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Post by RJ Alden Lackie on Jan 6, 2014 0:20:35 GMT
I'm a big believer in having goals. They keep you focused and give you touchstones to see if you're progressing at the rate you'd hoped. Ideally, they'll be flexible if opportunities come up, but having them in the first place can be a great way to prevent yourself from becoming lost. Vague goals can turn into afterthoughts.
Do you have a plan? Can you sum up what you want in a couple sentences? Are you too afraid to hope for anything for feeling un-humble? Be humble, but believe in yourself; being too humble can mean shrinking yourself rather than reaching higher. I've found that, by reaching a little higher than you think is realistic, you can stumble into amazing opportunities.
What kinds of things are on your multi-year plan? What is appropriate to have on a 5-year plan, and what's too big or too small? Would you share yours publicly or keep it a tightly-guarded secret?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2014 0:33:55 GMT
Honestly...On a five year goal/plan, I would say that I would like to be sold out to my comic book. I keep going through my ideas and practicing and sketching but I don't go forward with my ideas and just start. I would actually like to start kicking this out in the next couple of months and to have a goal in five years to have a successful idea on the way. I would also like to take my idea that brought me into the VS world 10 some years ago (and never did anything with it) and actually write the scripts for it and to maybe FIND someone that could help me maybe get it sold or presented to whoever I would need to get it to and to maybe...just maybe see it become a reality in someone else's hands. I may seem to be a professional type at times but in front of the computer screen sits a person that wants to discover some accomplishments in his life!!!
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Post by Kyle West on Jan 6, 2014 1:15:01 GMT
I had a plan. I had a good one, in fact.
Then I got married...
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Post by A J. Black on Jan 6, 2014 20:06:00 GMT
If ever a post deserved a BA DUM TISH!
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Post by Dan Taylor on Jan 7, 2014 0:26:38 GMT
I had a plan. I had a good one, in fact. Then I got married... Don't less Mrs West see this!
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Post by Kyle West on Jan 7, 2014 0:41:49 GMT
I say it to her all the time anyway!
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Post by RJ Alden Lackie on Jan 27, 2014 7:06:04 GMT
Alright, my five-year plan: Finish my MFA, get a film produced and get staffed on a TV series. Am halfway to two of these, so I think this is definitely doable.
Anyone else?
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Post by Srini Madhavan on Jan 27, 2014 10:25:59 GMT
EDIT: I'll preface this long post with a couple of disclaimers - If I were to sum up the plan in a sentence, it would be "make a few solid shorts, make a feature to secure funding for another feature, and make filmmaking my career from that point onwards" but I thought it better to spell it out more clearly. Don't ask why, my mind does weird things. And for all I know, I may end up altering my course down the line for one reason or another, but this is the most optimistic version I see at this point. (I do hope I don't sound cocky)
As a rather risk-neutral (leaning slightly towards averse) person, I foresee the next five years as being slower than completely ideal. I hope to keep this short, but I'll provide a bit of context behind each where I see it necessary.
On the academic side of things, I've still got a good four or five years. Two years until I complete my bachelor's in Commerce, three years for internal and CA (Chartered Accountancy) qualifications. Here's why - back when uni applications were due, I was a lot more willing to cave to my parents' demands. In this case, it was "No applying to film school, you need to get a generic degree to cover your bases". Having already secured a potential spot at a major firm to work in tandem with a commerce degree, I yielded. So right now I'm working and studying at the same time, and I'm halfway to graduation. Only two years left! The further qualifications are just to solidify the ability to work in finance.
Why is that? Because I'm not the most optimistic person, and I see the state of the film & TV industries and think "wow those are insane odds". The finance stuff is a way to ensure I'll (hopefully) always be able to put food on the table, and maintain a roof over my head. So being able to say "I have what it takes for this job" is a good safety net, and it reduces the anxiety I would otherwise develop regarding the potential for success and sustainability in a career in filmmaking.
ANYWAY. At this stage, here's the plan going forward, focusing on film: 2014 - Make Unavowed, write A Snitch's Tale, write for VS stuff wherever assigned and possible. Also write a TV pilot for my final uni screenwriting elective. Maybe submit Unavowed to a festival or two. 2015 - Write and release another short film (and time permitting, a second short), start early pre-pro on A Snitch's Tale, write another feature. Graduate from university. The plan at the end of the year is to speak to recruitment at work and see if I can take a year off. Even six months would be great. This was actually suggested to me by a manager who is a veteran of the same program I'm doing. 2016 - Assuming I get a year off, shoot and finish A Snitch's Tale. Have it ready for festival submissions ASAP and submit to a handful of major festivals as well as genre fests. After locking on A Snitch's Tale, perhaps seek out representation. 2017 - Go back to work, initiate direct distribution for A Snitch's Tale and shop around the second feature and/or the TV pilot written in 2014 (or a new one written since then) in order to get one funded. This time with a budget that can actually pay everyone (ha!).
