Passion project(s) — Passion vs Project
It was 2016. I was one year into working as a freelancer. Work had been good. I hadn’t reached the “famine” in a lifestyle that I begin to describe as feast or famine.
It was hot. August 2016. I hadn’t worked in a month. Work was slow. I was working as one of the few assistant cameras in Memphis. The DP I’d worked for a few times had his regular assistant camera back. I’d see that everyone else was “working” on social media but I was home.
My aspiring career as a Director of Photography was coming to a reality that I wasn’t even near one yet… though my website had a few jobs on it and I was going for that role.
My wife was working and studying. I was at home. Itching to get out there.
I didn’t have any extra cash but I decided on a whim to go rent a small movi from Lensrentals and use the two lenses I owned a 18mm and 50mm lens. Pop it on my 5dmiii and direct/DP/edit a story of a kid (my brother in law was living with us at the moment) going to play soccer. My wife didn’t freak out — but was not to happy about me dropping money we didn’t have.
I showed it to a friend and he liked it and we started working together. I slowly became his go to DP for the next few years.
In 2017 I shot a few more scenes in Uruguay.
I have a vision of where it could go.
There is a blank space for Present Day footage — to be filmed.
Here is it in it’s RAW unfiltered format.
All of my work from then has been projects. Projects that I become or grow to be passionate about. I’ve positioned myself to show the work I want to do and 50% of the time the clients I engage with want something along that line.
I get asked for all the time to work on passion projects (not so much as of recently since I’ve turned so many down). In Uruguay they call it “al pulmón” literally, giving your lung. Sounds kind of biblical right? Thanks Adam & Eve.
Passion vs Projects…
Anyways, filmmaking for me is a career. What do I mean by that? Well. It’s my job, and fortunately I really like what I do. Like really. I spend hours learning more, researching, YouTubing, etcétera. etcétera.
So I have a bit on an issue doing work for free. Especially when I’m not able to interject myself into it. Myself meaning — my framing, exposure, thoughts… “Hey, what if we get some insert shots for the editor in case they do something different. What about we do it again at 60fps for safety. Ah! Just a few steps over here and you get some nice foreground element.”
Also, Passion Projects (non-paid work) leads often to paid work. Someone sees what you did and like it. Now, it might not mean that you get to interject an explosion of creativity into it, but maybe you land that role you wanted.
It’s complex. There is no black and white.
In 2020 I talked with a DP here in Uruguay asking him if I need to just get a babysitter and say yes to this “free work” here in Uruguay to get to know people — but at the same time go crazy inside not being able to grab a camera, frame a shot or collaborate. His response was to weigh it out. If it’s free and doesn’t benefit me at all, maybe move on. There is no shame in saying no. Or maybe it’s a I do this for you and you do this for me.
You don’t walk into a restaurant and ask for free stuff. Filmmaking or making videos, moving images… whatever you want to call it is becoming a commodity.
I also despise asking people to work for free. Only unless I’ve paid them for a job before or they say they’d like to collaborate on something.
This blog is everywhere. Maybe this isn’t making sense. Guess what — that’s exactly how it is when it comes to Passion & Work. It’s a mixture of so many things.
To continue…
This year I reopened this passion project, started a new one about coffee and had a conversation with someone whom I talked with 5 years ago to start something kinda like a hybrid passion project.
The next year I’m looking forward to seeing where all this goes and an open to collaborate with those whom are willing to join in.
Oh, Happy Birthday Lucas! Vamos terminar este cortometraje incredible.
Happy Holidays & Start of the New Year to everyone — especially my fellow freelance friends that are feasting or in a famine. May the next year be a fruitful year!
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