"Know Your Limits, But Never Accept Them..."
"Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them."
-Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
Before attending Flashpoint Academy, a film professor told me: "There is not an original idea left in the world." When an individual makes a statement like this, they completely limit themselves to taking old ideas and reusing them over and over again. I don't know about most aspiring filmmakers out there, but I am not interested in telling someone else's story all over again.
Now REINVENTION is something completely different. Take a story and re-imagine it. Some of the greatest films out there are nothing really that special except for the angle. If you approach a project with a unique angle, you can go farther with that story than you ever thought possible.
For me, Flashpoint has paved a path to original and unique ideas. The school asks you to think outside the box, but makes sure you remember the box is still there.
This past week (Aug. 8-12), I've gotten to know my cast and crew better than ever before. In the many long hours we spent together, we got through moments of extreme focus, high stress, too little sleep, major complications that could bring the whole production to a screeching halt... But at the end of the day, we walked away knowing that we figured it out and it was only possible because we worked together to get to that conclusion.
Yesterday, Dan, Dorian and I worked a nearly 15 hour day and by the end of it, we felt like that one day alone could have been three different days. Just when it seemed like we were crashing, we started communicating better than ever before and capturing some of the best performances and shots.
We pushed ourselves to the limit and walked away with far more than we thought we would. There are original ideas out there. Unique, untouched concepts exist. You may think I'm naive and if you do, you're probably right. But I'd rather live a life of naivety if my only other option is cynicism.
Of course it is important to know your limits, but don't let them stop you. What you are able to succeed in and what you are not is always changing. The only way to truly live your life to the fullest is to wake up and dare to fail. More than half the time, you'd be surprised how often you actually succeed.
Before attending Flashpoint Academy, a film professor told me: "There is not an original idea left in the world." When an individual makes a statement like this, they completely limit themselves to taking old ideas and reusing them over and over again. I don't know about most aspiring filmmakers out there, but I am not interested in telling someone else's story all over again.
Now REINVENTION is something completely different. Take a story and re-imagine it. Some of the greatest films out there are nothing really that special except for the angle. If you approach a project with a unique angle, you can go farther with that story than you ever thought possible.
For me, Flashpoint has paved a path to original and unique ideas. The school asks you to think outside the box, but makes sure you remember the box is still there.
This past week (Aug. 8-12), I've gotten to know my cast and crew better than ever before. In the many long hours we spent together, we got through moments of extreme focus, high stress, too little sleep, major complications that could bring the whole production to a screeching halt... But at the end of the day, we walked away knowing that we figured it out and it was only possible because we worked together to get to that conclusion.
Yesterday, Dan, Dorian and I worked a nearly 15 hour day and by the end of it, we felt like that one day alone could have been three different days. Just when it seemed like we were crashing, we started communicating better than ever before and capturing some of the best performances and shots.
We pushed ourselves to the limit and walked away with far more than we thought we would. There are original ideas out there. Unique, untouched concepts exist. You may think I'm naive and if you do, you're probably right. But I'd rather live a life of naivety if my only other option is cynicism.
Of course it is important to know your limits, but don't let them stop you. What you are able to succeed in and what you are not is always changing. The only way to truly live your life to the fullest is to wake up and dare to fail. More than half the time, you'd be surprised how often you actually succeed.
posted by Michael P. Noens at
5:09 PM
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