Career Advice for Filmmakers - 15 Years in 15 Minutes

Summary

This inspiring video script addresses filmmakers, both aspiring and established, seeking career fulfillment and motivation. The speaker shares personal career stories and valuable advice, highlighting the importance of curating your online presence to attract your ideal clients. They emphasize avoiding distractions like chasing social media trends, focusing on building authentic relationships through networking, and the power of humility in personal and professional growth. The speaker also stresses the significance of preserving relationships, even when faced with challenges, and concludes with an uplifting quote encouraging viewers to passionately pursue their dreams.

Takeaways

• 🎥 **Define Your Desire**: Identify the type of work you are passionate about to attract similar projects.
• 🌟 **Showcase Your Best Work**: Curate your online presence to reflect the work you want to attract.
• 🚫 **Avoid Distractions**: Focus on your craft rather than chasing virality or social media trends.
• 🔗 **Emphasize Networking**: Build strong relationships within your industry for long-term success.
• 🤝 **Value Friendships**: Establish friendships, even with competitors, as they can lead to collaborative opportunities.
• 🙇‍♂️ **Practice Humility**: Recognize that there's always more to learn and treat everyone with respect.
• 📈 **Acknowledge Growth**: Accept that the more you learn, the more you realize there's room for improvement.
• 🎶 **Choose the Right Music**: Use music to enhance your storytelling and evoke emotions in your audience.
• 🌉 **Don't Burn Bridges**: Maintain positive relationships even when faced with challenges or betrayals.
• 💪 **Pursue Passion**: Chase your dreams with all your heart, as success is often a result of hard work and persistence.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video script?

The main focus of the video script is to provide advice and share experiences to help filmmakers, both aspiring and established, to find fulfillment and success in their careers.

How long has the speaker been in the filmmaking industry?

The speaker has been in the filmmaking industry for 15 years.

What is the first tip the speaker shares for attracting the right clients?

The first tip is 'What You Put Out There Is What You Will Attract', emphasizing the importance of showcasing the type of work you want to do more of.

How did the speaker transition from shooting weddings to other genres?

The speaker transitioned by wiping their entire portfolio from the internet and only sharing work that aligned with their new genre focus.

What is the significance of the phrase 'Don’t get distracted' in the script?

The phrase 'Don’t get distracted' suggests that filmmakers should not be swayed by trends or the pursuit of social media likes, which can detract from their creative work.

Why is networking considered the #1 reason for the speaker's success?

Networking is considered the #1 reason for success because it establishes strong relationships that can lead to referrals, collaborations, and a better understanding of the industry.

What does the speaker mean by 'Networking is a winning relationship between friends'?

The speaker means that networking should be about building genuine friendships within the industry that are mutually beneficial.

What is the importance of humility in the filmmaking industry according to the speaker?

Humility is important because it allows filmmakers to recognize their limitations, learn from others, and treat everyone with respect, which can lead to stronger networks and personal growth.

How does the speaker describe the Dunning-Kruger Effect in relation to filmmaking?

The speaker describes the Dunning-Kruger Effect as a realization that many people with low ability overestimate their actual ability, which can lead to overconfidence and a lack of growth.

What is the significance of the quote by Paul J Meyers mentioned in the script?

The quote by Paul J Meyers is significant because it inspires the speaker and serves as a reminder that with vivid imagination, desire, belief, and action, success is inevitable.

Why does the speaker advise against burning bridges in the industry?

The speaker advises against burning bridges because maintaining relationships can lead to future opportunities and collaborations, even with those who have disappointed in the past.

Outlines

00:00

🎥 Focusing Your Portfolio to Attract the Right Clients

The speaker emphasizes the importance of aligning one's portfolio with the type of work they wish to attract. By sharing only the best examples of the desired work, the speaker was able to transition from shooting weddings to high-end destination weddings and then into travel and tourism. This strategy involved removing all previous work from the internet to avoid attracting the wrong type of clients. The speaker suggests that by curating an online presence that showcases the work one loves, one can attract clients who appreciate and value that work.

