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Category: Inspiration

May72010

Inspiration at the Movies: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

“I wrote it down so I wouldn’t have to remember it”
– Professor Henry Jones (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, 1989)

Oh yes! I can totally relate! Can you?

Of course, it’s important when you write things down that you have some kind of system you follow because… you have to find that information again someday! I’m still a fan of the handheld notebook that you carry around… not unlike Professor Jones’ notebook. No need for electricity or Internet connection, and it’s perfect portable. Leave the first page or inside cover blank so that you can add an index of the contents. Dates and then on the pages to help with sufficient order. You can even start a new page every day if you like… don’t you love that “new slate” kind of look at things?

Cheers & a good shoot to you,
Deb

Apr92010

Inspiration at the Movies: A Night at the Museum

“What if you’re wrong, and you’re just an ordinary guy who should get a job?”
– Nick Daley (A Night at the Museum, 2006)

Hearing these words gives me a kind of backwards inspiration. It hurts when I hear it.

I don’t want to “settle” for an ordinary job. Considering how much waking time is spent at work, we should enjoy it! We should find work fulfilling, stimulating, interesting! We, each of us, are unique and wonderful and interesting… no person is “ordinary”! Why should our work be ordinary?

True that in a creative industry such as this, your career of choice may not be able to cover all those personal financial bills every month. Sometimes the financial challenge is short term, other times long term. We cannot see into the future, especially with freelance work, and those other challenges life sends us now and then. So, a combination of incomes may be necessary to make financial ends meet. There is nothing wrong with that.

So what if the balance of your income sometimes comes from the “other job”! You do not need to re-label who you are based on where you earn the most money. The financial help is just a stepping stone toward – or a safety net to allow you to realize – your career dreams. See it for what is it – part of a bigger picture.

Then you will see how “extra-ordinary” you really are!

Cheers & extra-ordinary good wishes,
Deb

Feb122010

Inspiration at the Movies: The Princess Diaries 2

“Don’t make the same mistakes I did. Make your own mistakes. There’ll be plenty of them, believe me.”
– Queen Clarisse Renaldi (The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement – 2004)

Oh how true the Queen’s words do ring!

Yes, you can read up on filmmaking, for example. You can learn from others. You can try it yourself… but ready to make mistakes. Of course you can learn from others’ mistakes – and well you should – but let yourself make your own.

And then comes the really hard part… be ready to learn from your mistakes so you don’t keep repeating them.

Best wishes & good cheer to you,
Deb

Jan152010

Inspiration at the Movies: Pirates of the Caribbean

“Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate”
– Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl – 2003)

My family is the real treasure that first comes to mind for me every time I hear this line… what comes to mind for you?

Cheers,
Deb

Dec42009

Cher, Professionalism & Interviews

Cher was on a talk show and she totally inspired me by her industry professionalism.

By comparison, the guest who came on before her was somewhat unprepared for the questions about to be asked, but he coasted along sufficiently, trying to answer as best he could and answer in an entertaining manner.

Then Cher came on. To every question that the host asked, Cher spun it quickly and smoothly from the direction the host wanted to go, instead to the message she needed to get across. The host tried again and again to control the direction of the conversation, but Cher had better skill crafting her words. It was like watching a fencing match, and Cher was definitely winning. The interplay was fun to watch and the messages she brought were interesting (seemingly more interesting than the direction the host wanted to go). She was a superbly professional and entertaining guest.

Thanks Cher, for reminding me to be prepared for interviews with my own messages; to  practise the interview ahead of time; to craft words to improve the entertainment factor (especially for this industry); and to expect the host to have a different agenda than me!

Cheers,
Deb

Nov202009

Edward Woodward: When We Crossed Paths…

When someone dies, with whom you have crossed paths, you can’t help but remember how they touched and helped to shape your life.

I was blessed to have worked with very talented Edward Woodward on “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” early in my career… a time when I had much less individual responsibility on the crew than I did later in my career, and so I was gifted to learn a lot by observation.

We worked overtime for every episode of the series, save the one that he was in. You see, starring in nearly every scene of the script, he had the authority to set the maximum number of hours he would work on a shoot day. In so doing, he saved the entire cast and crew from working overtime – for one episode, anyway. Oddly enough, we still got our days and the scenes we needed to cut together a really great episode. It just took more planning to do so. And so early in my career I learned a very valuable lesson about the importance of preproduction. Thank you, Mr. Woodward.

We rarely find out how we touch the lives of others, which is kind of strange since this industry is all about communication of ideas and stories! So, let’s just live well & kind, and trust that we have a positive effect.

In thoughtful memory,
Deb