The ONE Filmmaking Regret I STILL Think About 10 Years Later
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- Опубліковано 28 чер 2024
- Want to avoid the kinds of filmmaking mistakes that will have you looking back in regret years into your career? That’s what this one is all about. I’m going to break down my biggest regret as a documentary filmmaker, photographer, and UA-camr, and give some tips about how to do better than I did in your own career.
#filmmaking #documentary #careeradvice
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CHAPTERS
0:00 - Intro
1:01 - Off the Arctic and back to Toronto
1:41 - My background as a photojournalist and filmmaker
3:01 - Regret #1
4:48 - Regret #2
6:23 - Regret #3
8:30 - Final thoughts
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This describes me so much. I've invested so much on a rig but haven't started filming any serious projects because my excuse is I need it to be the perfect project. The right story - right team - right people - perfect lighting - timing - etc. We all need to hear this more often. Great video.
I think it describes pretty much everyone - so don't feel bad! Just recognize it, then take action!
It's why we have a population crisis. Everyone wants to wait to have kids and start a family until they are set up and accomplished. But no one is really ready for that kind of thing.@@LucForsyth
I was like this until in lockdown I said "fck it" and I did a whole film by myself. It wasn't the best, I didn't use a lot of budget (i did the Robert Rodriguez approach: create your screenplay and story around the things you already have access to!). My film is in tubi and amazon, so it's something even if I didn't get rocketed to the fame with it, and I said "I shouldn't waited this long"
Start with a simple short film or a 1-3 minute documentary to get some momentum and experience - on your own if you have to. No excuses!
That's cool! What's it called?
I love how straightforward you are. You make the most solid advice videos without having to "play a character" for clicks. I'm more laid back & like to see someone create with the same mentality rather than putting on a "UA-cam persona". Congrats on a successful shoot in the artic!
Thanks! Sometimes I wish I could play more of a character, I'd probably grow faster...but I can't, so you're stuck with me!
@@LucForsyth I thoroughly appreciate your personality & the way you deliver it. I sometimes wish I had a bit more pizzaz in my personality too but I am who I am.
nothing straightforward at all... he takes ten minutes to say "don't procrastinate" just like all the other youtubers that stretch one sentence into an entire video just to get clicks
@@bushmanphotos I think he explained his point well with context. Anyone can say don't procrastinate but without context it isn't worth anything. He explained very well how if he just started instead of waiting for the perfect moment he would have been better off. It was a well put together story in my opinion to drive home his point.
Everything you learn online is just the STARTING POINT! It's not until you point the camera, turn it on, then edit it all together into a final product, that you realize how much there is left to learn. Online learning is absolutely important when starting out, but then it needs to be reinforced through practice. Story telling is a learning process. Lighting is a learning process. Sound is a learning process. Camera angles, movement, lens selection, etc is a learning process. Editing is a learning process. Making them work seamlessly together is an art form. 🙂
"Action gets results and nothing else does" Great one
7:58 amazing shot. My favourite part of the city. ( yes I worked in said part of town )
I feel you for sure on the “ waiting “ I’m 50 and am still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.
My current job was “ temporary “ 25 years later temporarily.
I wouldn’t change it thought. Now it has given me the opportunity to make a documentary about it and how I can help others through my lived experiences.
Life is funny that way.
Keep up the amazing no BS videos and I’m glad you are home safe and not freezing.
Thanks man, appreciate that. I'm also trying to figure out what I want to be, I don't think that ever ends!
I relate so much to this. You spend all your time waiting, and when you finally start, you realized that you should've just done it a long time ago. Excellent advice!
I'm guilty of every regret in this one. I've put off my filmmaking career for too long; you hit home. Thank you for this.Here's to doing better, now. 🙏❤
Luc, I was 19 years old when I first saw War Photographer. I was falling asleep in my photography class when my professor turned it on, and it changed my life.
Ever since watching James Nachtwey navigate through post-war Kosovo and the Indonesian riots of 1998, made me feel a call to photograph the world.
While o have not been able to travel the world and document life outside of my own, I have been able to capture the moments directly after natural disasters throughout North America. People like James Nachtwey and yourself, inspire me to never give up on my dream, and keep practicing ❤
Luc,
Just wanna say that your channel has been a huge motivation and inspiration to get up and start. I've wandered from dead-end job to dead-end job to a career that I HATE and have been in need of change for a LONG time. As of a few months ago, largely because of some of your words, that change is happening and last weekend I shot my first short film, a mockumentary no-less. It's in post-production right now, that I am also doing myself, and things are looking good. Thanks Luc!
I am so guilty of this too! And before you know it, decades pass by you. So frustrating. Thanks for another round of solid advice. Happy you took the leap. You're one of the online filmmakers I watch consistently on here.