05:04

🚫 Avoiding Distractions to Grow as a Filmmaker

The speaker discusses the pitfalls of getting distracted by social media trends and the pursuit of viral content, which can detract from the craft of filmmaking. They share a personal experience where they focused on creating viral drone clips instead of storytelling, leading to a realization that they needed to prioritize their craft. The speaker advises filmmakers to focus on creating high-quality content that will attract the right clients, rather than chasing social media likes and followers.

10:07

🤝 The Power of Networking and Building Relationships

The speaker highlights the significance of networking in the filmmaking industry, defining it as 'a winning relationship between friends.' They stress that strong networks outlast social platforms and can lead to more substantial opportunities. The speaker shares their own experiences of learning from competitors, getting job referrals, and collaborating on projects. They emphasize the importance of giving before receiving and building friendships that can lead to successful professional relationships.

15:12

🙏 Embracing Humility and Avoiding Burned Bridges

The speaker talks about the importance of humility in the filmmaking industry, suggesting that it is a superpower that can lead to personal growth and better relationships. They explain the Dunning-Kruger effect to illustrate how overconfidence can hinder progress and how facing new challenges can lead to a more realistic understanding of one's abilities. The speaker also advises against burning bridges, sharing personal stories of how maintaining positive relationships, even with those who have wronged them, can lead to future opportunities.

💪 Pursuing Passion with Full Commitment

In the final paragraph, the speaker encourages viewers to chase their passion with everything they have, emphasizing that success in the filmmaking industry is likely to follow. They share a quote that has become their life's anthem, which speaks to the power of imagination, desire, belief, and action in achieving success.

Keywords

💡Filmmaking

Filmmaking refers to the process of making a film, which includes aspects such as directing, producing, cinematography, and editing. In the video, the speaker discusses their 15-year career in filmmaking, transitioning through various genres and styles, which illustrates the dynamic and evolving nature of this field.

💡Fulfilment

Fulfilment is a state of being satisfied and pleased about oneself/one's achievements. The video emphasizes the importance of finding fulfilment in one's career by doing work that one is passionate about, which is a central theme as the speaker shares their experiences and advice to help viewers achieve this state.

💡Portfolio

A portfolio is a collection of an individual's work that showcases their skills and talents. In the context of the video, the speaker talks about curating their portfolio to attract a specific type of client, which is crucial for defining one's brand and the kind of work one wants to do.

💡Authenticity

Authenticity means being true to one's own personality, spirit, or character. The video stresses the importance of maintaining authenticity in one's brand and work, warning against creating content solely to chase trends or please algorithms, which can lead to a loss of genuine creativity.

💡Networking

Networking refers to the cultivation of professional relationships. The speaker highlights the significance of networking in their success, defining it as 'a winning relationship between friends' and emphasizing the value of building strong, supportive relationships within one's industry.

💡Humility

Humility is the quality of being modest and not overly proud. The video discusses humility as a powerful trait in the filmmaking industry, suggesting that recognizing one's limitations and being open to learning can lead to growth and stronger relationships.

💡Distraction

A distraction is something that diverts attention or focus away from a task. The script mentions how chasing followers and trying to create viral content can distract filmmakers from their core work, hindering their growth and ability to tell compelling stories.

💡Branding

Branding is the process of creating a unique name and image for a product in the consumer's mind, mainly through advertising. In the video, the speaker talks about rebranding themselves from a wedding videographer to a travel content specialist, which is a strategic move to attract the right kind of clients and work.

💡Dream Clients

Dream clients are ideal clients who align with a creator's vision, values, and desired work. The video discusses strategies for attracting dream clients by showcasing work that resonates with them, which is a key aspect of building a fulfilling career in filmmaking.

💡Passion Projects

Passion projects are endeavors that one undertakes out of interest or love for the work, rather than for financial gain. The speaker mentions investing in passion projects as a way to build a portfolio and demonstrate one's commitment to the craft, which can eventually lead to more substantial opportunities.

💡Dunning-Kruger Effect

The Dunning-Kruger Effect is a cognitive bias where people with low ability at a task overestimate their ability. The video uses this concept to illustrate the importance of recognizing one's own limitations and the value of continuous learning and improvement in the field of filmmaking.

Highlights

The video is aimed at filmmakers seeking fulfillment and motivation in their careers.

The speaker shares personal career stories and advice to help viewers.

The importance of showcasing the type of work you want to attract is emphasized.

