5 Lies Holding You Back from Making Your Film
The biggest mental barriers that are keeping you from building the film career of your dreams.
The world is always trying to force limiting beliefs on creatives that keep them from starting to create their own art.
When I was starting in film, I had so many of these bad ideas in my head about what I needed to do before I was a “real” filmmaker.
They start to feel like facts the longer you accept them but they are just fears in disguise so today I am going to list the top 5 beliefs to break as a filmmaker.
1. “I’m too young / too old / too inexperienced.”
There’s no expiration date on creativity. It doesn't matter if you’re 15 or 75, if you want to create a film and put in the work—you can make it happen. You’re just creating a false narrative that you’re a failure before you even get started so there’s no point.
Every great filmmaker you love started at zero with no filmmaking knowledge just like you. They just took action and got started regardless of whether they felt like an imposter.
The only way to get the experience you want is to dive into the unknown and just do it.
2. “I don’t have time to make films.”
We make time for the things we love & value.
The average screen time in the United States is 7 hours and 3 minutes. Odds are you’re dedicating a lot of time to video games, social media, television, etc that could be redistributed to taking small action towards your filmmaking goals.
Where attention goes, energy flows. Audit your time and be brutally honest with yourself and ask, “What am I focused on?”
If the things you list aren’t contributing to your long term goals then you don’t have a time problem, you have a prioritization problem.
3. “I need a big budget to make something good.”
Nobody is going to give you a huge budget for your first film unless you’re born rich, extremely well connected, or are previously famous.
For the rest of us, we have to take stock of what we have available to us right now and utilize it to create the best story possible. Indie darlings like Clerks, Slacker, and El Mariachi were made on shoestring budgets and are still discussed to this day.
You don’t have a money issue, you have a creativity issue. Get clever and start finding unique ways to create stories that only you can tell.
You have something nobody else on earth has or can take away from you—your own unique worldview & perspective. Use it.
4. “I’m not a ‘real’ filmmaker unless I go to film school.”
In the real world, nobody really cares if or where you went to school if you can back up what you say you can do.
Create the best films possible, share them with others, get feedback, and improve them over time. Quit worrying about what your family, friends, or world says you need to do.
There’s people I know with masters degrees in film who haven’t created any short films. I know people who skipped school and have made multiple features.
Film school or not, having high agency and taking action is the biggest determining factor of success. Do what’s right for you and don’t look back.
5. “I need the perfect original idea before I start.”
You don’t develop your own artistic voice by brainstorming ideas for a decade.
You build it by taking your influences, infusing your own perspective, and completing projects. Start with the films you love, find a way to add a unique spin on it, and then execute it in the best way possible using what you have available.
Your skills will grow and your unique voice will become stronger with each film you create.
These limiting beliefs are not only false—they’re dangerous.
You will waste tons of time, money, and momentum trying to feed into these mindset blocks so the sooner you take a sledgehammer to them, the better. When you start to challenge them, that’s when things really begin to shift.
Remember, you’re already a filmmaker the moment you choose to make something.
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