30 Tips to Help You Make Your First Zero-Budget Short Film

1. Don't say it's unpaid. Say it's a collaboration. And don't just say it, mean it. You're collaborating together to create a piece of art out of whatever means you have.

2. Think of every single place you know that you have access to that could be a location. Think about this before the script stage. Your cousin is an office manager? Your Uncle owns a taxi? Your ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend lives in a mansion? Utilise these locations in your script/film.

3. Find creative people who will get something out of your project. Your friend is an artist? Ask if she wants to design DVD covers. Your Brother wants to be a singer? Get him to sing a song about the movie and post it on YouTube to promote the project. 

4. Related to the point above -- don't do it all yourself. Part of doing a zero-budget film is that you do need to do a lot of it yourself; but delegate! Find other creative people who want to get involved. 

5. Be confident. It's your piece of art. It doesn't have to be a masterpiece, and you don't need to be intimidated by anyone -- this is your chance to create something personal.

6. Create something personal. Write from the heart. 

7. Write to your budget. No explosions, no car chases, no burning down buildings. 

8. If you know people who can stage explosions, car chases and buildings burning down, then by all means use them if it'll help your story (but don't break any laws and don't kill any people, not even actors).

9. Don't be afraid of actors just because it's your first movie. They need the roles, otherwise they wouldn't do it! And most of them -- some of them -- are very friendly people. 

10. Cast interesting and intriguing actors. There's only so much time in a short film to tell a story; so tell some of the story through the interesting faces you present on screen. 

11. Don't hire heaps of lights and things with cables and buttons that you don't understand. Focus on telling a story. 

12. Shoot without permission. Tell people you're students, tell people you're just taking a picture, tell people you're not filming-just-pretending-to. Or my old favourite, you say, "We are thinking about doing a film so we're just coming here to test out the light and see if it's workable". 

For some reason, people will stop you from filming but they won't stop you from filming-to-see-if-it's-the-right-place-to-film. This really works!

13. Don't spend all day getting every single angle conceivable. Think about the story you're telling -- storyboard if it helps you --- think about shooting scenes creatively in ways that support your vision, rather than covering absolutely everything ten times over. 

14. Get a few takes and then move on. 

15. Start early. Don't feel bad about it. Everyone wants to make a movie so get them up early and crack on. 

16. If on day two, your actor has quit -- don't keep ringing them up, demanding they return. At the level you're at --- justified or not-- actors will go for paid work instead, or they'll think you're amateur, or they'll be lazy and stay home. Y'know what? It's happened to everyone, find a way to keep telling your story. 

17. It's not just actors. It could be anyone. If it's YOUR MOVIE, it's going to mean more to you than the others -- so you gotta do whatever you gotta do to make it happen. 

18. If someone is working exceptionally hard to help you with YOUR VISION; then treat them to something. A chocolate bar. A bunch of flowers. A new house. Whatever you can afford. These people are extremely rare. 

19. Find lovely people to work with. 

20. Don't get stressed. 

Okay, you will get stressed. But don't drag it on for hours. 

Maybe the sound guy was late. Maybe the camera is broken. Maybe the building exploded at the wrong moment. 

But what are you going to do? Moaning and stressing doesn't bring a solution. You need to focus on finding solutions to problems as they arise. 

Sometimes we get caught up in rehashing the same old problems. Telling each person, one-by-one, oh how badly we were let down by someone or something -- but it solves nothing! Be a pro. Move on. 

21. Don't have friends on set just to have friends on set. They'll get in the way. 

22. If you have friends helping you out on the crew --- then you need to be very careful about which friends you choose. 

Explain to them exactly what they'll be doing, and let them know precisely how boring it will be. Everyone loves the idea of working on a movie, but after three days in which they've done nothing but hold a boom pole, they get bored. And then that darn pole keeps dipping into the shot.

You need people who are committed. 

23. If you have scenes where characters are eating food -- build your lunch breaks around it, so that the actors are working and eating. It saves time and money. Don't tell the actors you're doing this, they'll get grumpy. 

