OK. With the holiday season right around the corner, a lot of productions will go on hiatus until after the New Year. And it's during the pending downtime when you should start thinking about your filmmaking goals for 2010.
You see, as movie makers, each new year gives us time to reflect on past accomplishments and future goals. Here is a year anew exercise. Take a few minutes to seriously answer these 5 questions:
- What did you achieve last year? Did you make any movies or work on any projects? Did you write anything?
- What sorts of filmmaking stuff did you want to achieve, but didn't? What obstacles got in your way?
- What do you want to accomplish in 2010?
- What sorts of obstacles must you overcome to reach your filmmaking goals? How will you do this?
- What is one thing you can complete today that will put you one step closer?
As a filmmaker, I assume your primary goal is to make movies. But as you know, making a movie requires many steps. So to plan your next movie as well as some of the other big whoppers you wish to accomplish, I suggest breaking your goals into smaller and smaller chunks… And then finally break them into small enough chunks so you can include them in your list of daily tasks.
For example, lets say the big goal is to hire an up-and-coming Director of Photography. Some daily tasks you might accomplish:
- Call friends of friends for recommendations.
- Put ad on Criag's List seeking DP (or one of the many sites.)
- Review Demo Reels.
- Call prospective DP's for interview or lunch.
- Meet and negotiate terms the work within your budget.
Remember, as a filmmaker, nothing of major significance happens unless you have a clear understanding of your goals. And big goals always consist of smaller tasks.
