Minor Mogul

Do you want to make movies or be a movie-maker?

By KO’D
Posted January 16, 2025

There are a lot of people who want to make movies — who dream of making movies. They want to tell stories — to make us laugh, make us cry, make us break out in joyous song (hat tip to Barton Fink).

There are other people, people who may follow superficially similar career paths but whose motivation is slightly — but importantly! — different. These people do not dream of making movies, but of being movie-makers.

Let’s say that you write something now that you know Today You can’t use, but you hope that Future You might be able to. Is that dream the script for your big-budget passion project? Or is that dream your Oscar-acceptance speech?

If it’s the latter, you want to be a movie-maker more than you want to make movies.

Let’s say that you’re dreaming of the future, and in your dream you get the opportunity to make a comedy with Paul Rudd, a comedic actor you admire.

In this dream, are you and Paul sitting in an office or coffee shop going over the script and coming up with fresh gags? Are you and Paul on the set with everyone else, working to perfect the timing of the scene?

Or are you and Paul at a party or club rubbing elbows with other rich ’n’ famous people? Or maybe you and Paul are just hangin’ out together shootin’ the shit?

If it’s those latter two, you want to be a movie-maker more than you want to make movies.

And here’s the kicker: If you want to be a movie-maker more than you want to make movies, you’re part of the problem.

Your motives for wanting to make movies are corrupt. If you ever produce a work of art, it will be accidentally.

You are placing your career satisfaction in other people’s hands.

You mean you can make movies now? So what else are you looking for?

Do you want to win Junos and Oscars and Emmies and laurel wreaths and stuff? Well, good for you, I guess. Just remember that winning awards comes from doing good work!

I don’t care about that stuff. I’m not going to enter myself into any awards or competitions, and if someone else nominates me (by mistake, I assume) I will withdraw myself from contention. I don’t want a ribbon or a trophy; the finished movie is the award.

I suppose I can see a use for awards, maybe, as a marketing tool. It might attract some eyeballs if the award is one they’ve heard of (so not “Audience Choice Award at the East Moose Nostrils Film Festival and Barbecue Contest”) and you trumpet it in ads or something. I prefer to seek reviews, both because they’re an effective marketing tool and because I want to hear more about my movies than, “You win!”

If you don’t care about that stuff, then your best strategy is to focus on producing good work.

If you do care about that stuff, then your best strategy is still to focus on producing good work. Awards are a result of producing good work. They’re a byproduct; the body of work is the real thing. There’s no award for “Best Award-Acceptance Speech”, so stop practicing that and start practicing your craft and your art.

Kill your dreams! Make a plan!