Why is it so hard to make it as a filmmaker?

There is no one answer (well, there kind of is TALENT + AMBITION + BUSINESS/MARKETING SENSE), but I will give you my objective take on this. First and foremost, it’s hard to make it as any kind of artist and has always been. There is no way to define what makes a great filmmaker. All successful filmmakers may follow some basic rules in the industry, but as with any artist, they all have very different perspectives on things, different personal qualities, different creative strengths, different business strengths, etc… Give one script to a dozen filmmakers and you will have a dozen entirely different films. So first and foremost it’s hard to peg what makes a great filmmaker. But one thing is certain… most of the “greats” were born with a natural gift for telling visual stories.

Secondly, the industry is saturated with people trying to “break in”. The number of under-talented individuals (or wannabes as some turn out to be) vastly outnumbers those who are naturally gifted. I’ve had arguments with people over this idea of being “naturally gifted”, but you know what? There are are people that just get it and some that just don’t. ANYONE can learn to do something, but especially when it comes to art, some people could study/learn their entire lives and still not be as accomplished as a naturally talented artist who just “Picked it up.” This comes with ANY art, career, etc… Trying to swim through this soup of wannabe filmmakers to get to the top of this mix and be seen as the cream of the crop is both intimidating and tough.

So the next obvious question is “Well, I’m talented, so how do I get to the top and get noticed?” Sometimes talent speaks for itself, but in this oversaturated world of filmmaking talent is often not good enough. A lot of people forget the film industry is 1/2 art 1/2 business. More realistically it’s more like 1/3 vs 2/3. The last elements really needed to break through are ambition and a sense of business (which often go hand in hand). If you are a talented filmmaker and you have a solid sense of the market potential for film concepts, how to market them, and ultimately how to market yourself, then your chances of success are so much greater.

A lot of people resist this idea of film as a business model. And many label successful filmmakers as sellouts. Screw them. You want your films to be seen and loved by millions? Then you better be willing to bow to the frustrations of the business side of the industry. And if you’re a sellout for being smart enough to figure out how to share your vision with millions, then so be it. If you have to sacrifice some of the creative integrity initially in your career to get to where you want and ultimately have far more control, then what’s the big deal? A movie, no matter how invested you are in it artistically, is still just a movie. Life goes on.

If it takes 3 films that adhere to a business model more than art, but that ultimately allow you the freedom to make a 4th film more on your terms, then you’ve just been smart enough to be one of the few filmmakers that understands how to be successful. That being said, there is a harsh reality for most directors out there making films for a living; they are hired hands. There truly is a very small percentage of directors who go on to have total control over their visions, and most of these directors made it to where they were by having a unique vision on hired projects that transcended the norm. And this is an entirely different obstacle that only the absolute gifted and ambitious directors make it past (in my opinion).

There are surely incredibly talented filmmakers out there who are arguably better than some of the most well-known directors in the industry. But I would bet time and time again that the reason they aren’t doing bigger things is because they haven’t been ambitious enough to put their necks out there to meet the right people, or they simply don’t have the business sense to push their talent to the next level.

If you don’t have the ability to let go of pride to a certain extent and have the ambition and patience to persevere in a cutthroat industry, then you should probably stick to something 9-5. But remember, most people who say you’re a sellout are 9-5 workers :)