You’re good at starting things, or at sustaining them, or even really good at bringing them to a close. If you’ve honed your craft very well, you’re actually good at all three. Unfortunately, you’ve probably developed a multiple-personality disorder, leading you to believe your a producer, director, writer, editor, etc, rolled all into one. As the title states (and as I believe utterly) it’s a trap. You can escape it, of course, but it requires due diligence, and an ability to stare cold hard reality in the face.
There are as many reasons for falling into the multihat trap as there are people who take the plunge. Chief among them I believe, however, is the old ‘auteur’ theory and its many variants in the world of production. You know the beast. It’s part of what got you here. Its the glamour, the thrill and joy of being in charge and making your dream come to fruition. Nothing wrong with the feeling itself. If you don’t enjoy being the boss, you really shouldn’t be doing it. The poor side to that, though, is you can get drunk on the power, lost in the glitter and blinded by the dazzle. Don’t be fooled into thinking it doesn’t happen just because you’ve got little or no budget. It’s not money or even power that makes it happen (though they really contribute when they’re present!). What actually comes into play is the flip side of creativity. Manifesting a world and characters from your own thoughts is an act almost as primal as genesis. Tapping into that of course can lead to the delusion that you can do anything.
Personal failings aside, there are external pressures that push a filmmaker into taking on too many tasks. First among these is finance. Money may not be the only driver of ego, but as I said above, it certainly helps. Also, there’s always the expectation, based in fact, that no matter what the obstacle, the filmmaker will get the job done. The film will be finished because of that person’s vision, and sometimes that means shouldering tasks better left delegated. It’s hard to keep colleagues and friends expectations from spurring you to act precipitously, especially when they’re looking to you for leadership. The wise filmmaker knows its best to look back at those same people and pass some of the duties to them. It may take some training and likely a serious meeting of the minds, but its better than dissipating your own energies and risk ruining the film.
Since we talked about the reasons why, lets look into the pitfalls themselves and figure how to get around them. Aside from the burden of overwork a filmmaker taking on too many chores risks seeing that work done poorly. I speak here not merely of being spread too thin but rather of general incompetence. It’s rare to find anyone well-trained in a variety of disciplines. This becomes rarer still when those disciplines are disparate or wide-ranging. A producer and director may have certain skill sets in common. A writer and director of photography likely do not. If you find yourself taking on a task but suddenly wondering if the job is too much for you, listen to that voice in your head. It’s much better to do the work of finding someone with the proper skills than doing their work for them and accomplishing it badly.
The true answer for avoiding the multihat trap is, of course, to delegate. This doesn’t mean simply barking orders and sending everyone off in a mad rush. Real delegation is well considered; it is organized, and it is coordinated. Figure out what jobs belong to whom; delegate early and do so systematically. Remember your job is to manage not to micro-manage. If you find yourself into hands-on situations beyond simple training, you’re too involved and must delegate further. Most importantly, however, know when to compromise. Not all tasks can be done on a small budget. Know your limitations, and use that knowledge to prevent over-burdening yourself or your crew.
http://cheapfilmmaking.com/the-multihat-trap/
No comments:
Post a Comment