The speaker's transition from shooting weddings to travel and tourism, and then to commercial work and YouTube, is detailed.

Mistakes and successes in different genres of filmmaking are discussed.

The principle 'What you put out there is what you will attract' is introduced.

The strategy of curating a portfolio to attract specific clients is explained.

The dangers of chasing followers and applause at the expense of creativity are highlighted.

The speaker shares a pivotal moment that led to a change in focus from social media to filmmaking.

The value of a strong network in the filmmaking industry is discussed.

Networking is defined as 'a winning relationship between friends'.

The importance of humility and treating everyone with respect on set is emphasized.

The Dunning-Kruger Effect is used to illustrate the importance of recognizing one's own limitations.

The speaker discusses the challenges of finding the right music for films and the role of Musicbed.

The impact of preserving relationships even when people disappoint you is shared.

A quote by Paul J Meyers is presented as a guiding principle for success.

The speaker encourages viewers to chase their passion with urgency.

Transcripts

This video is not about me. In fact  it’s very much about you. Yes you,  

the young filmmaker with big dreams of telling  epic stories. You, the established filmmaker who  

feels like you’re stuck in a rut and needs some  motivation. If you want to find more fulfilment  

in your career doing more of the work you’re  passionate about, this one is for you. I’m going  

to share a few stories from my own career paired  with sound advice that could save you a lot of  

headache but also encourage you on your journey  forward. 2024 marks 15 years since I pursued  

a career in the world of filmmaking. In these  15 years I have transitioned through multiple  

genres from exclusively shooting weddings to  full time venturing into travel and tourism,  

come covid getting thrown into the  commercial world and now also Youtube.

During this time I made a lot of mistakes  but I also did a lot of things right.

In all of these genres I attained a  fair amount of success that lead to  

working on dream projects with dream  clients and I’m convinced that what  

I’m about to share with you can add  significant value to your career.

One of the questions I get asked the most is,  how did you land your dream clients? READ How  

did you end up doing projects you actually  want to do and getting paid well for it?

I feel like the answer to this is combined in all  

of the tips I’m going to share in  this video but it starts with this,

#1 WHAT YOU PUT OUT THERE  IS WHAT YOU WILL ATTRACT.

I see so many filmmakers doing this wrong and  it’s really not that difficult to get right.

Ask yourself this ONE QUESTION. What is the kind  of work that you enjoy the most and that you want  

to get more of? Back in 2013 my answer was High  End Destination weddings. I wanted to shoot the  

most expensive weddings and see the world while  doing it. The only way I accomplished this was by  

making sure I put a certain type of wedding video  out there. I basically wiped my entire portfolio  

from the internet and only started sharing  the best looking and most expensive weddings.

At first I only had 3 weddings but it  quickly multiplied to 12 and before I  

knew it I was only attracting  a specific type of client.

Clients who paid well and was willing  to fly me all over the world to film  

their wedding. What you put out there is  what you will attract. I used this same  

principle to transition from weddings  into the travel and tourism space.

When I pulled the plug on weddings I wiped  my entire portfolio, deleted my website and  

facebook page, deleted old instagram posts  and basically all digital footprints of my  

wedding career. I did this because I didn’t  want any of my new clients to think that I’m  

just another videographer dabbling in a variety  of video projects including weddings. I branded  

myself as a specialist in travel content. It was  my way of saying to the world. This is who I am,  

this is what I do. If this is what you want,  I’m going to be the person to do it for you.

Was it easy? Not at all! I had to do a bunch  of free projects, low paying ones and also had  

to invest in a few passion projects READ but it  didn’t take long until the word got out and once  

my first big client took the bait, I started  getting massive projects with budgets I could  

only dream of. What you put out there is what you  attract. The way you curate your online presence  

plays a massive role in how people perceive your  brand and you have to put out content that you  

absolutely love and want to do more of because  eventually your will attract the right clients.  

Clients that already appreciate the work you  do and doesn’t want to limit your creativity.

The wrong clients often stem  from a case of catering for  

what’s popular and not what makes  you happy which leads me to tip #2.

#2 Don’t get distracted

There are so many ways to be distracted  in this industry but the most common one,  

the one I fell for the hardest was  chasing followers and applause.