Once again, Right on point! Thanks for sharing!
It's so funny that I stumbled upon this video now, as I only recently started taking action on pushing my filmmaking career into the direction I've always dreamed of, as I always thought the exact same thing, "it's going to get easier later"... It never does and you need to start taking the next steps asap. Think of planting a tree when you move into a new house, plant it straight away because it will only look the way you want it to look in +/- 5 years. So thanks for this. Your video confirmed and motivated me even more to push forward.
Im 47 .Ditto🎉 refreshing to know i can start today.Thank You
Thanks Luc!
It's so true...
It's a general life, hard-earned, very good advice, not only related to one field...
Basically it's the concept of accepting to be a beginner for a time. Even embrace it.
Great video Luc!! Thanks for sharing your adventure.
He's Back!! 😁 Nice to see the familiar frame again. Not that the onsites' were bad, they were great, and I appreciate you not falling back into the "waiting" mode until you got back. No doubt it was serious effort making these videos in those conditions, to create like you did on top of the work. TY Luc.
Luc, I really appreciate your no BS and to the point videos. Great advice for life in general in this one.
Yes! Bang ON! Great advice.
So so true. It’s great to be reminded of it.
Amazing video!! Came at just the right time for me. Need the push and motivation!
Two quick little things.
When I was in J school, War Photographer changed my entire view on the role of photography.
Second, the D80 was my first major camera purchase on this wild road!
Keep up the good work, Luc!
Thank you for this video!
Thank you so much for making this video. I needed this
Thanks! So True!!! Great Advice!
Brilliant video Luc. Very helpful.
Such a wake up call. This is what was holding me back. Thank you for this video. I think I will look back on it and see how much it impacted my life.
Such good advise! action and more action.
Luc, great advice and reminder! Also, the older you get, the harder it gets. More responsibilities fall in your life, and time gets more restricted.
thanks for this. really hit home for me.
This might be exactly the fright video for me today. Thank you so very much 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Thank you for this 🙏🏾🙏🏾
Your content is so refreshing! This is 100% true. Start now, that’s the best way to learn and grow!
Great talk!!! Thank you!!!
WOW did that ever hit home! I was literally dreaming about the same thing at that exact time you were. Peter McKinnon and Travel Feels, man, what a throwback! I have nearly the exact same story about putting the dream off only mine has taken me quite a bit longer...unfortunately. BUT, I am now, FINALLY, going for it. I am Mid shoot on my first travel doc and am loving it! I want to just thank you for being so open and honest and not doing the trendy UA-camr things, but just being upfront and honest and just sharing your experiences and wisdom. I have no doubts your channel is going to do just fine, and im sure you'll hit critical mass here soon. Thanks again for what you are doing here.
Thanks for sharing , it really helps ❤
I am starting to learn this kind of things after learning what my kind of thing is for my channels. I've heard that Thank you so much for this! Great Vid!
It's funny how sometimes we need to make the mistake over and over before it ever really dawns on us. Very good stuff Luc. Thank you!
Luc, Your content is the bomb-diggity! You always keep it real and straight to the point. Best of success to you in 2024!
Great advice and love your honesty. THANKS
That’s a really good piece of advice right there! I feel I’ve done the same, waiting for the perfect gear, perfect gig to come, perfect time of the year and ended up just wasting time that I could have used to polish my skills. Love your content btw, keep up the good work!
Superb advice. 99.9999% agree with one tiny exception... sometimes those delays also allow for a door to open, or for your mind to settle onto the right path forward. Being late to the party is not always a bad thing. Sometimes, it just is what it is. I've made so many mistakes on my journey, but looking back often the very things I thought were mountainous hurdles at the time were actually setting me up for a better path forward.
Solid advice! Make stuff, just create, you'll get better and better.
Exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you Luc.
I’m 33 and only last year did I realize I desperately needed to make more space for creative and media production pursuits, and that the only way I was going to achieve that was by turning that into a career. So I started wedding photography (which has been MUCH harder to get into professionally than I thought), and if I land the job I’m looking at right now, I’ll be moving to Africa to shoot for an NGO for several months next year.
I’m a certified teacher, which is a really secure and well paying job where I live. But those things have never mattered to me that much, and if all goes well, I’ll be able to trade that in for a less secure, but much more exciting life. I feel like I should have realized where I fit in in this world 10 years ago in my early 20s, not my 30s. But I can’t change that, and if I’ve learned anything from people like you, it’s that the only path to success is by dedicating your energy consistently over time. It’s great to be reminded of that, but also encouraging because it means it CAN be done. With all those things that are outside my control, I *CAN* control what I work towards.
