How to Win the Filmmaking Game by Embracing Discomfort
Some nerdy statistics, first…
Ever heard of the 80/20 principle? (AKA the Pareto principle)
In the past, I’ve explained that there are a small number of tasks you do that create the majority of results for you and why it’s so hard for us to do those things. This is a universal law. You can’t escape it.
So it stands to reason that if you want to be successful, you have to figure out what 20% of tasks get you the most bang for your buck… but how?
How you can tell what you’re doing is worthwhile
A while back, I closed a deal with a non-profit called HEAL (which you should consider supporting, by the way) that provides community and financial support to mothers who are recovering from cancer.
I claim to be a storyteller and all that, but at the time, I hadn’t injected many of those skills into my commercial video production work. (Shame on me!)
This was a problem for me. There are a lot of people who can make nice-looking videos; pretty pixels. I needed a way to differentiate myself.
So, what I did was jump headfirst into learning new story structure techniques, interviewing skills, and completely changing how I look at commercial video.
This took many weeks and no small investment of time and money. It was challenging and it would have been easy to quit halfway through and let other ‘priorities’ take over.
Naturally, after I closed the deal with HEAL, I went about preparing for the interview…
But I made a few radical changes to my usual practice.
First, I sat down and figured out what the story beats were going to be for this interview.
Second, I focused on hitting those important story elements by guiding the interview naturally.
Third, I treated the interview like a genuine conversation, not an interview. My goal was to make the interviewee feel like she wasn’t giving a performance.
Lastly, I didn’t use any notes for my interview. Instead, I memorized a series of images that represented the story beats.
The goal of these techniques was to draw out genuine responses from her. Deeper thoughts on her experience – not the rehearsed answers she’s to giving everyone else.
So the morning of the shoot arrived.
The interviewee walked in, and I started trying to build some rapport with her.
I’d never met this woman before. We’d never even spoken before.
Not only that, but this socially awkward dude (me) was about to…
– Delve deeply into a stranger’s personal and medical life
– By asking her to share a ton of intimate details of her life with a total stranger
– About a heavy and emotional topic
– And using a bunch of techniques I’d never used before (you know how you feel less confident when you’re doing something new?)
Sheesh.
The interview lasted about 45 minutes.
After the interview and she left, I collapsed onto the couch. I was mentally exhausted.
That was incredibly uncomfortable. And painful.
But you know what? I think it’s going to be a great interview. Heck, even if it’s only decent, that’s still a victory, because the experience took me far outside my comfort zone and that’s how you grow. Next time, I’ll do even better.
All of us have different goals. Some may want to direct feature films, some want to make documentaries, and so on.
But one thing that remains consistent is this…
Discomfort can be your compass.
You can use discomfort as a guide for growth, and subsequently the value of the task.
If you naturally flinch away from something, and find excuses to avoid it…
Maybe you should embrace it.
If you aren’t good at talking with people, but that’s a key part of getting good paying clients, and interviewing for their projects…
Maybe you should make yourself do it.
If you would rather stay home rather than go to a networking event (I too, am an introvert), maybe you should just go do it anyway.
If you only ever do the things that don’t challenge you, that you feel comfortable with, chances are you are not growing. This is very bad.
Pretty much everything I’ve ever done that felt like a really big step forward was very challenging, uncomfortable, or outright painful. I may have had apprehension going into it. A feeling that it’d be great just to take the easier path, or just quit altogether.
But I didn’t – and I reaped the rewards of persevering.
This is like the 3rd time I’ve cited this article, because it’s just so good:
“‘Nearly everything that generates enduring value requires effort, focus and discomfort’
– Thomas Oppong
Aspiring [filmmakers] quake in fear when they hear this. Or, they secretly hope that they’re smart enough that these rules apply to everyone else, not them…
The wannabes become real [filmmakers] when they realize the only “secret” they’re missing is the courage to act. They realize that execution is everything. That entrepreneurial discomfort itself can serve as a compass, pointing to the true north of genuine value creation.
And there lies real, concrete success.
To get comfortable with being uncomfortable is as simple as realizing: Discomfort is where the value lies. Follow it and you’re headed in the right direction.”
Remember these things. Embrace them, and you will grow.
What else should you be doing?
You should be making films.
You should be doing things that you find painful and challenging…
And you should be making films. It’s really that simple – though not always that easy.
Get out there and consistently practice your craft. If you want to be a great filmmaker, make films that people enjoy. This will get you noticed.
In order to make films that people enjoy, you need to practice, practice, practice.
Each film is a chance for you to stretch your filmmaking muscles, but also to show off what you can do.
Embrace discomfort. Challenge yourself. Practice making great films by making films and risking failure.
And through it all, remember that “For [filmmakers] especially, becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable gets easier when you realize that the competition vanishes when things get tough. That there’s no traffic on the extra mile.” – Peter Shallard
Let’s make great films, even when it’s tough. I’ll be in the trenches with you.
A method to get outside your comfort zone
One way to get out and practice your craft while challenging yourself is to try filming a scene type you aren’t familiar with, or where your skill is lacking. There are 5 challenging scene types that you could consider practicing.
I go over some common scenes that are deceptively simple but can be powerful tools in your storytelling arsenal if used well.
I find the dinner scene to be particularly interesting. On my first feature film, we had an awful dinner scene that we decided to remove entirely. It just didn’t offer anything of value to the story.
It lacked drama, and instead of revealing things about the characters in an intimate dinner setting, just ate up screen-time. Boring!
Don’t be boring.
“There are no rules in filmmaking. Only sins. And the cardinal sin is dullness.”
– Frank Capra
Wrapping up…
20% of tasks you do yield 80% of the results according to the Pareto principle.
Use discomfort as a compass to what is worth spending your time on.
Embrace discomfort! Don’t shy away from challenges. Instead, seek them out if you want to grow and become a great filmmaker.
Get out and make films and become a better storyteller with each project.
Learn, grow, create… and have fun, while you’re doing it. Good luck!
