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Category: Inspiration

May62011

The Best of F.I.L.M. – The Early Days

In honour of my two year anniversary F.I.L.M. blogging, I thought I’d bring together older top posts – especially for those of you who may not have been here since the beginning:

  • F-un

Pumpkin Carving Contest on Set
I instigated the contest… to which there was a surprising winner!

  • I-nspiration

Inspiration at the Movies: Harold and Maude
You’ll never look at a field full of daisies the same way again… I know I don’t!

  • L-ife

3 Things I Learned About Filmmaking from… My Grandmother
(1) If you can’t do it, keep trying
(2) Make and eat dessert
(3) Always wear clean underwear
… and they really are relevant to a film career!

  • M-anagement

Free Film Budget
Nothing compares to getting a full budget template to refer to and learn from! Thanks, Deke.

And thanks to you for the great feedback I’ve received over the years! Here’s to more F-un, I-nspiration, L-ife and M-anagement to come!

Cheers & a great shoot to you,
Deb

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PM101 in TODo you know about Deb’s appearance in Toronto on May 27 and the “Toronto Area PM101 Facebook Challenge (for a free book)“? To learn more, click here: http://on.fb.me/hEdmNg

Apr152011

Memorable Movie Moment: Tangled

Stepping barefoot in the grass… you know what I mean?

As Rapunzel leaves the tower for the first time in her life, there’s a lovely moment when she stops her elated downward slide… just inches before touching ground. She extends one tentative foot to gently touch the grass with her toes before stepping down, completing the entry into her new world.

I can feel the grass along with her, can you? I imagine anyone who’s experienced walking barefoot across the lawn on a summer’s day must know that distinctive feeling: the soft grass flattening under each step; the few blades that manage to slip between the toes; the solid but uneven ground beneath.

In that moment Rapunzel turns a lifetime of wishing and wondering into reality. She enters a new world on her own terms and her senses are heightened. She notices and feels everything. How true that as significant changes happen in our lives – whether we make the change  happen or it happens to use – our senses are indeed heightened. It is in moments like these we can feel the grass between our toes, see the details around us that other days we take for granted. A feeling of really being alive! And yet by just noticing those details (like the sensation stepping barefoot in the grass), we can reawaken that feeling of aliveness. Oh yes!

Look around you… what fabulous detail can you notice today?

Cheers & a good shoot to you,
Deb

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PM101 in TODo you know about Deb’s appearance in Toronto and the “Toronto Area PM101 Facebook Challenge (for a free book)“? To learn more, click here: http://on.fb.me/hEdmNg

Mar252011

Inspiration at the Movies: My Neighbor Totoro

“I’m not scared at all.”
– Mei (My Neighbor Totoro, 1988)

How young children (claim to) have no fear of the unknown! Especially when a big sister or brother challenges them to be fearful of something that they know a little more about.

Mei’s declaration reminds me how much we learn to fear the unknown as we grow up. And yet I believe that the child inside us is always there. We only need to reach within ourselves to recapture the perspective, the whimsy, the power of childhood.

And then when you face a challenge, you can say to yourself: “I’m not scared at all!” Wow, with that kind of power, imagine what you could achieve then!

Cheers & a good shoot to you,
Deb

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PM101 in TODo you know about the “Toronto Area PM101 Facebook Challenge (for a free book)“? To learn more, click here: http://bit.ly/fGP0fq

Feb112011

Inspiration at the Movies: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

“Soon we must all face the choice between what is is right and what is easy.”
– Dumbledore (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 2005)

These words ring so true when I think of eating: choosing between what is healthy and what is fast-n-easy. Whoah… that’s a hard one!

Yet, I’m not sure that our choices are always “easy” vs “right.” Indeed, doing the right thing in many cases takes enormous effort. When faced with a difficult choice such as “easy” vs “right” we need to find the belief in ourselves – the bravery – to choose the right path.

Step one is recognizing the choice and listening to the inner voice to know which path is the right one. That choice may not be clearly visible until you’ve taken time to consider the situation. “Easy” choices tend to be about “doing nothing,” “doing what you’re told,” “doing what’s expected of you.” And yet, I cannot say that’s even true all the time. If you’ve ever watched a chicken hatch from an egg: it appears to be an impossibly hard task, and yet you cannot and should not help. If you do, the baby chick will not be strong enough to survive in the world. You must do the right thing by “doing nothing” and let the baby chick work it out.

Step two is then finding the bravery to then act on the right choice (for even “doing nothing” is taking action!). Call it inner confidence if you must, but I prefer to call it bravery. For in bravery there is fear and uncertainty… yet you act anyway. And typically, that’s how I feel inside when taking the right-but-not-easy path. Don’t you?

Step three is having faith as the events roll out. Tense times, but they pass and eventually you will see the outcome of your choices, helping you to make more educated choices in the future (notice I didn’t say “better”?). And new choices will indeed present themselves soon enough, won’t they?

Cheers… to the bravery in you and me,
Deb

Jan72011

Inspiration at the Movies: You’ve Got Mail

“Whatever else anything is, it ought to begin by being personal.”
– Kathleen Kelly (You’ve Got Mail, 1998)

It hurts that Kathleen is losing her business at this point in the film. She has such an important message to say. I believe her. Whatever we do – in whatever facet of our life – it ought to begin by being personal. We are people journeying life together. We are not numbers. We are not statistics. We are individuals. Find the people in our careers. Connect with them. We are a community. We are all people. We are all personal. Right-on, Kathleen. Good reminder!

Who did you connect with today?

Cheers & festive greetings to you,
Deb

Dec32010

Inspiration at the Movies: The Polar Express

“The thing about trains… it doesn’t matter where they’re going. What matters is deciding to get on.”
– The Conductor (The Polar Express, 2004)

These words make me think about making decisions. Getting on – the choosing to act – is certainly a decision… an active decision. And yet not getting on – the choosing not to act – is also a decision… a more passive decision. How many passive decisions do we make in our career, really? The Conductor sagely reminds us that it’s all about getting onboard. Though you may not know exactly where you are going, or end up wher you originally planned to go, you’re bound to have an adventure and really live life if you make the choice actively.

Festive cheer to you & active production decisions,
Deb