What is FilmEthic?
Written by Jeff Lanctot
We're glad you asked!
FilmEthic is a community of people who are all about adopting a D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself) Film Ethic in order to get their movies made and seen 'by any means necessary.' Having FilmEthic (as we're fond of calling it around here) is simple to explain, but often go against our natures as the lazy bastards that we all can be sometimes... Here are the 'rules' of FilmEthic:
1. Don't talk. Walk.
Here at FilmEthic.com we believe that the reason some people become successful movie directors (or producers) has almost nothing to do with a person’s talent, and almost everything to do with how much a person willing to dig in and get their hands dirty. Seriously, how many people do you know that 'want to direct' or 'have a great idea for a screenplay' and have been telling people about it for years but have never done anything about it... Yeah, us too.
Did you ever wonder why some hack directors keep getting to make movies and why someone else (you, maybe?) never seems to get their shot? Well the D.I.Y. Film Ethic says that you don't have to wait around for someone to give you your 'shot'... Instead you're going to grab a camera and a few friends and take what's yours. (Yarrrr!) FilmEthic says that a good plan today is better than the best plan tomorrow, and if you're given a choice between talking about something and doing something, pick doing something every single time and twice on Sunday.
2. If you're gonna fail, fail big.
Most people are gonna tell you to start small... Shoot for something that you can achieve (in other words, shoot for something that they think you can achieve). You know where that gets most people? Mediocrity. The truth is that unless the person giving you advice is a more successful director than you are, the person telling you to scale back has no idea how hard or easy making a film is! But if it sounds difficult to them, then they'll assume that you can't accomplish it either. Most people, as it turns out, are idiots.
Listen, your movie may fail utterly and you may have to go back to the drawing board, but time and time again we've found that when we shoot for things that are outside of our grasp, they come together in amazing ways that often times we couldn't have scripted if we tried. We're not saying that it won't be hard work. What we are saying is that shooting for something you're not sure if you can achieve will always be more worth it, than staying small so you know you'll be able to accomplish the goal.
3. Pay For Nothing.
Now we do have to be clear. We're not talking about making your movie more expensive! Throwing money at a problem is almost always the lazy director's substitute for creativity. If you pledge now to not use a bigger budget to worm your way out of the challenges that may come up during your production and things do go terribly wrong, making your scene (or movie) completely unwatchable, the worst thing that can happen is you have a great story to tell and a whole bunch of new lessons to apply to your next project... If you've stupidly mortgaged your house and you've managed to make a completely unwatchable scene (or movie), well then... You didn't have FilmEthic and it's time to get a Day Job. Perhaps being the Assistant Night Manager at McDonald's for a few years will pound the lessons of FilmEthic into your head?
4. Always be Moving Forward.
In other words, never take 'no' for an answer. FilmEthic assumes that there is always a way to get something done (but remembering #3, that way is almost never with more money). It is most often a creative exercise in figuring out how else to accomplish the thing you want to do. The coffee shop owner says 'no' when you want to film there? What's Plan B? You just lost the vehicle you were going to be using for the shoot? What's Plan J? How do you get around, dig under, or jump over the obstacle in front of you? FilmEthic says that standing still is the only thing that's not an option.
5. Surround yourself with others who have FilmEthic.
Making a movie is collaborative art. You're gonna need lots of other people in order to get it done. Would you rather surround yourself with people who are going to need to be dragged along with every step forward, or with people who are gonna call you on it when you're dragging them? Working with someone who has FilmEthic means that you can trust them not just to accomplish the task at hand, but to overcome any obstacles they may encounter without you needing to always hold their hand to get it done. It means one less detail that you need to personally sweat over because you know it's gonna get done- and probably in a better way than you expected it to.
OK, so now you know what FilmEthic is about. This site is dedicated to serving up great tools and resources to help you along the way. Whether that's an idea you may not have thought of, or a kick in the ass if you need to be moving forward (we all need it once in a while!). Our final thought is this: at some point you'll need to put down that book you're reading (or this website) and... just... go... make... your... movie. Please don't make us your excuse for not getting it done. So what are you waiting for? Oh, and be sure to check in and tell us how it's going. You never know when you'll inspire others to get out there and do it themselves.
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3.26 Copyright (C) 2008 Compojoom.com / Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."
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