24. Feed everyone well -- but keep it cheap. Try make it hot if you can. Everyone likes Pasta. 

25. Do not fall in love with cast members or crew members, because if they fall in love with someone else during the production, your whole brain goes funny and your feet keep forgetting where the floor is. 

This is not a good state of mind for a director. 

26. Give praise! These people are giving their time for nothing; working as hard as they can -- and they're just as insecure as you are. Giving them specific and honest praise will help them, and the set will become rather pleasant and productive-- which is what you want, right? 

27. Ignore the temptation to say, "Well we're not far behind --- how about if we wrap now and pick up the rest when we finish tomorrow?"

That's a bad idea. Do it now. Ignore the tiredness. 

28. Ignore the tiredness -- you're making a movie! Have some caffeine and go go go make it happen --- yawn when no-one is looking--- then go go go again. 

29. Tell people every four minutes that the lights are hot; because they keep forgetting and keep burning their hands. We don't know why they do that but they do. 

30. Enjoy it. You're MAKING A FILM!!!!


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30 Tips To Get You Writing Your Screenplay

1. Set a timer on your phone. Let's say an hour. Sit and don't do anything for that hour. Don't look at your phone again, don't turn on the TV. Don't tweet. It's just you and the chair. Don't write down ideas that come to you, don't do anything. Sit, think, dream. But no action. 

As creative people we often snap into action the second we feel we have a seed of an idea. So often, it's a false alarm, a restless brain. Take the time to sit with your ideas. If you want to write them down, tough. Not during this hour. 

2. Write a feature film in less than an hour, by outlining it scene by scene as it comes into your brain. Like this:

MARK is at the office, bored and depressed. 

SALLY is working a double shift at the cake shop. She hates it. 

MARK walks into the CAKE shop. He's depressed. SALLY tells him to buy a cake. He does so.

MARK walks out of the store, wishing he'd got her number. 

The cake shop EXPLODES. 

MARK sprints inside, he hunts for SALLY in between the flames. 

The example above is me being silly -- that wouldn't make a good film at all. But a good shortcut with writing is just to outline ideas as they come to you. To throw caution to the wind. Don't write a masterpiece, just find the next sentence. 

Before you know it, you've outlined a whole movie. If it sucks, who cares? You've lost nothing but an hour or two. If it's good? Go back to it and build from it. 

3. Write a bad script. Even if your ideas are AWFUL, or NON-EXISTENT, write it anyway. You'll learn from it. Some people spend five years writing no scripts because their ideas aren't good enough. But in fact, if you wrote 15 bad scripts in that time, you'd learn so much about yourself and your writing. 

4. Quit. Go do something else. Become a shepherd, get into a relationship with a trout. If you quit for good, then it probably wasn't for you -- but if you come back to it some day, then maybe the break is exactly what you needed. Some people write their masterpieces in their 70's. Some people have great talent, but have nothing to say. Rather than sitting in your room trying to force a script out, go volunteer in Africa. Go visit a friend in France. Anything is better than sitting around not writing. 

5. Be around people who make you laugh. 

6. Do things that make you uncomfortable. Just past your comfort zone is where you have the interesting experiences, and meet people that you didn't think you'd ever come across. 

7. When a friend asks you to do something that you don't want to do --- instead of making the excuse that you're tired, or have work in the morning, say 'yes' to the offer and go and do the thing you don't want to do. 

8. Work on the script that's been circling around your brain since you were 13. You know the one; the script you've been destined to write because it's so personal yet have always stayed away from because you don't have enough clarity. Attack it like you know exactly what to write. And guess what, you do know how to write it, you're just a scaredy cat. That's right. 

9. Realise your inner-critic has absolutely no jurisdiction over your life. What has it ever done? All it does is shout at you from some self-righteous position within your own brain. Tell it to go for a long walk. You can actually train yourself to listen to your inner-critic. You'll actually hear that voice in you that says, "you suck, you're a fraud, you have no talent", or maybe it's worse, maybe it says, "your parents were right, you're a waster, and your girlfriends that dumped you had the right idea too....". 

