It’s confession time. Every filmmaker has gotten jealous of others who have “found success,” especially those who have blown up at a young age. We look at the 20-something genius who is now head of a major studio franchise and wonder:
Am I no good? Am I too late?
This used to bother me deeply, and I still have moments of self-doubt. But we are all exactly where we need to be. And while some filmmakers seem like their careers progressed quickly, the truth is:
They have a different starting point than the rest of us.
THE KEY ELEMENTS
For every young filmmaker who starts quickly, we have to take stock of a few things:
1 – What was their beginning artistic environment?
Your beginning matters in how you walk along your artistic journey. Some of us get encouragement from a young age, and others don’t even see it as a possibility outside of a spare hobby.
Many kids have a lot of talent, and they are either discouraged from using that talent (because they need to get a real job) or, even worse, they are in an environment where they don’t even get to explore it.
The young filmmakers and artists we see have spent years working on their craft already. Not at the level they are at currently, but they have spent time as children being in arts classes or theater groups. No matter the level of encouragement, they have put in years working on it with the intent of pursuing it seriously. Just like an all-star athlete, they have given their art the necessary reps to be in a position to succeed.
We all don’t have that option. Whether we have started late, started and then stopped, or have never even tried, where we begin matters in where we end up. While I had the privilege of being involved in the arts from a young age, I spent 10 years not creating any films and had to “catch up” in my 30s.
This makes a big difference.
I am now, in my 40s, making my first film. This is after 10 years of making shorts, working as a professional, building a network of collaborators, and learning the craft.
So I am actually right on time for where I need to be.
2 – What was their access to resources?
Art and commerce are fundamentally linked, no matter the form. Filmmaking especially, since it costs so much to make. While the costs might be going down with the advent of new technologies, it’s still more expensive than grabbing some pen and paper.
Your access to resources as a filmmaker matters.
Take note of many of the filmmakers who started young. Notice how many of them come from wealthy families. There are the occasional outliers, but the vast proportion of young filmmakers at a high level have had resources to help them get started (even Spike Lee). The resources might not have come from their family members directly.
But having access to circles of people who have resources matters.
It’s not impossible to overcome this. However, those of us without resources have to work harder to gain access to it, which means we need more, you guessed it, time. Our timeframe is increased simply because we don’t have a readily available network of people who can finance our films.
Which means we might have to start on a smaller scale than others who have more resources. But this can be a benefit to us creatively. Limitations can kickstart creative solutions, which can help us stand apart from our more resourced peers.
3 – How much time did they put into their craft?
With resources and starting points taken into account, how much time have we actually put in? We have been conditioned to think of each film like a lottery ticket, that we have to create the right film that will unlock our access to resources and recognition.
But I like to think of it more like an investment portfolio. Each film brings scars and lessons that we take into the next. It helps us build and get better so we take incremental steps to build upon our careers. Because what matters more than delivering one great film is this:
A track record.
Think about the music world. Every artist is trying to avoid being placed into this category:
The one-hit wonder.
The musician who can create greatness once and then never finds it again. It’s not always the fault of the artist, as sometimes their greatness doesn’t align with mass consumption of their music. But the parable remains the same:
Our goal is not to catch lightning in a bottle but to create results with consistency.
You will have a better and longer career if you can consistently deliver films with results. This is the pursuit we should all aim for. Because while we might create that one great film, ask yourself:
How long will that last for?
The standard run of a film is about 5-7 years. It starts with your festival run, then getting distribution, and hopefully some awards.
And then the world moves on.
It’s a great accomplishment for that time, but this is a blip in the life cycle of a filmmaker. Which is why we always need to ask ourselves as filmmakers:
What’s next?
TIME TO KNOW YOURSELF
Our culture idolizes, and in some aspects destroys, youth. We think we have a short timeframe between the ages of 22-28 to “make it.” After that, it’s over for us.
But this time should be used to start finding out who we are and what we think.
I come back to this James Baldwin quote:
The principles which govern, and still govern, American society are mainly utilitarian. So that a writer at some point in his life has to flee from this cacophony of football players and popularity contests and success in order to sit down someplace where he can find out what he thinks.
Baldwin had to escape America in order to find out what exactly he wanted to say, and so do we, if not physically then metaphorically. But it takes a long time to figure out what we think, believe, and exactly want to say.
When you are young, you are trying to impress. This is why the entertainment industry prizes youth.
Youth is easy to manipulate.
In your 20s, oftentimes you are looking for mentors. In your 40s, you are often being asked for guidance. You have your opinions and practices set, and you (hopefully) know what you think. You have experiences you can rely on and bring into your work.
This is why many of the greatest filmmakers are in their 40s and later.
Their voice and language are their own. They are not trying to please someone else. This is our advantage, but also a threat to the greater industry that prizes control.
Which I, personally, find gratifying.
THE CASE FOR TIME
Starting off quickly doesn’t mean it’s sustainable. We see this time and again as child stars and young artists take long breaks out of the public eye.
We need time and space in order to think and speak for ourselves. How this happens is up to each individual. But the more intention we bring to cultivating our own way of being, the better art we can make because of it.
If you are later in your career, or just getting started later in life, you should be celebrating. You have taken time to have just that – life. You have experiences, viewpoints, and references. You have a foundation of who you are, what you value, and what you want to say.
This is the beginning of ownership.
You have ownership of your own mind and way of being. This is something no company can take away or fully control. It’s the truly magnetic quality of great artists, many of whom found their stride later in life.
Like the athlete, you spent your time practicing; getting your reps in. That’s what living is all about. So take some time to reflect on what you’ve done, what you’ve learned, and what you want to say about it. What lessons can you now give to the younger version of you?
We all wish we could have done something else sooner. But we did not.
What matters is what we do today and how we prepare for tomorrow.