KAM: That sounds so cool! Now, for the second part of the question: on the flip side, what can DIY artists do to make sure that others take them seriously and don’t mistake them for being some “slacker indie artist”?
MWD: I’d say if you don’t want to be mistaken for a slacker, don’t fucking be one. Just make everything great and work non-stop, even when you’re starting out. And don’t rush things out to the world. A lot of times when people do that, it’s ego: “I MUST GET THIS OUT NOW OR I WILL POP!” But the world isn’t going to end and your market isn’t going to dissolve in the time it takes you to do three more passes of editing or proofreading. Ya know?
I guess a lot of people who strike me as “slacker indie artists” are just “slacker wannabe mainstream artists” in different clothing. A lot of people are way more in love with the idea of being a filmmaker or writer than they are into putting in the years of work to do it. I’m 42, and have been a published writer since I was 12, and I still know I have a lot to learn. And I still work on it every single day. And I work as hard on an e-mail to a friend as I do on a book I’m being paid to write.
A lot of indie musicians are more into wearing the outfit and looking cool than they are into working on the craft of songwriting. (And no matter what, songwriting is THE most important thing in music. Just like a good story is THE most important thing in filmmaking.)
Hollywood is full of hucksters who say “I’m a producer” and have little more than a good line of bullshit and a business card to back it up. And a lot of people who really DO get things done don’t even have a business card. I don’t have one. I think the advice I would have for “slacker indie artists” is “less talk, more rock.” Though most people who need to be told this will never “get” it.
I’d say just look at the reasons you want to make art. If it’s for money, fame and power, go to business school instead. And I don’t mean that in a denigrating fashion, I mean that as honest career advice. But if you wanna make good art, make good art. And if you’re smart, talented, driven AND if you read up and study business a bit, you might make a living at it and make a tiny cool mark in the world.
I’m not sure the term “artist” even fits me. I think of myself more as a self-employed person who gets things done, and has something to show for it when it’s over. And sometimes I make money at it. Sometimes not. And I approach both with the same fervor and detail.
KAM: Technical knowledge (about shooting, lighting, editing, etc.) aside, what are some important things for DIY filmmakers to keep in mind while planning, filming, and finishing a project?
MWD: I think it’s really important to have good people skills, and be able to motivate, oversee and/or collaborate with a lot of creative people in very intensive situations. And if you can’t do this, find someone who can, and give them reasons to keep very close to you. You’ll need ‘em.
Artists tend to be a little different than the rest of the world. The thing that makes someone want to do art is the same stuff that makes kids want to throw paint. Artists become artists because they want to play all the time. But artists who are remembered usually have a lot of discipline also. They know how to focus their playtime over years and years to make something fantastic.
In the course of doing collaborative projects, you will deal with people who will not always “do your bidding.” This is sometimes a good thing. The best art often comes from finding a middle ground between two or more people with very divergent opinions and ideas. The Beatles were way better than anything Paul McCartney ever did solo, and better than most of what John Lennon did solo. (Though the song “Cold Turkey” is pretty damn special….) I’d say that if you want to have an effect with your art, and maybe make a living, learn to deal with people. And learn which battles are worth fighting, and when you’re just trying to be “right” for the sake of ego.
I’ve worked really hard on this myself. I’ve learned that I can sometimes defer to someone else without “selling out” or “being a pussy.” I guess it’s a Zen thing: You need to step away from the art and take your ego out of it and try to look at what the art needs, not what will make YOU look cool.
When we were making the Selby documentary (Hubert Selby Jr: It/ll be Better Tomorrow. http://www.cubbymovie.com), I came across a paragraph that blew me away:
“The writer has no right to be there in the work. I don’t have any right to impose myself between the people I’m creating on that page, and the reader. And the responsibility of the artist is to transcend the human ego.”
--Hubert Selby Jr
It blew me away because it made total sense, yet went counter to most of what I’d done up to that point in my life.
Since I heard it, I’ve spent two years working on internalizing this concept. And it seems to be working, though I sometimes still have the desire to jump up and say “Look at me!!!”, and I have to have a little talk with my inner brat and get him to back down. That inner brat drove everything I did in rock bands, for sure. We were still making great music, but I made a lot of dumb decisions that ultimately destroyed the band, and our career. And many of those decisions were me trying to look cool to others, or trying to be “right” when I didn’t need to be.
For the past ten years, I’ve spent a lot of time trying to be “noticed” and spent a lot of time and energy on self-promotion, especially on the Internet. This served me well for a while, but it started to get in the way eventually. For the past year or so, I’ve scaled this back almost to nil. I’m too busy to toot my own horn, and don’t go out of my way to find places to do it. It seems counterproductive at this point.
