Cynthia Than interviewed Jon Westenberg about building a small business. He made an interesting comment:
When you read about the folks who go on X Factor or Idol, they’ll always say that their life long dream is to be a singer. They never say their dream is to sing. And this is because what they really want is the success and the lifestyle and the glamour of being a singer. That’s why they’re jumping in front of a camera. If what they really wanted was to sing – they’d be out there every night playing gigs and building an audience and doing what they love.
I think this is so very true for filmmakers. Lots of people want to be in video production because it looks glamorous or cool or fulfilling. None of which is especially true – the hours are long, insecurity rampant, and satisfaction fleeting.
If you want to become good at this craft you need to be ok with making stuff before there is an audience for it. And I say this more to myself than to you.
Don’t be a director – direct; don’t be a director of photography – shoot; don’t be an editor – edit.
Make something small, then rinse and repeat. A small audience that loves your work is always better than a large audience that is just filling their time. The 1,000 fan theory is true.