Two roads diverged
So far, we’ve laid the groundwork for the journey ahead.
We’ve embarked on two distinct, vivid field trips.
One into the world of the traditionalist (Phil).
And the other into the world of the filmpreneur (Andre).
Now, we’ve arrived at the moment of decision. The fork in the road.
All that remains is a choice.
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As indie filmmakers, almost all of us start as Phil.
That’s what this industry and culture condition us to be.
We grow up immersed in the mythology of our heroes.
We revel in tales of submitting that first film to Sundance, then rocketing to a thriving career.
So we try to emulate our heroes. To follow the “proven path” to success.
And even though it never seems to work like the stories suggest, we keep at it.
Year after year, film after film, we keep striving.
Sure, the media landscape has changed ten times over since the 90s.
What worked then clearly doesn’t work now.
But that path, though dysfunctional, is more culturally acceptable. It’s comfortable and familiar.
Yet the harsh reality remains.
For traditionalists like Phil, life starts to look a lot like Groundhog Day.
A spiral of eternal stagnation, where no matter what you do, you find yourself right back where you started.
So it goes.
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Of course, it doesn’t have to be that way.
A small handful indie filmmakers will make the choice to buck off their cultural conditioning.
They’ll learn to see the world as it really is, not as they wish it to be.
They’ll develop new beliefs, new skills, and new models for success.
They’ll commit to the path of the filmpreneur.
It won’t be easy, quick, or comfortable.
In fact, the opposite is true.
The journey will test their fortitude at every step.
But through it all, they’ll remain committed. Because what they yearn for most is total creative and financial freedom.
And slowly, piece by piece, they’ll assemble thriving lives and businesses for themselves, doing work they love.
Such is the choice that we’re all faced with.
Five years from now, you could be Phil, or you could be Andre.
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The Hero’s Journey is a useful model for many reasons.
Sure, it can help us tell more resonant stories on screen.
But it's also a philosophy for leading a rewarding life, full of challenge and growth.
After all, human lives are but stories. And we only get one shot to make ours a good one.
My hope is, by this point in the series, I’ve presented you with a compelling Call to Adventure.
Through these simple parables, you’ve been given a taste of the Extraordinary World that lives on the other side of that call.
You’ve also seen the Ordinary World in a new, rather distressing light.
All that remains is the choice.
Take a courageous step into the unknown, the unfamiliar, the uncomfortable.
Or retreat into the old and familiar.
As Morpheus says to Neo in the The Matrix:
“This your last chance. After this there is no turning back. You take the blue pill, the story ends. You wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.”
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I must warn you, though. The filmpreneur path is not for everyone.
In fact, it’s not for most filmmakers.
I'd like to be radically transparent for a moment. Because there are some things you need to understand before making the choice.
Just as there's no guarantee of results as a traditionalist, the same is true of the filmpreneur path. There are strategies you can use to increase the odds, but there's never, ever a guarantee. So if you're looking for certainty, you'll need to look elsewhere.
This is a lot of work. Full stop. Filmmaking is often a full time job by itself, and the first time you try to build an audience and sell a film, it'll be another full time job on top of that. It does get easier over time, but be prepared for the first hurdles to be the most daunting.
Committing to the entrepreneurial path can throw a wrench into creative relationships. When you start niching down, and forgoing festivals and distributors and Amazon, your indie film friends probably won't understand, as it'll feel like a refutation of their choices and worldview. Believe me, this causes friction.
Any financial rewards you do reap from this journey will almost certainly be the result of playing the long game. If you're hoping to make one film and have it be a cash cow, I've got bad news. Much like the traditionalist path, you're probably better off spending your film's budget on lottery tickets.
These are just some of the downsides that come from committing to this path. And I'm sure there are others.
If these things are dealbreakers for you, the filmpreneur path isn’t for you. And you should close this tab.
But if you’ve made the choice to become a filmpreneur, and you’re committed to this path, click the button below. The best is yet to come.
Pinky promise.
-Rob “call to adventure” Hardy