Stop and think for a minute. With that voice in your head, you'll never get any work done.

You have to understand that the inner-critic is there to save you from perceived threats, from embarrassing yourself. But when you're 89 and dead, you won't regret being embarrassed. But you will regret not writing a script because some bitch on Facebook thought you had no talent, and you'll regret not sending your script to a producer just because an inner voice said you're talentless. 

Get your act together and stop listening to that bullshit. It's nonsense. 

10. Take a moment to look around, breath; and realise that it's only screenwriting. It's make-believe, a bit of fun. 

11. If you're stuck on a particular script, then write some random scenes for fun. For example, if you're writing a tense FBI thriller; write a scene where your characters are at the zoo for no reason. When your FBI agents and detectives are taken out of their context, and find themselves at a zoo for no reason other than to look at penguins, you'll find yourself amused by them, and you'll see them in a different light. 

It doesn't have to be the zoo. It can be anywhere. Just take your characters out of the story and write a random scene for fun. 

12. Stop asking for people's opinions every five minutes. A lot of people out there will stop you from writing. Sometimes it's jealousy or competitiveness, but mostly it's because --- all people have different ideas. Writing is about having your own ideas, your own vision. EVERYONE THINKS THEY KNOW what a good story is, EVERYONE. Why? Nobody knows. But people will talk you out of anything. 

STEPHEN KING 

I want to write a story about two guys in a prison called Shawshank. It's about hope, and friendship.

BOB

I can't see how that would work.

STEPHEN KING

It'll be great. 

BOB 

No Stephen. A story needs something more interesting -- like a love interest, or maybe a conspiracy at the prison --- maybe, I know, maybe one of the inmates is a former boxer with a drug addiction who wants to join the CIA. 

This is what people are like! They're mental! They think your ideas suck. And even when they think they're good, they'll still offer suggestions! And these things throw you -- because some people can speak so authoritatively. 

Stop asking for opinions and get writing, get it done. 

13. Shut up. Sit down. Write. 

14. Write about the personal stuff. The insecurity you feel when you're around people who intimidate you, or the confidence you feel when you're doing what you love, or the heartbreaks you felt when people left you. I know that stuff is painful, but it's where the gold is. It's where you have to mine for insight. Your experiences are PERSONAL. They're YOUR OWN. But they're also universal. 

If you're not sharing who you really are, then you're not doing a good job. 

15. Get dumped. 

16. Dump someone. 

17. Dump someone. Get back with them. Dump them again. Get into an argument. Propose to them. Make them cry. Get beaten up by their family. 

All that stuff helps. Creativity comes from chaos. 

18. But you can't be your most creative in the midst of chaos. You need to find your place. Your room. Your ocean. Your garden. Wherever it is. You need to find your place where the omens are good, where the world says "Write, and be yourself!" Stop making excuses and make sure you go there to do your work. 

19. Come on, get off of Twitter. Leave Facebook alone. 

"@kidinfrontrow is five pages into my screenplay, YAY."

Who cares? No-one. Don't go for short and quick gratification. Save it for when you can say "I WROTE THE WHOLE BLOODY THING! YEAH!"

Social networks are a distraction. They have their purpose, sure, but they don't help you get into your imagination. Study after study has shown that these distractions stop us from focusing. Neuroscience has proved that we can't multitask, that it takes 25 minutes to refocus after a distraction. 

You can be the exception to the rule if you want, but instead I think you should shut out the distractions and focus on your writing. 

20. Think about dying. Will you say "I wish I had tweeted more", or maybe, "I wish I had done more browsing on the internet of a morning". Or will you wish you had spent more time on your passion, writing? 

21. Realise that your script doesn't have to be perfect. People get huge writers block due to perfectionism. Some of the most imperfect things can be perfect. The mistakes can resonate with people. Don't waste your time fearing it's not the best it can be. Just do what you can, then let go. 

