What is filmmaking success?
The most frustrating part of your filmmaking career is when you realize that you are not entitled to success. Early in your career you wake up every day with an unyielding sense of possibility. You think about all the wonderful movies that you are going to make. You picture yourself walking the red carpet with flashbulbs exploding with an intensity of stardom.
You will hold this vision. And if the vision is strong enough, you will take steps towards the achievement of this dream. Maybe you will write a screenplay… Maybe you will pick up a camera and ask your friends to act your short movie. Maybe you will plan your first feature. And if you are lucky, you might even make a movie… And if you are really lucky, your friends and family will support you because doing something in the movie industry is cool.
But here comes the rub…
Months and years will pass. Your friends will get married. They will have babies. They will have families. And you may very well find yourself living alone in your mid-30s wondering if going after something cool was worth it. It is at this point in life when you must answer one question:
“Are YOU serious enough about your filmmaking career to continue?”
About Jason Brubaker
Jason Brubaker is a Hollywood based Independent Motion Picture Producer and an expert in Video On Demand distribution. He is focused on helping YOU make, market and sell movies more easily by growing your fan base, building buzz and creating community around your title. He is also available for speaking engagements.
The answer is different for every filmmaker…
I started acting at 21 in Australia then started filmschool at 26. I am now 38 and just finished my debut feature film. “Alien Inhabitant”. It is definitely much harder to get a start in Oz. I still get (from doctors for some strange reason) “how long can you go on like this? when are you going to get your big break?” These people have bought in to the media fantasy. I reply “I don’t want a big break. I just want to make a living.”
An awakening I had recently:
What these publicity machines would have us believe is that the industry is easy, glamorous with the possibility over night fame and/or fortune. In reality nothing gets around hard work. Eventually you or your publicist will be creating these same fantasy publicity story’s to sell your self or your product. (as my publicist has told me)
One of the best things I absorbed from you Jason is to surround my self with successful people (and more importantly to keep away from those who are negative and suck away your ability to move forward)
Being around like minded people and creating a special power support network of people is very important. That is why this website a great thing you’ve set up Jason.
Thanks for the thoughtful response. Great comments!
That’s true but why this sudden dilemma. If money, fame and success were the ultimate target from the beginning then it’s never going to be realized as it’s never enough and you will always be hungry for more.
Since you have mentioned family and kids that mean you do realize the happiness comes in small moments and cannot be bought by money. So if you are making films for the love of story-telling then you are never disillusioned.
I am sharing my views because I am on the same boat, switched career to follow my passion, making films, single and in early thirties… and I see my friends getting married and with kids.
Every day from many years I think I found the ultimate answer and then I wake up to the reality.
Although at the same time I am continuously learning about filmmaking and toying with ideas, making and releasing films (all self-funded). I think action is very important, do your best and then leave it to the destiny.
I’d love to share the ultimate answer once I got it.
My thinking is, you have to decide what you value in life – and importantly – what you want to accomplish!
What’s the answer? Is there any?