This is where it gets fuzzy. But let's look at the more optimistic option.
2018 - I produce the second feature, earn enough in union-based director, writer, producer, whatever fees, to quit the full time job. With a bigger budget and a skilled team (and a simple enough script), this should be completed quite quickly. If I manage to secure an established distributor, then great! I'll work out a hybrid deal where I can still sell direct to consumer. I'll try to move to LA, hopefully picking up some directing gigs in TV or features.
I think this might be a somewhat fast-tracked version of what Christopher Nolan did. Working in corporate video and making shorts with his friends, make a no-budget feature, get distro, raise a small budget for Memento, move to LA, and his next gig is director-for-hire on Insomnia.
This is a super optimistic plan, and it's very wordy, but let's see whether I can successfully stick to it.
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Post by RJ Alden Lackie on Feb 2, 2014 5:45:17 GMT
You know what, Srini? I'd say that's a really manageable plan. My only note of caution: every writer I've read giving advice says, don't expect to make the first feature you write. You learn so much about screenplay structure the first couple features you write that your second or third feature is a much better bet. (Yes I'm a hypocrite to say this while trying to get AFTER THE FIGHT made, but to be honest, AtF probably isn't ready. I've been pursuing any opportunities for it that arise because hey, people like the script and it's worth it. But MORE or WAITING ROOM will probably be much stronger scripts.) I'm not saying slow down your production timeline - trying to shoot your first feature in 2016 is definitely a worthwhile goal if you can get the money/financing together. But try to get as many screenplays written in the next couple years as possible. That might sound overambitious, but remember - every script you write, this early on, oftentimes means the faster you write the next one. Your momentum is still building. That said, this is just advice, and ultimately it's all your call.
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Post by Srini Madhavan on Feb 2, 2014 22:55:25 GMT
Thanks for the vote of confidence on the plan, RJ Alden Lackie ! And you're right about not shooting the first feature I write. Whilst I'm a little hopeful that it *might* be a great script, I'm not exactly holding my breath about it. I'll write the best goddamn script I can write, but with the experience I gain from that, the next should be even better. At the end of the day, it'll come down to what I have on hand by late 2015, which is when I want to ideally begin pre-production. Further to the writing side of things, I'm not exactly what one would call an experienced director. I'm more experienced on the camera side of things, operating camera for a few music videos, my own short (terrible short, mind you) and a couple of local film school projects. So working on short films such as Unavowed, and hopefully a few more, will do a world of good for the development of my directing skills. I'm interested in hearing everyone else's plans! In fact, something else I'm interested in is: who on Compass seeks to go professional, whether as writers, or as something else (directors, editors, producers, etc.) in the world of film and TV?
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Post by RJ Alden Lackie on Feb 3, 2014 5:17:40 GMT
In fact, something else I'm interested in is: who on Compass seeks to go professional, whether as writers, or as something else (directors, editors, producers, etc.) in the world of film and TV? Last year, folks addressed this briefly in a thread. To sum up: for some, it's a nice idea they'd like someday but aren't going after ( Dex Macleod, Ian Austin), while folks like Chris Davis and A J. Black said they're actively pursuing to one degree or another. But there are lots of folks who I know from uni who are aiming at the professional life and are building the foundation as we speak. Myself, I'm aiming to be a showrunner on TV. I'm interested in writing for film, and perhaps someday dabbling in directing, but for now showrunning is my north star.
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Post by Srini Madhavan on Feb 3, 2014 6:31:02 GMT
Ooops, I even participated in that thread! Completely forgot about it.
It's really cool to see the breadth of goals, from just having fun, to outright aiming for pro. And I love that the worlds of Compass, MZP, VPN and the like all provide places to practice our craft, whatever the end goal.
Making film & TV my full time job is definitely high on my priority list. Until then, there's lots for us to work on!
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Post by RJ Alden Lackie on Jun 15, 2014 18:59:01 GMT
I feel like, once we hit July 1, I'll have a real idea of what the next 5 years will entail. June 20 - the day of the IPF funding decisions - will be the thing that lays out what I have in store ahead of me.
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