Who Is It For?

Film.

Movies.

Entertainment.

This is my life.

As an up and coming film maker, it's easy to take your focus off what is important in life. In fact, I'm sure that's true of any filmmaker at any age. It's so easy to fall so deeply into the worlds we create for ourselves. It's easy to forget that we are the weird people who know way too much about films and how they work or should work. It's easy to think that it's our opinions that matter.

But is it our opinions that matter? That's a question I think that every film maker has to discover the answer to. Film makers tend to fall into the 'pompous jackass' category of human beings. We don't mean to be, really! It's just that when you discover the inner workings of the hugest form of entertainment, it's hard not to feel better than other people. It's been something I've been learning not to be this year, and I feel that God is bringing me largely out of that frame of mind. Frankly, I don't want to feel "better" than any one else. That isn't a right thing to do. Just because I know how the 180 degree rule works, or how the hero's journey goes, or know what 'greeking' is, or what exactly a crafty or 1st AD is, that doesn't make me better than anyone. That doesn't make any of us better than anyone. But the feeling comes naturally because it feels so cool to know how an industry works that the majority of people in the world thinks comes about by magic (not really, but you get my point).

So, back to the original question: Who's opinion matters in the world of film? There are a few different parties in this. There are the masses who go to theaters to enjoy a movie, there are the percentage of masses who know what makes a film good or bad, and then there are the film makers. So which one do you aim at? The answer for the majority of films today is to the general masses. That's where the money comes from. That's why things like 'Twilight' and 'Transformers' get made, and are popular, because they know what people want and what they will pay for, even if it is, in my humble opinion, crap. Meanwhile, there are those who understand movies and know what goes into a good movie, but their opinions aren't usually ones that matter, except for when they are the ones to write reviews or entertainment magazines. And then there are the film makers, who are probably the most judgmental of the groups, because not only do we know film and story, but we also always feel like "If I had the chance, I could do so much better..".

So who are films for? What should our motivation be? Should it be money? Should it be quality? Should it be sending a message?

I know what I want my ultimate motivation to be: To bring glory to God. At the end of the day, that should be what we do all this for. I want everything I do to bring glory to God, especially the films I make. I can only pray that I can do that, and I truly believe that if your heart is lined up with what God wants, you also line up with His will.

"Love God and do as you please." If you love God, that means you want to please Him, thus doing what you please also pleases God.

That's what I want.