Ooooo, Y'ALL! I had a great little catch-up phone call with a filmmaking friend, and he made an observation about indie producers (and perhaps me in particular): "When you _can_ do everything yourself, you become too self-sufficient for your own good."
Imma just let that one marinate and just follow it up with - whatchy'all think?
I've observed that self sufficiency scars off most of the dreamers and wannabies.
2 people like this
Once again I'll provide observation from this side of great water...Most European filmmakers are human swiss-army knifes...I dig they wanna be in complete creative control over their projects (aside for asking state money)....result is one movie per 5/10 years, makes them hobbyist compared to US/UK filmmakers...film is collaboration, know your place within the machine and oil up!
I'm chewing over this currently, I have a couple of people not really pulling their weight and creating more work for me at the last minute.
Ok that's actually a really interesting thought and it's true some people really are self sufficient.
I think I'm one of them and it's probably because I've always had to rely on myself for things that nobody would or even could do. So I learned anything I had to and thought myself to learn new things all the time and I actually enjoy it.
Funny fact I got into IT because I never found anybody who could fix my computer the way I wanted it to be.
At the same time I remember a couple of years ago on a first bigger project that I directed I had a lot of help and it was actually a really nice experience because I was able to comunicate what I needed to others and was able to focus on other stuff.
The good thing about being a director and producer on our own projects is I can decide myself what stuff I want to deal with and what I don't. But having the knowledge and know-how on how to do them gives me options.
I found this especially advantageous when shooting when I could grab a camera and get a shot or show the DP what I want or in postproduction where I absolutely love editing dialog and sometimes playing around with the color grade.
So yeah self sufficiente has it's drawbacks but it can also be an advantage in my opinion.
3 people like this
When doing indie you have to realize it's a collaborative effort. You have to learn to let some things go. You have to trust your team.
2 people like this
Self-sufficient means you can cover payroll from start to finish
...and chewing ...and also, as Kiril says, possibly a human swiss army knife!
2 people like this
Love the ruminations on this thread! Thank you all for jumping in!
Just to clarify, this idea of "too self-sufficient for your own good" is very much as an individual, not as a team. Sometimes in indie filmmaking, as you all have noted, you whittle away roles to keep costs low, but if you're starting a project, sometimes you need that team energy and different perspectives to get going.
I've definitely noticed that some part of my "it's fine, I'll do it myself" approach, as much as it comes from a place of "human swiss army knife" pride, it also seems to come from not wanting to have a hard conversation with someone who is not meeting my expectations. Interestingly enough, I have no problem having those conversations on someone else's set on behalf of their project. But when it's my script or I'm directing? Yeah, I'm not sure I like to fight that fight. But, I'd like to remind future me that in this business, the more decisions you can make from joy and not fear, the better!
2 people like this
Cheers Kay! This is a biggie! Letting go is so important, going with the flow and welcoming other peoples talents is a joy once you get over your ego!