I see so many new and old filmmakers desperately  trying to go viral with constant posting of  

tiktoks, shorts and reels. Although I don’t  have any issues with this medium of content,  

I do have an issue when the nature  of the content is dictated by trends  

and the desire to please the algorithm.  Not only does it kill creativity but it  

damages the authenticity of your brand  and becomes such a distraction taking  

precious time away from actually making  films and growing as a story teller.

There was a period where I did this and I got  completely consumed by the chase for applause  

that I actually fell behind in my ability and  during that time saw new younger filmmakers  

quickly surpass me because they were out  there grafting and focusing on the craft.  

A pivotal moment for me was in 2018. I went  on a trip with Sam Kolder and Chelsea Kauai  

in the South African Drakensberg. While Sam was  out there shooting an entire story of the trip,  

I was only focused on getting the next epic  drone clip that will go viral on Instagram.  

I only realised it after the trip and I felt  so stupid for not utilising the opportunity  

to create cool content with Sam. This was  the kick I needed because after that trip  

I decided to toss everything aside that distracts  my filmmaking and Instagram was the first to go.  

I posted less but when I posted it was the kind  of work that I wanted to get hired for. On shoots  

I stopped thinking about what I could share  on social media and only focused on creating  

the best type of content possible. It wasn’t  long because soon everything started to pay  

off. I landed a bunch of dream opportunities  and quickly realised this powerful truth:

You don’t need a 100 000 people to give you  a thumbs up, you just need a 100 people who  

actually wants to work with you. Likes don’t  pay the bills, people do and if you attract  

the right client you’ll never have to stress  about getting enough likes. I want to make  

it clear that I’m not against short form  content but if it’s taking you away from  

working on projects with more substance, you  might have to re-asses your content strategy.

Tip #3 is probably the most misunderstood  topic in the filmmaking space. #3 Networking.

Even If you ignore everything I said until now,  

I really hope this one will land  and hit you where it’s supposed to.

Having a strong network is the #1 biggest  reason for my success in all genres.

Networking is a timeless principle that will  outlast any social platform, and applies in every  

industry. The word itself has a pretty boring  connotation to it so I made up my own version.

To me networking is “a winning relationship  between friends”. That’s all there is to it.  

It’s about establishing sound relationships  with people in your industry and ultimately  

turning them into friendship. Networking  is friendship in the workplace. It’s  

called a winning relationships because  both parties get something out of it.

A strong network will always trump good work.

The most successful creators aren’t  always doing the best work and the  

most talented creators aren’t  necessarily the most successful.

How does it look on a practical level? People  often mistake a network as a relationships  

with complimenting suppliers but  the strongest form of network in  

the world of filmmaking is actually making  friends with people you view as competition.

Throughout the past 15 years I’ve learned  more from my competitor friends than I did  

from watching Youtube. I got some of the best job  referrals and also returned the favor many times.

Networking is a case of making friends by being a  

friend. Your starting point has to be  give give give. Yes you heard right,  

the mindset of networking should never  be “what can I get from this”. Your goal  

with networking should always be to establish  friendship, and ALL the rest will come after it.

It doesn’t matter how competitive your industry  is, everything changes the moment things become  

personal. It’s the principle of LIKE, KNOW  and TRUST. I’m far more likely to recommend  

a friend over someone who appear to be the  best because I have confidence in their work  

ethic and I know they’re not going to  damage my reputation with bad service.

It’s not just about a transfer of knowledge  and work but also about powerful collaborations  

working together on the same project. I recently  teamed up with my friend Ian Nieuwenhuizen on a  

short film Liminality. I’ve known Ian for over  13 years and we became friends in the early  

stages of our wedding careers. The friendship  we established back then was strong enough to  

outlast our various changes in genres. Or what  about Andre, also met around the same time and  

13 years later we still partner on a variety  of projects and a lot of my BTS footage is  

thanks to his amazing skills. The amazing thing  about a well established network is that it’s  

almost self sustaining in a way, constantly  growing and organically reaching new people.

The real magic happens when you marry good work  

with a great network! This leads me  to my next tip # 4 humility is power.

The secret to a strong network is  to take in a position of humility.

