How to motivate yourself when...

[Matthew W. Phillips]

...you find yourself enjoying obsessing over tiny details; whether they be endless camera tests, trying new editing techniques, nuances of color grading, etc.

Do you ever find yourself so engrossed in the technical aspects of what you do that you find you cannot "stop and smell the roses?" I used to have wonder about making narrative works and I would write down script ideas, storyboard, etc but now I find that I seem to have more fun with endless research of gear, color grading practice, and experimenting with the best way to EQ audio instead of actually being motivated to do a project.

If you have went through this, how did you snap out of it? Did you snap out of it? Why is it so easy to become consumed by technicals and gear instead of just working on projects?

Thanks to all who contribute.

[Tyler Purcell]

I think it depends on where you are as a filmmaker. 

If you are a beginner filmmaker and you're excited to go out and shoot stuff, be it your friends car or maybe a short narrative, then I think it's wise to try different pieces of equipment and learn things, especially editorial. 

If you're already seasoned professional filmmaker and you understand how important it is to have a crew on anything "meaningful", then you will hand the reigns of "equipment" off to someone else and focus on story and production. 

The problem is that transition period when you start to get serious about what you do and you need to focus on the craft instead of the equipment. A lot of people can't let go of their equipment, they still want to DP their stuff, they still want to own everything from lighting to sound, but reality is, those jobs need to be done by professionals in order to up your game, so to speak. 

Having people give you input from script through post, is what really helps guide your projects. If you're a one man band, then it's very hard to tell great stories because you'll always be limited to your ideas. Having a crew, is what really separates the beginner filmmakers from the season ones. The more seasoned you are as a filmmaker, the more crew you'll have and the less time you'll spend caring about equipment. You know your DP has your back and you know your editor does too. 

Now, with all that said, there are crew positions which break the rules of course. A camera professional assistant owning cameras, follow focus, mattebox, tripod and such, is smart. They may get a lot more work if they have an Alexa mini LF package ya know? All they need to do is hook up with a DP who needs them and off to the races they go. A lot of professional DPs now a days also own cameras for the same reason, because they can put themselves as a package on those smaller jobs between the bigger ones. A lot of editors own their own systems as well, grading monitor, scopes, color panel, the works. 

To the point of motivation, yea it's always a problem. I mean who wants to write, when they can order shit from B&H and go mess around with new toys? It's hard to write a great script, it can take dozens of drafts, it can take 100's of hours and in the end, what you write may not even be worth filming. It's why I like documentary so much. You can come up with a story in a few minutes at home, figure out the logistics of shooting it and go out and make it happen. That's where you practice your skills as a storyteller. Thats where you mess with your gear, but in a setting of making an actual product. Too many people focus on narrative, but there are too many moving pieces to a proper narrative, so why not make fun stuff that's entertaining, even if it's a different genera? 

[Tyler Purcell]

When I got my first pocket camera's, I wanted to shoot with them a lot, so I did an entire series of micro doc's. These are two of my favorite episodes. I actually did a 6 part series on motocross alone. 
 

 

Edited November 29, 2021 by Tyler Purcell

[Simon Wyss]

I motivate myself, and I do almost exclusively technical things, by going on walks with a dog, not mine, but its people are glad to have the snout off for an hour or two from time to time. I hunt Google to research subjects that interest me. I watch the clouds.

[Daniel D. Teoli Jr.]

When making the transition from film to digital, maybe so. After I learned enough and had some doable gear, all that was left was dig in and get some work done. When you come to that point, it us wonderful. You are free to create and not worry about technique or gear syndrome. 

Sometimes if we have a project that does not interest that much, then maybe escapism will show up if we are forced to do it. 

Walking and exercise is good. But the amount of work I have precludes me from doing much of it. Work is always gnawing at me.

I used to get walking in with my still photography. In early 2021 I injured my foot and that hurt the walking. I've been gradually trying to get back into it, but nothing like before due to the foot. 

Edited November 30, 2021 by Daniel D. Teoli Jr.