My Advice for Filmmakers (Young and Old
During my 50-year career in the film business, I’ve been blessed to have worked on dozens of wonderful productions, traveled the world and spent quality time with hundreds of very talented and compassionate filmmakers.
I’ve also learned many valuable lessons! And the most important lesson I learned is to never, ever, ever lose your PASSION!
Passion is perhaps the most important desire you need to have for a long and fulfilling career in this business. To be a great artist, you must have great passion. Without passion, you will end up thinking about your career as just a job — not as an art.
As a creative person, you need to support others in your never-ending quest to help create “visually compelling stories with believable characters who make us feel something.” That is your job!
Please believe me when I say, that to succeed in this business you must have complete confidence in yourself… You must have faith in your talent and ability… You must have the courage and tenacity to stick it out no matter what the world throws at you.
I also want to make sure you realize what kind of career you have chosen to spend your life in. The film business is not just a job or a career — it is an Artistic Lifestyle which means you need to live and breathe your art every day from now on.
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Working in the entertainment business will determine which city or country you will live in. It will determine who you work with; which friends you hang around with; and which lovers you will live with.
You also need to get used to the fact that, as storytellers and artists, you will never have a “normal job.” It’s also the reason why you will rarely be home on the weekend to have dinner with your family!
To Follow Your Art and Your Passion, You Must Look at Life Differently
Good art is a reflection of society and the role of any artist is to hold up a mirror to society and shout to the world, “Look what I see!” And that’s the most important task you will be doing with your creative lives: to live your dream and tell your stories to the world!
If there is one thing I know to be true working in this industry, it is this: “Good news takes five years to travel — bad news takes a day! So remember that every setback is an opportunity for growth, and every challenge is a chance to innovate.
Embrace your unique voice and perspective, for it is what will distinguish your work in a crowded landscape. Stay curious, stay hungry for knowledge, and never stop learning from both successes and failures.
Believe in your vision, trust your instincts, and never underestimate the power of perseverance. Keep creating, keep dreaming, and never lose sight of the impact your stories can have on the world.
And finally, no matter what creative path you have chosen, you are also an artist, and you are not an artist because you’re good at it.
You are an artist because you are driven to it. And if you can stop and walk away from it, then you weren’t an artist to begin with!