Humility is a super power in this industry. It  starts with knowing your ability and admitting  

to yourself that you’re not that special,  READ that there are people out there far  

more skilled and accomplished. When I’m  on set I don’t judge a person by how he  

deals with the Director or DP but by how  he speaks to the production assistant,  

the lighting assistant. The person who hasn’t  achieved anything noteworthy. If you really  

want to impress me, treat everyone with the same  level of respect and I’ll happily be your friend!

Humility doesn’t come by downplaying  your own abilities and achievements  

but about finding out how little you really know.

One of my favourite ways to explain this is with  the Dunning Kruger Effect. On the left you have  

an indication of your perceived ability which  relates to confidence and at the bottom you have  

your actual ability which relates to knowledge  and experience. The graph shows that most often  

people with low ability over estimate their  actual ability and are over confident. You don’t  

know what you don’t know. It’s the proverbial  “that’s easy, I can totally do that” mentality.  

You setup camp on the peak of mount stupid and  for a while you think pretty highly of yourself.

This ego gets inflated by chasing applause  on social media by getting tons of views on  

content that appeals to the algorithm. It’s only  when you get confronted with new knowledge and  

experience where you take a plunge and find  out how much you don’t know. This is where I  

found myself in 2018 after the trip with Sam and  Chelsea. Although we hiked in literally mountains,  

I came down from the peak of mount stupid into  the valley of despair but at least I finally  

saw the need for growth and the motivation  came like tidal wave. I was committed to  

improve my skills and slowly started getting  my confidence back but this time with a new  

perspective. Now after all these years I find  that filmmaking is only getting harder. Yes,  

you heard right. The more I do this the more  I see the need for improvement because my  

eyes are open to so many new things I didn’t  know about before. That doesn’t mean I don’t  

have any confidence, it simply means I know  that there’s a lot of room for improvement.  

If filmmaking isn’t getting harder the more  you do it you seriously need to check your  

position on this curve because there’s a world  of knowledge out there waiting to be discovered.

"Before I move on to the next tip, let’s talk  about music real quick. In the 15 years I’ve  

been making films, Musicbed has been a part of  11 of them. In the first four years, my biggest  

struggle was finding relevant music that conveyed  the emotions and tone I envisioned for my stories.  

I would spend hours searching, often settling  for something that was just 'good enough.'

Music can truly transform any narrative,  which is why having a wide variety of  

options is so important. It has the ability  to resonate emotionally with your viewers,  

and if you feel anything while watching this  video, Musicbed is the reason. With over  

60,000 songs, Musicbed offers the largest curated  collection of authentic music for your projects.  

Their innovative search tools, including  an AI-powered 'Search By Song' feature,  

simplify the process of finding the  perfect song to match your vision.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again:  

Musicbed has completely transformed my  storytelling. If you’re a creator looking  

to connect deeply with your audience,  I cannot recommend it enough. Make the  

switch today and start your 14-day free  trial with the link in my description."

And then for my last piece of career advice,

I really really hope you never make this mistake  and I can only comment on it because I’ve seen  

how it applies over a period of 15 years. In  this industry people will cross you. Some of  

your friends in your network will disappoint  you. Some will try to take clients from you.  

Some will pay late and even if you have all  the reason to be angry, whatever you do,  

NEVER ever burn a bridge. I can say this  with utmost confidence because I’ve burned  

a few bridges myself and I’ve seen the  damage it can cause in the long term.

As I matured through the years I grasped the  principle and there are many cases of people  

crossing me where I had more than enough reason  to write them off but I didn’t… and guess what.

Many years down the line, those  same people came back over the  

bridge and sent work my way, did  my workshops, bought my courses.

Literally years later I benefited greatly  because I didn’t give into my ego and chose  

to preserve the peace. Some of them  knew what they did was wrong but my  

response created a sense of security for  them to come back and it only paid of in  

my favor. It makes me wonder what I missed  out on when I actually chose the opposite.

There’s this quote by Paul J Meyers that’s become  the anthem of my life and I hope it will encourage  

you going forward. It goes something likes this  “Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire,  

sincerely believe and enthusiastically  act upon must inevitably come to pass”.

I truly believe that if you combine all of  these tips and apply it to your own career  

you will most likely experience  great success in the future. Now  

go chase after your passion like your  life depends on it, because it does.