22. Reconnect with an old friend. The one you haven't seen in seven years, who six months ago you emailed about catching up. There's something in those old friendships that, when you re-connect with them, they open up parts of you that you forgot about. There's something warm and exciting about rediscovering who you were and where you've come from. Again, this stuff is a Godsend, writing-wise. 

23. Read/Watch/Study your guilty pleasures. Because they're the things you really love. They hold the key to who you are and what you want to write about. 

24. Use a pen and paper. 

25. Go for a run. Do it regularly. It's good for your health, good for your memory, good for creative ideas, good in every single way. 

26. Get a pad and paper and just write. Write nonsense! Write anything. Just make sure words come out. It's like clearing out the trash --- eventually patterns will form, things will link up -- within the randomness, there'll be a message. 

27. Surround yourself with positive influences. Hang out with friends who love that you're a writer, watch YouTube videos of people who inspire you. Watch movies that you love. Have adventures with people who make you laugh. 

Writing is tough. It's hard work. It's gruelling and there will be so many things in the world that say "you're not good enough", and "you'll never make it!" You have to overcome these by yourself, but it helps to be surrounded by good people who believe in you. 

28. Figure out when you write the best. Is it early in the morning? Is it at night after everyone is asleep? Is it in the afternoon when you're fully awake? 

Think about your eating habits too. Does caffeine make you more, or less creative? Does pasta make you tired? Do you keep getting ideas after eating chocolate? 

Don't get too obsessed with this stuff, but look for patterns. 

29. Find your own voice. 

You do this by writing. A lot. 

And don't be afraid of your influences. Embrace them. You'll sound like them at first, but eventually you'll find your own way. It's all part of the journey. 

30. Realise it's a journey. A long and winding road, full of ups and downs. You have scripts you haven't written yet that will ABSOLUTELY SUCK.

But that's what it is to be a writer. 

Sometimes nobody believes in you, and your shitty writing proves them absolutely right. 

Until you get up again, write something new, and improve a little. 

Bit by bit, day by day. You keep writing. 

You keep finding your voice. 

Write, write, write. 

And enjoy it. Because, as I said, it's a journey.

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REJECTION Is A Sign That You're AIMING HIGH

People don't become writers or directors or actors to get paid. Sure, most of us see the end result as being one where we're paid handsomely for our talents. But it's not the driving force behind our choices. If it was, we'd be bankers. We're here because we want to do something that satisfies our souls. And I don't even know what a soul is or whether it exists; but there is definitely this place inside of you, or just outside of you, that soars to the skies when things goes well and empties you out cold when things go bad. It's a place you can't tangibly touch or feel, and you only ever feel it when your dreams get closer to you or further away. 

And it's not just about rejection and being accepted. It's not as simple as that. There are a million different places in between, and you never quite know where you're going to land. 

The rejection story of, 'you were their second choice!" sounds like a great achievement when you hear it, but when you're actually in that second place, the unchosen one, it's so painful. Because you're so so close to your dream, the thing you've worked throughout your whole life to get to, and they snatch it right away from you. After that, you're no longer in second place, you're back with everyone else, sitting at home wondering what you have to do to get back in the game. 

It's hard. It's really hard. It's not just about employment. It's about more than that. You can be happily employed and earning money when another opportunity comes along -- maybe an audition for a Broadway play, or a chance to get your movie made in LA--- and you can get so close to it. Somebody is reading your script, somebody is watching your audition tape---- you get closer and closer. 

And then they don't want you. 

If you get cast in the big Hollywood movie, or you get hired to write the BBC drama; you're set. At least for a while, you've nailed it, you've landed. Sometimes it's a drawn out process--- you're under consideration. They want you, but the producers might go with a known name, or the production company are considering another project instead --- they just keep you hanging there and hanging there. 

And then they take it away. It's just like that. 

There are no prizes for not being selected. You were second choice to write that movie? You would've been cast in that flick if Jude Law wasn't available? This stuff means nothing when it comes down to it. 

