“The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.”
AND…..... ACTION.
We don't know who really should be credited with this quote, but it hangs on the wall in the studio edit bay to remind me not to shy away from the hard stuff.
The magic, the miracles, the results come from all the energy you expend. Yes, you have to believe, you MUST believe. And yes, you must accept and appreciate your progress (See chapters 1 and 2 of How to Trash Your Career”.
You also must DO. You must expend quality energy, not just talk about doing it. First off, every action produces a reaction, to paraphrase Issac Newton. Second, you can talk about how much you believe in yourself or your projects, but you must act on it cause if you don’t act on it… well, that is the measure of your doubt about it, and doubt grows from inaction. Megan always says, “You’re worrying about stuff that hasn’t happened and probably will never happen.” I have to remind myself about this constantly (especially when she isn’t right there to remind me. Okay.. yes.. I’m a worrier.)
So, how do I ease the worry? By doing. Action. You will benefit a lot from learning. and doing. That is how you learn how to separate the important work from the busy work. There is a great difference between being busy and being productive. Once you make that distinction, then do. Take action. Doing and taking action on a thing relieves fear and the doubt and anxiety. Remember, you don’t have to know the whole journey; take the first step, and take it fully. Do whatever work is in front of you at the time.
The “HOW”
We’ve talked about the 5 W’s and well, there is another one.. The “HOW”. I know
that would technically make six, and it doesn't begin with W, but it is super important. The Five W’s are:
Who
What
Why
Where
And….
How.
Just go with us on this. Once you have made all your choices based on the 5W’s, you have to come up with not just one, but a lot of "How’s”. Such as.
"how do I go about getting what I want in this scene?" If that doesn’t work, "how will I next try to get what I want"?
We want to to go into a rehearsal or an audition with plans from A - Z. Don’t just walk in with one choice that you keep hammering at repeatedly through the scene. That is boring, and you will quickly sense just how boring it is, at the worst possible time: while you’re acting. So read the script. Let your imagination run wild. Start making a list of all the ways you can get what you want in the scene as written. Make sure your choices are choices that drive the story forward and have a blast. This goes a long way to curing the nerves onstage and in an audition.
Okay, we’re done with W’s.
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE STUDIO
So last month, Megan and I had the pleasure of both casting and directing a staged reading of a workshop on a beautiful play written by Matt Boatman-Simon called Message to Younger Me.
It went off very well, and now we are shortening the play. We are headed to the Hollywood Fringe Festival with it! It’s very exciting. For time and clarity of the story, some of the characters had to be cut and will appear in other works. We will have more details as time goes on.
Two of our short films, KILLING HOPE and CUP AND A HALF, were very well received at the Gold State Film Festival. We are proud to say that we were in extremely good company with other films.
Now we get to report that KILLING HOPE, CUP AND A HALF, and WINO have all
been accepted into the Indie Vegas Film Festival! The festival runs from April 25-28. So, we will all be off to Las Vegas in late April to celebrate that film festival. It will be held at the Orleans Hotel and Casino, so if your plans take you to Las Vegas, stop by and enjoy some films and party with us. Celebrate Everything is another one of our mottos. A truly great way to keep excitement and enthusiasm alive is to celebrate Everything large and small.
Remember: One Job - Enthusiasm.
We talk about enthusiasm a lot. In our experience, enthusiasm and inspiration follow action. Not the reverse. And if you find yourself suddenly inspired, then you probably did something to cause that. This is good news because instead of
waiting for inspiration, Do something, and when we DO, we find inspiration inevitably follows as if it is a byproduct of action. Attending a film festival might be that inspiration. Learn to edit your home movies, read plays… who knows? Follow your curiosity. See where it leads. When people tell you that curiosity killed the cat, remember: you’re not a cat. Besides. Who was this cat anyway? Does anyone really know a cat that was killed by curiosity? Onward.
Now… How Does a Person Get Started?…(continued)
An excellent way to get started is to go to film festivals and see a lot of films. See who worked on the movie that you liked and get in touch with them, or at the very least, keep your eyes out for other projects they are casting. You already know you like their work, so that is one good way to get in.
FOR PERSPECTIVE.
The other advice we want to give, especially for those who are just getting started
right now, is to hang in there. At the time we are writing this, the industry is not fully back, and many people who regularly work in the industry are having real struggles right now as the film and television industry finds its feet again after the pandemic and the multiple strikes. Coming up in the business, we’ve gotten used to hearing the cliche “It’s slow right now.”, but it’s never been like this. We’ve attached a link to a recent article in The Hollywood Reporter about this situation to illustrate that it’s not just ‘in your head.’ A lot of regularly working professionals are going through it, too.
So, if it seems hard to break in right now, don’t give up. Keep to your daily practice, study, and work where and when you can. Learn how to make your own project and hang in there. We believe that the industry is coming back.