Cross-posted from the newly created Sentient Cinema blog.
The best decision my production partner Tim and I made at the outset was to say that we would meet at least once a week. For once in my life, it has turned out that going to a meeting really got things moving. We’ve allowed for some volatility in our other lives but have kept to this plan since setting out on this first initiative. The meetings were so useful that we ended up having two a week, one on Wednesday nights and one midday on Saturdays.
Why so many?
Constant meeting and assessment has allowed for rapid iterative collaboration which has fueled motivation and kept the project moving forward in its infancy.
Our early sessions were spent shaping the script and digging into the business side of things. Neither one of us has done anything of this sort to this extent before but we not only wanted to craft the best story possible but also run a professional production. We may be low-budget now but that is no excuse for amateurism. The meetings compel us to keep pushing forward and lay the foundations of not only this film, but who we are and what we do as a production company. The discussions are open-minded and collaborative while still coming to conclusions on important decisions. It has been an extraordinary learning experience in a very short time and being able to check an item off our To Do list each meeting definitely helps keep us motivated. We are currently about a month and a half into pre-production and have gone quite far in getting this film, and our business, ready to launch.
As with any venture, it is built not only by having great ambitions but in breaking those goals down into their constituent parts and working steadily towards them. With many small wins, it brings us ever closer to the Big Victory. In our case, a productive, innovative film company which brings brilliant stories into the world.