Of course, it does mean something. Ten years ago you'd never have dreamed of getting this close. It's like that famous quote about people quitting right around the time they're about to succeed. 

It's just that most people don't understand how hard it is to work in this industry; because every time: it's a risk. It never gets easier for an actor to walk into that audition room to impress strangers. And it's always terrifying when you hand your script over. You are putting your dreams into the hands of other people. You're saying "I'm an artist!" and they have the power to say "ummm, maybe, but we're gonna go with the other guy."

Often the job is perfect for you. The job was made specifically for YOU. But you don't get it. 

That's life. That's the movies. 

This is a common thing in the life of the actor. And this year I've discovered that it's pretty common for writers as well. I'm writing this blog post today because I think many of you who work in the industry will relate to it. And it's good to not feel alone right? It's good to remember that these heartbreaking rejections are a result of AIMING HIGH. You are doing everything you can to follow your dreams, and that's amazing. That's living!

Today; I didn't get the writing gig I was, I thought, destined for. And one of my best friends fucked up an audition that he was really keen on. I sent him a text a bit earlier tonight, saying that we're lucky. Because some people never experience these excruciating lows, because they're not even trying! They're not risking it! 

So we're going to sit around and mope for the rest of today. Maybe we can drag it out over the weekend. 

But by the time Monday arrives, we'll be chasing the dream again. 

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Creative Disturbances: Exploring the Other Side

What disturbs you the most? What is the thing you think about when you can't sleep at night?

A good way to look at your creativity is to look at what is occupying your thoughts. Even if you can't put words to it, what is the energy behind it?

Maybe you can't write because you have a strong and powerful inner critic, or maybe it's because you're feeling vague and confused.

Rather than disown these feelings, take a closer look at them. Maybe you struggle with strong people in your life, maybe it's authority that troubles you. Maybe that's what you need to write about.

Or maybe you're vague and confused, but that troubles you because you look down on being vague and confused.

All too often we search for creativity as if it's just across the street, just out of our reach, as if it'll turn up if we keep holding on. If only we could get out of our heads.

Perhaps the ghosts of all the writers and artists who died painful drug and drink induced deaths were just trying to get to that magic place on the other side of the road. The place just outside of themselves.

Maybe we just need to look closer at ourselves. Whatever we think we're meant to be doing to be creative, so often it's the opposite.

Are you busy and productive but keep hitting a brick wall? Maybe you need to be lazy and quiet!

Keep splitting your mind between tiny projects that drive you insane? Maybe you need to focus on the delayed gratification of one larger project.

Find yourself exhausted due to your wild ambitions? Maybe you need to want for nothing and sit in a comfortable chair.

Whatever you think is right, I bet the opposite is equally valid. In fact, it may be the one ingredient you're missing.

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A Pro Goes To The Track Alone

I'm reading 'Post Office', the Charles Bukowski novel. This bit really hit me. He's talking about trying to focus on the racing, when all the other men are focusing on the girl he's with.

"But fighting the wolves and the horses at the same time  was too much for me. I kept losing. A pro goes to the track alone. I knew that. But I thought maybe I was exceptional. I found out that I wasn't exceptional at all. I could lose my money as fast as anybody."

He's talking about the horses and gambling, but it resonated with me in a different way. I love that phrase. A pro goes to the track alone. What does he mean? In literature, we don't know what anyone means, we only know what we think it means (apologies if I just denounced English Literature studies in one sentence.)

It got me thinking about what it takes to make it in the film industry. I remember a big day for me: the day I decided to go to the cinema on my own for the first time. I know people who would never do that, because they'd feel like a social outcast. But if you're gonna direct or write or act, you need to go to the cinema on your own every chance you get. Because that's YOU, up on the screen. That's what you're about, it's what you're after, it's where you're going. The more you're there, the more you understand it. The more you get closer to who you are, the more you become a kid in the front row. 