Dude thank you for this, I do nightclub photography as a hobby but my main passion is producing music and this applies to me as well. I’ve spent the past 3 years waiting for “the right label” or the “right time to drop my music” and the reality is that I would probably be where I want to be or at least closer than I am right now if I would have just put music out a long time ago.
I’m also of the mind that I want to make quality > quantity and I’m my own worst critic so I always think I can be better and improve and in the past few years I have definitely improved my technical skills but I’m still at the same spot I was at 3 years ago. Had I been putting music out the past serval years even if it’s not exactly up to my personal standards I think it would have really helped me get closer to my goals in the music scene
Guess I’m going to force myself to start now 😤😂
Thank you for this video!
Solid . Thanks man .
This is a great reminder!! Thanks! I’m 35 and only starting my journey now in videography doing weddings and its only something that really hit me this past spring and started taking actions towards it by filming weddings with my iphone. I now have an fx30 and a few more peices of gear and editing these weddings and can’t wait to dive even more into using the camera as that is a learning curve on its own. I did film a bit in the past 3 years or more for my social media with my phone and editing those but its not getting serious as something I want to do as a business
I bought the og bmpcc and did nothing with it. I later upgraded to the 4k when it came out and also did nothing with it. I got a lucky break at my job and they allowed me to make films on top of my normal job duties. I used that opportunity to land a full time job at my work doing video. Hoping to expand more as I gain experience. I wish I had just started filming and not cared about it being perfect when I started. I live no less than an hour from several film schools if I was to do it all over I would have gone to those campsuses and tried to connect with as many people as I could and offer my gear for use. Even now I don't do much of my own filmaking outside of work. I'm making an effort 2024 to do more. Thank you for your encouragement.
Resonates to me, and I really find it relatable Luc, thanks for sharing this
Thanks Luc...once again another amazing video with a unique approach to what really matters.
Thanks for the spark Luc.
You're very welcome!
I needed to hear this!
Glad to hear it my friend!
The truth in this video hurts so much I needed to sub. Thank you for the reminders!
Thanks so much!
Really needed this video man. Leaving to New Zealand in a week with a friend to shoot my first film and taking action. Love from Australia!
Just the video I needed to see
Great video Luc! Something that helped me a lot with this was going to film school. It kinda forced me to get to work and taught me how to find stories where I didn't think there was anything, and in the process, up'd my tech skills significantly. While I don't think film school (or equivalent/similar) is for everyone, it was a huge boost for me on many levels.
You're helping a lot of people keep going
While I absolutely agree with the "start shooting now" approach to building a career, I have to take umbrage with the way you frame the decade leading up to it. I live in LA and can throw one stone and hit two camera ops who grew up on Star Wars or Jurassic Park and went to film school and have seen every film on Tarantino's must-watch list. What I want when hiring staff for my projects are people who spent their twenties living life and are able to move through the world comfortably (and have some fun stories to tell at dinner). I can teach anyone how to point a camera at something interesting and press record. I can't teach someone how to be a well-rounded human with a sense of adventure and a sense of humor.
Picking fruit in Australia would get someone pushed to the top of our resume stack. That would get the call-back and then it would be up to the applicant to get the job.
Thanks for sharing videos while you were working in cold 🥶 always great tips 😊 Also in this in video.. inspiring 🙏🏼 thanks
Love this advice. Getting started always is the hardest step, but it is easily the most important one to take.
And you won’t regret starting sooner 😉
Cheers Luc. Keep it up
Agree 100%...thanks man!
Just what I needed to hear today, perfectly told hard cold truth. I have very similar experience Luc, studying, doing research, trying to get better before I sum up courage to just jump on project. I did a few projects in past years but I could have done much more and learn much more that way then researching and consuming know how. Its high time to get out there and practice - the best way to hone the skills. Thanks for reminder, gotta go now … start doing the actual work.
This means a lot for me. I can relate myself. I know my capabilities.. But i haven't used it well.. I was about to take an action & randomly youtube suggested your video.. 🙌🏻❤️
Needed this today!
I got you!
Man, really motivated me for my shoot tomorrow (was nervous before) 🥰❤️
Thank you!
Thanks for such a wise words, make my day
Thank you man.
I got the same excuses for sooooo long. Thank you for your advices !
informative video, informative tips, Thanks Luc.
Thanks John!
Thanks for all your videos, Luc.
You're welcome!
Very good, thank you
Solid advice
Thanks for that kick in the ass!
Perfect vid...y r right..doing things today is better than doing things trrw...I just upgraded my camera gear and now I too am pushing for better content in my channel...good luck to all n thnk you...see y in your movies...oo that's gonna be my catchphrase...
