Hey fellow filmmakers,
I wanted to share something that’s been on my mind about collaboration on set. Would love to hear your thoughts!
When I first started working on film sets, I was eager to learn, hoping to find true creative collaboration. But instead, I often saw competition where there could have been connection. It felt like people were in their own separate camps, going through the motions rather than coming together as a team. It didn’t sit right with me.
I knew filmmaking could be more than just showing up, doing your job, and leaving. It could be about building something together, where every voice matters, where people feel invested, and where teamwork isn’t just a buzzword. So, I built my own team, one that thrived on trust, respect, and mutual support. And let me tell you — it made all the difference.
This week’s BTS episode of Mind of Thoughts dives into that experience: how our diverse, international team came together, why support matters more than we realize, and how we can shift from competition to collaboration.
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Hey, Charlotte Verminck. Great topic. I think seeing filmmaking (screenwriting, etc.) as collaboration rather than competition benefits filmmakers. Example: Instead of a filmmaker trying to outdo other filmmakers with a short film, what if all of those filmmakers got together, made an anthology feature film, and sold that feature to a company or self-distribute it?
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I just listened to a podcast with actor/director Jonathon Frakes on Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum. It was a great episode. But I really liked how mentions of collaboration was woven through the whole interview.
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It's absolutely a positive approach. I'm still collaborating with professional filmmakers I've know since back at UT Austin Film School. And, from early projects here in Hollywood, including the Lily Tomlin/Joel Schumacher film "Incredible Shrinking Woman". As we joke among ourselves, sometimes one of us hires and is the boss and other times someone else does that and we're on the crew. But we always really enjoy working with each other and know we can always depend on each other to be creative and collaborative.
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Hey, Charlotte Verminck !
Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world, and there are always people on set who are only superficially engaged in the process—or, in some cases, don’t really feel anything for the project at all.
Another issue is when people aren’t fully confident in themselves or their professional skills and try to prove they’re better or smarter through competition.
I agree—this only harms the project!
It’s great that you bring up these topics because posts like this make people reflect and take another look at their own shortcomings.
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This is such a great reflection on the importance of true collaboration in film-making!
It’s all too common for sets to feel like a collection of individuals working in isolation rather than unified creative force. Your perspective in building a team that values trust, respect, and mutual support—really resonates because film-making is at its best when every department works together, not against each other.
And Your BTS episode of Mind of Thoughts sounds like a meaningful deep dive into this issue. How has your approach to teamwork shaped the projects you’ve worked on? Have you noticed a shift in the energy on set when collaboration is prioritized?
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Hi Charlotte. I’m glad you’re opening up this so necessary conversation. It is vital to once and for all switch from constant competition to harmonious collaboration. Our planet has been hurt in so many ways because of our egos and we need to address this in all perspectives, including the filmmaking perspective and the ways we build community.
We have the power to become game changers in each decision we make. As a part of the artists collective Body Stories Project I can give testimony that it’s possible. We are not only a team, we are longtime friends! And we do our best to support each other and celebrate our triumphs. As our focus is to co-create healing cinema, we work to embody the resilience, empathy and spirit of collaboration that moves us day by day to do our best to build stories that inspire and uplift.