Just to clarify, I'm not talking about doing everything yourself. Because you can't get anywhere without collaboration in this industry. I'm talking about an attitude. About getting up and saying "This is what I do! This is who I am!", and so often when you do that you have to stand alone, at least at first. 

Ahhh but you know, as I write this blog I feel the meaning slipping away from me. A pro goes to the track alone. The sentence means something to me that I can't put into words. When I do, it gets diluted. 

I think I'm talking about the focus that Ayrton Senna had to be a racing driver. Or the dedication that David Beckham had to stay after training when everyone else had gone home. There are certain things you have to do after everyone else has left the building. That's what defines you. When people leave the studio, you stay to work on the track for another hour. When everyone else is poking on Facebook, you're refining your script.

"The only thing that I see that is distinctly different about me is I'm not afraid to die on a treadmill. I will not be out-worked, period. You might have more talent than me, you might be smarter than me, you might be sexier than me. But if we get on the treadmill together, there's two things: You're getting off first, or I'm going to die. It's really that simple, right?"

-Will Smith

Come to think of it, the meaning of the line and where it has led me are completely different, but I'm happy with that. I'm more interested in the journey, in the associations rather than the actual definitions. That's why they told me I wouldn't be a writer in school, that's why I sucked when it came to my studies, because I didn't agree with the rules. 

I was in a lecture once and they started analysing a Chaplin film, saying that the way he walked across the bridge and approached a girl was symbolic or a metaphor or some nonsense. I told the lecturer that he was full of shit and ruining what I loved about films. I never studied films again, at least not in an academic setting. 

So I went to the track alone. 

And I'm enjoying the journey. 

If you want to be a pro, you have to do it your own way. 

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Get The Work Done Before You Arrive

"It takes twenty years to become an overnight success" -Eddie Cantor

The X Factor paradigm got it wrong. They made it about being 'discovered' and instantly succeeding. Sometimes it works, but then you have nothing to fall back on. You get defined by what you are once everyone knows your name. The chance to learn your craft and become an expert comes when you're in the wilderness, when no-one cares about you.

Being discovered isn't what you need. What you need is to become an expert, and you're better off on the outside. Look at sports, we stand in awe of the 19 year old geniuses, but then you find out they started playing football/basketball when they were 4, and it's the only thing they've ever cared about. In sport, you can't skip the hard work if you want to make it and sustain it.

It's a journey. Look at your writing or acting or directing from five years ago. We improve. But remember five years ago when you were desperate to be discovered... Did you deserve it? No way!

Stop worrying about 'making it'. Instead focus on becoming so good that you're unstoppable. Talent is great and you're privileged to have it, but it doesn't mean anything.

Some people stand out. Let's take actors; there are thousands doing the rounds, auditioning and fighting to make it. Very occasionally you meet one who just HAS IT. That's a natural thing, a fluke, luck, who knows. They have that thing that people thought was "special" when they were young, and they believed it and followed their dreams.

That's the easy part. The hard part comes next: putting the work in. Someone with the spark, who couples it with dedication, is irresistible. And I mean dedication to their development, not to 'success'.Talent comes naturally, but expertise is for the select few who have the dedication to achieve it.

When you get 'discovered', whatever that means, make sure you're prepared. When a director is rude to you, or a producer demands you nail the script in one draft, you need the tools to handle it. They come from experience, from learning, from challenging yourself. Even the task of going to an audition can take years to master. But after you've been doing it for ten years you learn how to play the game and you learn how to be yourself.

I am seeing this time and again with my peers. We're reaching a period of accomplishment, based on experience, on putting the years in. Those failed projects, those nightmare meetings, those awful scripts, they MEANT SOMETHING!

The thing you think is your big break probably isn't, but it is part of the journey. Don't look to The X Factor for how the world works, the winners may get famous and make some money but they're ultimately meaningless. You just wish those shows had been about nurturing talent rather than making money.

