Comments on: UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES: THE PHRASE THAT MEANS NOTHING & EVERYTHING

By: Mike Cockayne

Mike Cockayne — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 22:41:00 +0000

Couldn’t agree more. The internet/vimeo/youtube/DSLR/DIY bubble is just that – it’s a bubble where people can all share ideas and ‘workarounds’ for real world problems. It’s a wonderful place to watch and to learn and to discuss… but once you think you’re done learning and you want to step out of that bubble and get stuff seen by people outside of Vimeo, then you need to remember one simple rule – no one gives a shit. They simply don’t care what or how or why you made it the way you did. They will either like it or they won’t. 99.999% of consumers of audio visual media, ie the majority of humanity on this planet have no interest how what they watch was made – they simply want to be informed or entertained. You buy a sandwich in the morning and it either tastes good or it doesn’t, you don’t need to know if the guy who made it was thrown out of his apartment the night before…Things couldn’t be easier for filmmakers now, technology is handing it to us on a plate – if not no more excuses then certainly a lot less. Sometimes working with huge crews and big budgets brings just as much frustration – your ideas can get diluted or misinterpreted – sometimes it’s nice to go out with a camera, shoot it yourself, cut it yourself… just be the best you can with what you’ve got. I’ve worked on big budget stuff and no budget stuff, I’ve made great stuff and I’ve made shite… and anyway, sometimes the stuff you make that you personally believe is sub par ends up being hugely popular… go figure…

By: Miguel Santana

Miguel Santana — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 13:10:00 +0000

Yeah, this all rings a bell… It’s how I’ve looked at my work in the past year, really. And it seems to have paid off so far. I’m on my last year of a VFX degree at Uni, but I can say that I’ve already worked on a massive upcoming hollywood blockbuster, and some high profile TV commercials.

Wasn’t because during my studies I’ve tried to be the best student – that doesn’t mean anything to an employer. I had to be good enough for the companies to think I can do the work to the standard they need, circumstances aside. I think I’ve been telling myself that the world doesn’t care if you’re a student, if you had no money to do something, if you did it all yourself, or in 24 hours… People expect a certain quality and however you get there, you should deliver it. It’s about the final results, always. Which is why my other mantra is ‘cheat as much as you can get away with’, haha.

Same with this ridiculously ambitious short film on the Epic I’m in post on, I don’t want people to judge how good it is for a student project, I’m hoping it holds its own against every other short film out there for festival consideration.

By: Robthomas87

Robthomas87 — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 06:50:00 +0000

Great to hear someone spilling there guts about this. I think all of us can learn from this. Great article sir. All of us can relate. Keep on keeping on.

By: Nels Chick

Nels Chick — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:25:00 +0000

Dude, you hit the nail on the head. I can totally relate. I keep waiting for the perfect scenario, when I have the budget, the team, and all the resources to make my vision real. It will never happen. If I can’t create with the tools I have, I won’t be any better with all the tools in the world. No excuses. Thanks.