If you’re an artist, I’m sure you can relate to what I’m about to say; sometimes the direction you choose for your future can be uncertain.
Have you seen Arnold Schwarzenegger’s commencement speech at the University of Southern California? Check it out here on YouTube. As a filmmaker working on an independent short film, Schwarzenegger’s speech was quite motivating. Perhaps his 6 rules can reassure you that you’re on the right path. My summary of his speech is below, I believe this can be applied to anyone. Be sure to check out our trailer as well:
1) Trust Yourself
When you’re working on a project, I’m sure that there are times when you question yourself as to whether or not your idea will work. I believe that you have to be open-minded. Listen to the suggestions that your team has to offer. If it aligns with what you believe in, apply it. No one knows your vision better than you do, so trust yourself.
During the filming process of this project, there were several times when my crew gave suggestions as to how to deliver a line or performance. As the director, I would then take only the feedback that improved the project.
Valentina Dang touching up Lindsay Ogus’ make up on our new short film.2) Don’t Listen to Naysayers
There is no point listening to people that always have a negative mindset, even when things are going well. They will eventually bring the entire crew down.
A few years ago, I was out on location working on a short film. The filming day was difficult to schedule but eventually we found a day. Unfortunately on the day, it was expected to rain in the afternoon. But, the show must go on. I arranged the times so that we filmed outdoors during the morning and indoors during the afternoon. On the actual day of the filming, the rain fell in the morning so the crew got wet and the sun came out in the afternoon when we were doing the indoor scenes. I had a member that kept complaining throughout the entire day that the organization for the shoot was poor. Despite that, everything went smoothly other than the weather. You just have to ignore the naysayers and focus on your team.
3) Work Your Butt Off
Schwarzenegger said that if you want to take life easy, and slowly then don’t follow these rules. But if you want to make it and be at the top, you need to work your butt off. Successful people make it because they work extremely hard to get to where they are. They didn’t do it by putting their hands in their pockets to climb up a ladder. If you’re saying: “I”ll do it tomorrow, I need to sleep longer” because you’re tired, well sleep faster because right now, someone is getting smarter, they are putting in the time that you’re not, and working harder than you are. The SEALs motto is get comfortable being uncomfortable… work hard. Check out this this commercial below:
4) Break The Rules
Each industry comes with a set of rules. Whether you’re a whaler (loving Into the Heart of the Sea), or a filmmaker, rules will apply. Schwarzenegger explained that people told him he couldn’t be an actor because his body was too big, and no one could pronounce his name, but he worked hard. Took up acting and even accent removal lessons (I hope he got his money back). He reduced his body size and the rest was history.
I once took a course where the instructor was explaining to me about the camera’s 180 degree rule. If there were 2 characters facing each other talking, the camera has to be on the same side when you shoot the reverse. The instructor mentioned that I couldn’t put it on a dolly in one of the scenes as this breaks the rule once the camera moves across to the other side. I wanted this shot in the short film as I didn’t want the camera to be static since everyone else was doing a “locked off” shot. So, I broke the rule and edited the piece so that it worked. At the end, we received really good feedback. You can view the archival footage here and read the reviews.
Luckily in the filmmaking industry, many of our rules can be broken as it’s a creative art form. You don’t necessarily have to rehearse, or have story boards drawn out. You don’t need to have a script. You don’t need to follow any of the rules.
In life, breaking rules (legally) will separate you from the crowd, because if people tell you: “no one has done this before and you can’t do it.” You can tell them that you will be the first to do it. Break the rules.
Archival footage from Blood Water. Computers eventually paved the path to our shots.
5) Don’t Be Afraid to Fail
Not everything that you do in life will be successful so don’t be afraid to fail. If you want to be a whaler go for it. If you want to pursue a career in acting, don’t give up just because it’s extremely competitive. There will be thousands of times when you will be rejected, but grow thick skin and keep your eye on your objective. There is nothing that you can’t do.
Take a simple example. A long time ago, I was trying to simulate gun flashes, bullet hits, and explosions for our indie films. I was using practical effects and techniques to get the shot. I had a bag of stage blood and attached a hose into it, the other end of the hose went into an air pump. I pressed hard onto the pump so that the bag “should” explode releasing the blood everywhere. But no matter how I modified the contraption or how hard I pushed the pump, the blood kept slowly leaking out from the bag. I kept failing at making the blood hit look real. After many unsuccessful attempts I tried another approach. I looked into creating the effects on a computer, most of the practical effects we do now are done in post.
In life, there will be many things that you will do and you will fail at, but with each failure comes a lesson. Take a step back and re-evaluate the situation, then try again, again and again. Never be afraid to fail, keep your eye on that goal. As Stallone says it, it’s not about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward.
At the end of the day, one of the most important things in life is the give back. It is one of the most satisfying things that one can do says Schwarzenegger. Give back to a charity, donate to an organization that you strongly believe in, or volunteer your time in a community centre. Giving back is not only satisfying, but rewarding for the community.
Be sure to check out our new short film, we are setting it up with a charity. Check out this page for more information on how to be involved once the film is released. If you have any video production questions, feel free to contact us. We specialize in creating your story so you can share it to the world. Like always, happy editing!