With success, comes rules and deadlines and personalities that are difficult to navigate. The period prior to success is your playground, a chance to discover who you are and where you want to go. Follow your fascinations, work hard, and become an expert in your niche. You'll be unstoppable. Knowledge is power. Yes, this is an art form, but you can shorten the odds on creating great work by doing the unexpected: you can dedicate yourself to nurturing your own talent.

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JOHN WESLEY SHIPP - Actor Interview

JOHN WESLEY SHIPP is known to most international audiences for his heartwarming portrayal of Mitch Leery in the hit show 'DAWSON'S CREEK'. He has been working consistently as a screen actor for over thirty years, and when you get to know him, it's obvious to see why. The level of passion and commitment he has for his work is rare and inspiring. I hope you have the time to read the whole interview, because his views on creativity, rejection, and criticism are poignant. John's recent work includes playing 'Eddie Ford' on the show 'ONE LIFE TO LIVE', and you will soon be able to see him in the independent film 'HELL AND MR. FUDGE'. 

What advice can you give to upcoming actors, that can't be found in books and on courses?

I haven't read all of the books on acting, but for me, the only way I have managed to have any peace at all is to prize the WORK over THE BUSINESS. The business will make you crazy, and we have people who take care of that --agents and so forth-- but THE WORK is the reason to be an actor, love of the work.  Making it about that has kept me on target. And I have witnessed actors blown off target by getting it wrong.

Another bit of advice that my first acting teacher gave his class:  If you can be happy doing anything else, go do it;  the statistics are NOT in your favor. But if you have the fire in your belly, then you really have no other choice than to commit. That's why I love reading about the Impressionist's period in French art.... SO PASSIONATE about the work... the doing of which was everything.

And this is true whether you are doing a Tony Award Winning Drama on Broadway (Dancing at Lughnasa, which I was privileged to do) or soaps. I received one of the highest compliments of my career walking in LA shortly after completing my Douglas Cummings stint on 'As The World Turns':  a teacher from the Strasberg Institute stopped me and said, "We just used you, today, as an example of how The Work can be done anywhere, anytime, under any circumstances". You don't have to wait to be accommodated by atmosphere or medium to do The Work. This last gig on 'One Life To Live';  I worked as hard on that, and treated it with as much respect as any primetime or theatre piece or film I have ever done. And I have a film coming out in July, 'Hell and Mr. Fudge' -- a low budget indie, off of which I made very little money, but in which I believe will be some of my best work to date.  And I am very excited by that.

'Mitch Leery,' was the type of character who could have so easily been cheesy, or cliche; but you managed to find the perfect tone and keep him believable. What was it like playing Dawson's Dad?

I have been fortunate to work with good writers;  Douglas Marland in daytime, Kevin Williamson in Dawson's. At the time, the tone of that piece was unlike anything on TV. Later on, with so many rip-offs, etc, and this is true of anything that achieves that level of pop culture success, it became a bit of a joke for a while, didn't it?  I think we are coming through that now, and appreciation of especially the first couple of years, when we were the "critically acclaimed Dawson's Creek" is resurfacing.

You know, I have played superheros and psychopaths..  Mitch was something of an innocent in some ways, don't you think?

He was, definitely. But that's fascinating on screen, like in life, because it's so rare to come across right? It's who we wish we were and think we are, then every night we go to bed realising we are not Jimmy Stewart!

I mean, he left broadcasting to pursue his aquatic themed restaurant, loved his son, his wife, was blind-sided by her affair..... there was a degree of idealism in Mitch.

I mostly tried to find his heart, which was apparent most of the time..... all I had to do was be on set with Mary-Margaret and James --both of whom I adored-- and play the moments as simply and truthfully as I could. There was no artifice in Mitch. He was who he was. I think maybe --and this is very daring-- Mitch pretty much was who you saw. I mean by daring; critics want layers and don't trust sincerity. Well, the character was pretty damned sincere, and I tried to honor that by playing him with as much sincerity as I could muster, knowing that I was opening myself to criticism by those with a more cynical world viewpoint, the criticism of say, naivete, or over-simplification..... that Mitch's lack of artifice would somehow rub off on me, and I would be accused of one or two dimensional acting.

