No one ever told me that paychecks would be so large and sometimes few and far between. My family, friends and neighbors marvel at my profession. None of them realize what it takes or how it feels to be looking for a new job each day of your life. Still, I feel pity for the corporate world and all those who wear suits to work. As I miss the luxury of a paid vacation and direct deposit of a bimonthly paycheck, they will never experience the thrill of being The Director on a film set.
As artists, we put our hearts and souls into each project.
Creation rules our present and our recreation is making the ordinary extraordinary. Learning is a lifeline to the future. Technology is moving like a bullet through time. It’s giving us opportunities that never existed in the past. Our fountain of youth is our ability to reinvent ourselves through our work. With each job, I realize the importance of achieving quality over quantity. The spots I shoot today will end up on my reel tomorrow. Our reels continue to define who we are and hopefully sell what we can deliver. At all costs, we must continue to remain valuable to our clientele while contributing to our community.
Experience has taught me which battles to fight. I’ve learned that when on set, 50 percent of directing is collaborating with the client. The other 50 percent is actually directing the commercial. If you don’t like the budget or the creative, neither of which you are going to really change, you can always say no. However, if you say yes, be in the game and score the winning touchdown. In the end, remain humble because at that moment, after the gate has been checked and the fat lady sings, "Wrap!," you are officially out of work.
During hard times, I’ve prayed to the God I believe in and Gods I’ve never even heard of. Carefully placed around the phone on my desk are three tiny Japanese cat statues. The black cat wards off evil, the white cat brings good luck and the gold cat brings fortune and riches. I have no proof that my faux shrine actually works, but I do consider myself lucky. I have a roof over my head, hot food blesses my table and I work in a consistent fashion with wonderful people and loyal clientele.
Do our lives need to be thrown into a tailspin in order to gain perspective? Each morning I have a choice. I can wonder about my next client and wallow in self-pity or I can enjoy the brief time off to embrace my family, explore new opportunities, learn new technology, and reinvent myself.
Sometimes I don’t know what inspires me to keep pushing forward. Perhaps it’s faith—faith in God, and the knowledge that family and friends are most important. Then there’s inner faith. The one that lies deep within my soul and keeps my heart in cinema and my mind’s eye focused on the road ahead. This faith continues to define who I am and all that I can be.
Hopefully the thinning of the heard in our community will cease. But will the :30 commercial also die a slow death? Are we shooting on HD, DV or film? Can I send you 3/4", VHS, QuickTime or DVD? Are we on the brink of a new economic expansion? The truth is, neither I nor anyone else knows what will happen tomorrow. We simply wake up, take a deep breath and gather the faith to move forward with renewed devotion to our craft.
