Cinematography : From One Vision to Shared Vision, Part 4 | Letting Go of Control by Lindsay Thompson

On Atlas Falling, I still produced, wrote, edited, acted, and DP’d. That was normal for me.

Doing everything felt safer than trusting that the pieces would come together without me holding every rope.

But on The Shape of Kindness, everything changed.

This time we have a producer. A seasoned director. Department heads.

Real support.

And suddenly… I’m not the one steering the whole ship.

I’m the DP.

I’m the editor.

But I’m not the center of every decision anymore.

And as exciting as that is, it’s also been uncomfortable at times.

When you’ve spent years being the person who fixes the problems, answers the questions, and carries the weight, letting go feels a little like standing on the edge of a cliff and hoping the bridge really is there.

There were moments in pre-pro where the loss of constant control hit hard.

I questioned myself.

I worried about things that weren’t mine to manage.

I had to relearn what it means to contribute without leading every department.

But here’s what I’m learning:

When the responsibility is shared, the project grows in ways you could never make it grow alone.

Ideas sharpen.

Collaboration deepens.

You breathe again.

And you actually get to focus on the craft you love instead of drowning in the entire machine.

I’m still editing this film — but I’m editing a project shaped by a team, not one carried solely by me. And that difference has changed everything about how I work and how I lead.

Next week, I’ll dig into what it means to lead from within instead of from the top: how to support a director, trust department heads, and still bring your strongest artistic voice to the table.

Question for the Lounge:

If you’ve ever stepped back from a role you used to control, what surprised you most about the experience?