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by enrihrts

Enrique turns a critical eye to web video trends.

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Motivation is Everything

December 25, 2008

Categories: Film Production Thoughts

Tags: enrique huertas motivation everything film school maker

Comments (3)

Why did I want to become a filmmaker in the first place? These days I can barely remember, and that makes me kind of sad. When I graduated from film school, I had a director's demo reel ready to go and all the confidence in the world that it was good enough to get me that first directing gig. I must have sent my reel to almost 200 companies, but all anyone ever needed was a PA for a day or two. Money started getting tight and before I knew it, my focus turned from creating to surviving. Fast forward seven years and a bunch of reality TV sets later and here I sit asking myself what happened to all my so-called dreams. Or, more to the point, what happened to my dreams coming true?

Sure, it's naïve. I mean anyone with half a brain knows that trying to accurately map out your future is pointless. You can try to steer a course, but the compass is deceitful and never fully on your side. And after the fact, how useful is it to regret the choices you've made? It took me years to learn that the past should only be used as a teacher, not a self-torturing device. The reality is that no matter how hard you try and how much ass kissing you're unwillingly able to accomplish, your dreams of being a filmmaker might never come true. But what you really want to avoid is becoming the person that never tried. Back in college, I had a 26-year-old teacher with a Master's degree in filmmaking who would refer to herself as "One of the ones that didn't make it" and I would always whisper to myself "That's because you gave up." It's a very sad comment to make to students trying to get motivated about the film world and all its possibilities. Just because you haven't accomplished your initial goal doesn't mean you can't find an amazingly rewarding, well-paying job in the Film and TV world. And after going pro, if you're able to say "When I show up on a set I kick ass at my position every single second that I am there," then there is no reason for history to judge you harshly, and at the very least you will feel good about yourself. Even if you don't become the director you've envisioned yourself to be, you can still have an amazing life working your way from set to set.

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