the truth about the state of the film biz, or FKATFB.

5.     Create a place to brainstorm ideas about how to transform the film business – the future of film. Offer up as many ideas as I can. Recognize that sometimes the way to a better system is to look inside oneself.

6.     Provide a constant reminder on how to make the film business more sustainable, fair, safe, innovative, & fun – i.e. better. Recognize that to do this requires you apply it first with yourself.

7.     Provide support & guidance to those starting out in the FKATFB and other creative industries. Look for that beyond ones own walls and share it as wide as one can.

8.     Encourage others to contribute to system improvements and not just project support.

9.     Encourage a holistic approach for all filmmakers where they invest their labor, brainpower, and passion into building a better system as they do their projects and careers, looking at the full chain of creative & entrepreneurial endeavors from ideation to sustainability.

10.  Celebrate those that align, are adjacent, or allies with the HFF mission and others that are similar.

11.  The more experience you have, the greater obligation you have to share that experience in a manner that others can truly benefit from.

12.  Build Community.

13.  Get closer to our truth, my truth, our role or mission, my role or mission.

14.  Have fun writing with this focus. Stop if it isn’t fun.

Let me know if you think I missed something or suspect there may be something that I could add. I did hope initially that I could use this as a way to help fund new producers, and although I still could, there is still a long way to go! Perhaps it is time for you to use the system here and make a pledge. Regardless, thanks for reading (and sharing).

BTW, I read all the comments to these posts and try to reply to all of them. #JustSaying.

PS. Like last week I following today’s Monday Morning Movie Musings with a Tuesday “Links & Pondering” online only post tomorrow. Please check it out.