I can’t tell you how many times filmmakers complain to me that they don’t have time to work on their movies or screenplays. Then they complain that their problem is lack of money as well. Then they wonder how I manage to get so much done, given that they can get so little done. It’s simple actually. You need to learn the ways filmmakers maximise time.
What yt distractors are really saying is that I manage somehow to prioritise my limited time (there are just 24 hours in a day).
The saying ‘Time Is Money” has its origins in ancient Greece. Proper allocation of your time is as important as allocation of money.
Each day has 24 hours. Most filmmakers and screenwriters have a day job (9 hours) and need to sleep (7-8 hours) leaving about 7 hours to work on your film, your screenplay and your career, as well as hang out with your mates, do housework and other domestic chores.
Here are 9 ways filmmakers maximise time.
1. Stop reading, start writing
Reading and learning are very important. But there is the danger you can become a ‘learning junkie’ – using study mode as a way to avoid filmmaking. At some point, remember you have to put into practise what you have learned.
2. Don’t worry about statistics
You can drive yourself crazy cruising rivals on IMDB.com, setting up Google alerts, and checking out Facebook and Twitter for the number of new friends you have.
Why not use the time instead working on your film and screenplays instead. Successfully completed projects are far more likely to create interest in your Facebook and Twitter accounts than anything else.
3. Impact first
When presented with a range of options of what to do with your available time, choose the tasks that have the highest impact first.
4. Don’t let Distractions become Attractions
The internet and the social media world are like a giant sponge waiting for you to browse, to chat, to IM. This can easily become an addiction that will swallow up all of your available time. Be ruthless with yourself. Set a time limit of 15 or 30 minutes per day in which you do your Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook accounts.
5. Who says TV is bad?
Like surfing, watching TV can lead to an entirely new way to waste time. Before you know it, you will have spent all of your free time ‘relaxing’ in front of the TV.
6. Forget your strict schedule
Working on your career is hard work. If you miss a day or two through illness or other social commitments, don’t fret. Your movie will still be there waiting for you when you return.
7. Health means wealth
A healthy life style will give you more energy and a clear head. I ditched dairy and carbohydrates earlier this year and have found that I can out-work and out-think just about everybody I know.
8. The ‘P’ Word
The most important ingredient about any successful film career is Passion. Without it, you simply can’t do it. If you aren’t feeling passion for your project, pause and have a rethink and make sure it really is for you.
9. Go from Passive to Active
‘Get off your shelf and out of the library’ a high school teacher once said to me. And how right she was. “Doing” beats “thinking about doing”, and with it will come a whole new level of skill and confidence youi never knew you had. There is another saying which is: “Why do so many want to be the noun and won’t do the verb?” So true too!
You need to learn the ways filmmakers maximise time.
Happy filmmaking!
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Photo Credit: Bertie Watson
I founded Raindance Film Festival in 1993 because the British film industry was closed, polite, and congratulating itself while shutting new filmmakers out.
I co-founded the British Independent Film Awards in 1998 because British indie film deserved more than a shrug, a pat on the head, and a Tuesday night screening.
Raindance didn’t start as a brand. It started as a rebellion: film training without gatekeepers, a festival without permission, and a community built by filmmakers who weren’t waiting to be invited in.
Later, we took it global: Toronto, Vancouver, New York, LA, Berlin, and Brussels, because independent film doesn’t belong to one city, one class, or one accent.
I’ve produced 700+ short films and seven features, including Deadly Virtues (2014) and ALICE, which won the SXSW Grand Jury Prize (2019) not because someone “discovered” us, but because the work earned its place.
I’ve written three books used by filmmakers worldwide because too many courses taught compliance instead of survival.
In 2009, I was awarded a PhD for services to film education, ironic, given that most of my career has been about tearing down the rules that education insisted you follow.
I don’t believe in waiting for permission.I believe in making work, building systems, and forcing the industry to catch up.
Specialties: Independent Film (the real kind) · Producing · Writing · Film Education · Festivals · Breaking Broken Systems
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