I recently finished work editing for an independent filmmaker who had shot on high definition because she felt that having a film shot on a high quality format would improve her chances of the film being taken seriously when she decided to shop it around to potential buyers on the festival circuit. This is almost exclusively the route taken by many independent filmmakers who know that it is all fine and dandy to be able to accomplish the feat of even making a film in the first place, but getting that film seen is an entirely different beast altogether.

Getting a film seen can mean many things, especially nowadays with the Internet having become a forum in its own right for filmmakers to get their work out there. Festivals have been around longer and obviously with that comes a certain level of prestige that attracts and receives the support of many industry people that any filmmaker would give an appendage to be in the same screening room with, breathing the same air.

It got me thinking; mainly because I’ve been working on a project of my own that I’ve been writing and trying to get shot in the fall to take advantage of some really atmospheric fall scenes and the beautiful ambiance that overcast late season light provides, but also I’m feeling the pressure because a few significant deadlines are approaching. I’ll want to do a good job on the film and not rush it just to make some deadline, but I have to say that I have known some who don’t take the time to do a good job and you can imagine the result because of that.

This applies to just about anything in life. Like it or not, deadlines are a part of life, but you have to believe that if people are going to see what you’ve done then the time you spend on it inevitably affects the result. There have been cases, myself being one of them, where being under the gun actually motivates you to think creatively and more productively because you are aware of the limit you have in front of you. There are other cases too where you (super important) prioritize working on something consistently and over time you see it grow and mature into an idea that you could never have conceived in a more compressed time space. I’m sure theories abound on this subject on time in relation to result and I’d love to hear your own ideas, but I have to say I’m leaning more and more towards allowing myself to enter into something like a ‘relaxed discipline’ where I’ll treat my project in this way:

• I’ll have a notebook handy. When an idea comes, no matter where I am, I can jot it down. These notes come in handy later. Trust me.
• I’ll return to the idea mentally, every so often through the day or the week. It turns into a sort of mental exercise and thinking about it turns into a habit. I become aware of the idea in some of the most interesting places and situations, which can yield some unexpected associations, which I might even incorporate into the idea, taking it to different places.
• Avoiding intense thinking sessions that have large gaps of days or even weeks is useful, because a long period of time of being away from an idea is like stuffing yourself with food after going without for a long time. The effect is the same; it’s too overwhelming and you might miss out on those intricate details that make an idea fuller and more robust. Little mental warm-ups keep the brain limber and flexible enough to spring easily into action. (Insert exercise analogy here).

Last but not least, if all else fails and I’m getting nowhere, I’ll just scrap the idea all together. Remember that notebook I mentioned? This is where you can go back to those random notes and maybe find some interesting nugget that will start the brainstorming process all over again and create a thread that you can take up and follow outside that crazy maze of ideas. Everyone is different and that is what I’m after, what’s your ‘method’ if there is one or does there need to be one?