[NoHo Arts District, CA] – This month’s The State of Show Business: “Waiting For the Right Moment.”
I have been often asked by friends, colleagues, and the curious regarding what do I need in order to start and film a movie. When I bring back the question to the asker, I get answers such as; finances, cast, distributor, dates, locations, equipment, more financing, hiring crew, film festivals, and one answer that isn’t mentioned as often – the script.
I’ve been making films since 2000 and the vast majority of them have been either short subject films, or television pilots, which in reality are really longer short films. Almost all of my projects were on micro budgets or no budgets at all. I have had mixed results concerning finances on these films. But, one thing that has always stood out in my mind and the life of the project is, that somehow, everything falls into place for me. And I don’t mean in some magical passive place where I sit back close my eyes and wish it to be so. It is a lot of hard work to put all of your energies into making something work and seeing the opportunities that spring up when you are focused on the process.
Saying all of that, however, doesn’t mean that every project I approach in this manner, works out at the time. Some projects need to find the right time to be created. One could wait for many factors to come together in order for the birth of a project to come to be. I am about to embark on a project that will test me in every way. Some friends have urged me to wait for a better time. Wait for more money to be raised. Why must you do this project now and not six months from now, “when everything falls into place.” On this particular project, my answer is that the best time to make this project a reality is now.
A year ago, almost to the day, I started on the road to this project and now, a year later, it is ready to come to life. Is the time right? I hope so. Could I use more money? Most definitely. Should I relocate the project from Europe to the US? Absolutely not. Am I ready to tackle this massive endeavor? I hope so. I have found that if I trust my instincts and my heart, and with the help of some amazing people that subscribe to the point of view, “if not now, when,” then I am more than ready to begin. So, here I go, for better or worse, into the almost impossible place of making something to share to the world, from a simple idea of telling a story that I want to tell.