I am starting to learn this kind of things after learning what my kind of thing is for my channel. Though I am only a college student using a phone as a camera with no real technical equipments for filmmaking I have heard that its okay to use what I have and discover if I am just starting out. I'm just glad that now behind the scenes I am working towards a project and not really waiting for life anymore but instead participating on it. Thank you so much for this! Great Vid!
Thanks very much, this was the kick I needed. Procrastination is my ultimate sin. I realise that even a fraction of the time I've spent watching photography/videography review videos would have been better spent just going out and shooting. But like you said, now is the second best time, so..!
Good video hope will boost your reach
This really helped me learn something new as someone starting out. My subscription to you was worth it ^^
Love this, thanks Luc! I literally just started plannning my first self bio pic this morning as a little jumping off point and I feel great about it. I couldn't find a subject I was comfortable exploring so I figured why not just tell my own. This is great inspo, it showed up at just the right time ( i think the YT algarhythm has me pegged hahah) I'll definitely be watching more from you, so thanks in advance for that :)
Come on Luc, times a construct, it's all now and impossible to waste. And your still young, and you did lots of interesting stuff, experienced life and ALL part of who you are now, which is your edge.
Thanks again Luc. All your videos seem to come in good timing. I've been in China for a long time and lately stories are passing right in front of me and I've delayed shooting them because I think the same stuff you mentioned here. Once again thank you for the encouragement.
Echo echo... I cannot repeat back better! The only thing missing from this is dealing with depression and creativity drain. However, everything here is totally 100% true!
Words of true wisdom right here.
You helped film The Trade!?!??!?!? Amazing series!!! Awesome advice good my man!
Thank you 🙏
thanks man... this was a long awaited wake up call
I am a 40 year old with a 18 year old dream of being a Filmmaker. I live in Denmark and I always kept thinking about how small the market is and all that.
Thank you so much for this. I needed it 🙏✨️
you got it i believe in you!!
@emmydabenchwarmer Thanks so much. Means a lot to me 🙏✨️
Thanks for this Luc! I think the more introverted you are, the harder it is to get out there and just do it. Same with networking. Being a lone wolf seems easier at first but it actually isn't. 😑
Your editor be loving those talking head push pull zooms 🤣
Another piece of advice. Slow down on the weed. This is for myself and anyone else that might down playing it’s effects on your motivation. Just good for thought. Thanks for this video dude.
Amazing content ! ❤
Appreciate that man!
I relate absolutely to this unfortunately
Its so easy to get caught up in the small details rather than just jumping in. I've met so many people who couldn't rack focus because its harder on a cheaper lens than a cinema lens or with out a follow focus. Always the attitude of when I have this thing or this gear I'll learn that skill. Yes many of those skills are harder with a cheap consumer camera and kit lens. All the more reason to try them with the cheap kit. You'll be so much better with the pro kit when you get it. Don't put it off. I'm so guilty of this right now with several projects and its time management and other commitments that are currently holding me back. But the time to do those projects was yesterday or a year ago. So today is the day.
Great information 🙌👍🏻
I feel like going and shooting right now! Thanks for the motivation. If you had any advice, if you were starting over, how would you market yourself? UA-cam, IG, make free work for others to gain traction, cold calls to companies, etc. I'm a wedding/corporate videographer but really want to get into documentary, shorts... end goal is to become a dp and kinda stuck in what should be my next step. (Sorry for the bad grammar dyslexic) thank you for the content you've been making. It is helpful.
I actually really enjoy your on the road productions 😊
Oh good because there's more coming!
I am just in the middle of putting up sound foam. Made some videos on thst. Once that is done, I have my next short planned... I should script this. Since I am the only one in it and it can be filmed on a tripod, that will work. It is actually a reshoot of a film I lost the files for thst had one fixable issue. So I can film all from what is in my head, but I will make a script, shot list and whatever else as practise.
Even As a non successful videographer I can attest to the power of this message. It was roughly 4 years ago in my late 20s when I discovered my passion for filming. Once I gained confidence in my knowledge and skill set I started to apply real action. By action I mean EVERYTHING, free work, low budget, doing favors and everything in between. This action I was taking very subtlety led to more opportunities and certainly not immediately. It certainly feels satisfying but most of the time not rewarding. It's a slow burn and just when it feels like the flame is going to vanish something comes up and pours gasoline on it. It can wear you down and take its toll but if your still reading this keep pushing and keep applying action. I know my time will come, I don't know when and I don't know how but I know I'm not giving up until it does.
nice!
I think the biggest thing for people is just not knowing how. Not so much that they’re lazy, but that they just don’t know what to do to make that happen.
I love what you’re saying, and I think it’s so true. But try not to be too hard on yourself. Had you been doing other things then it’s possible that National Geographic job wouldn’t have found its way to you. In this business there is definitely an aspect of “right place at the right time.” As Oprah says “Success is when preparedness meets opportunity.”