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Tag: freelance

What I Learned About a Film Career from Bloomin’ Flowers

In short: Flowers blossom at different rates… and some blossom more than once per calendar year.

Going for a walk recently, a local magnolia is in bloom for the second time this year and it looks lovely. Again! But as with any blooming shrub, I notice that not all flowers blossom at the same time. Some buds become ‘early adopters,’ opening up and announcing their colour to the world while others stay as buds a while longer before opening up and shining their colour. Neither flower is more beautiful than the other, they just have different timing.

So too, I’ve noticed with freelance film careers. Some folk manage to shine quickly in their given field while others find a longer path to find their niche (and so do their shining later on). Considering that finding your place in the industry is the success, then neither path is more successful than the other, it’s just different timing.

With freelance work being so volatile, that’s a comforting thought. Keep going along your path and find your way. You may not have blossomed yet, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be blossoming soon.

Cheers & a good shoot to you,
Deb

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FYI, the third edition of “Film Production Management 101” is coming to bookstores and online in January 2025, but available now for pre-order (e.g. on AmazonAmazon CanadaIndigo-Chapters).

What I Learned About Filmmaking from… RC Flying

rcflyAmazing the places you can learn concepts useful for filmmaking. Here’s a look from the perspective of RC Flying…

1. There Are A LOT of Crashes
The first take-off is exhilerating, but, boy, are there a lot of crashes before being able to deftly fly the mini aircrafts. From each of those crashes, you build on your knowledge to fly better and better next time. Not that there won’t be any crashes in the future, but (1) you’ll be more prepared for them physically and mentally, and (2) you’ll recover from some of even before hitting the ground. Echoes of a freelance career, doesn’t it?

2. Gotta Have Spares
To weather those training crashes, you can’t be flying just 1 plane and have no spares. To increase airtime, you have to have multiple planes and, most certainly, spares. It’s your B-plan. For an industry career, your network is your multiple planes, and your side jobs I see as your spares.

3. Put Your Imagination In The Pilot’s Seat
You’re flying an RC plane “from away.” Basically, it’s the third person POV. Your actual perspective on the plane is changing constantly and you need to put your mind into the pilot’s seat to instinctively know which way to manipulate the controls to bank in the direction you want to go. Get it right, and the plane flies seemingly effortlessly. On a film production, you need to put your imagination into the story – in effect, “fly the scene” – to see and create the necessary details to make the story and characters come alive.

How about you? Where do you find parallels between life and the film industry?

Cheers and a high-flying shoot to you,
Deb

The Home Office… Treat It Right!

I happened on this term (“home office”) in a French-English dictionary. It translated into: “Ministry of the Interior”! Wow. That’s heavy! Yet, I muse, shouldn’t all freelancers – who therefore have a “home office” – treat their office and themselves with the same professionalism and respect due a ministry office? You are a business after all! So…hat’s off to you and best wishes for the success of your business.

Cheers & a good shoot to you,
Deb