What I loved about Mitch was that I got to play this basically really good guy, with this good heart, making mistakes, adjustments, not immune to anger.... but who really loved his family and his life. In the penultimate episode in which Mitch and Gale are watching Dawson play with Lilly in the yard, Mitch displays  extraordinary self-understanding and acceptance which one might not think he had, but he says "I have this wonderful family" and goes on to say that he might never write a poem or make a movie that will change the world....but that that's okay with him, because he knows he has a son who 'some day WILL DO THAT." That scene for me sums up who Mitch Leery was. A disarming degree of self-awareness and acceptance of the circumstances of his life and his role in it at that moment, that I think the most complex among us wish we had.

I think it's interesting to ask about the rejection you face, as an actor, along with the criticism that you get for the work you do -which you've hinted at- how do you approach and handle it? Does it get easier with more experience?

To paraphrase a great singer on singing:  Handling rejection is never easy; it becomes possible! I have had a lot of affirmation in my career. Early on, a lot of it was because of my looks, specifically my body.... you know, Guiding Light, speedos and 'You Needed Me!'. But even then, I was digging, trying to get at something honest, something pure, something that would engage and communicate the inner world of the audience.

I think this urge was implanted in me as a young musician, learning to play piano at age five, then concert organ in my early teens.  I was fortunate to have Max Smith as my teacher in my early teens. He recognized in me a desire for meaning, and he fed that with the repertoire he chose for me to study and play.... always looking for the reason behind a phrase.... WHY were THESE NOTES put together IN THIS PHRASE, AT THIS POINT in the music..... what was the composer trying to get at? Always these were the questions.

It continued as an opera theatre major at Indiana University, where I studied voice with Jean Deis and Walter Cassel (who sang Scarpia to Callas' Tosca at the Met in 1958 and was Horace Tabor in the premier recording of THE BALLAD OF BABY DOE with Beverly Sills, and Wagner with Birgit Nilsson..), with a minor in piano, which meant I was working with grad students whose focus was art. In classical music, there was this knowledge that we were studying music that was, as Maurice Boyd once put it, too great to be played, or sung. Performed in other words. And it was this indoctrination into a feeling that what we were doing as performers had social significance. I'll never forget Kate Nelligan's performance in PLENTY on Broadway.... it was a life changing experience.... I saw it three times. THIS was what we were after.... and I think I carried that into whatever I did. Naively? Certainly. But I'm not sorry.

I recently received a Google alert about a little firestorm that resulted on a blog, about me having said that LA attacks my self-esteem in an interview. Well, I was pulled into seeing what the comments were... and I even broke the rule.... I commented. Well, when you go snooping around on the Internet to find out what people are saying about you, you better gird your loins so to speak, because a lot of it is going to be complimentary, gracious and kind, and some of it will be indifferent (the worst!). And some of it will be cruel. I suppose you learn to filter out the cruel, I respond to criticism in which people I think have misunderstood my intent. Like with Eddie Ford on 'One Life To Live'. One complaint was that I was not what was expected in a soap opera villain, that I was even at times "unintentionally funny", which is about the highest praise you can get I guess, when you are playing something for humor. Well, my instinct is to engage the criticism and the conversation --surprising to fans sometimes, they don't think it's me at first.    But I usually have a very strong reason for the choices I make and I don't mind --not defending them exactly-- but explaining them.

But, yes, when you do what you think is an awesome audition and you hear nothing, that's hard.  Also, my first manager in LA --Hank McCann-- gave me a very important piece of advice when I went to tackle the role of FLASH which was so physically demanding and the hours so long and days to nights and back.....he saw that I was really working too hard, and worrying too much about every little detail of my performance...

And he said, "John, in series television, if you score in 40% of the role, you will be considered a fine actor.  So pick your moments. A season is 22 episodes long; don't wear out by episode 3."  Ha! It kind of took the pressure off.  And I was pleased to see how well received the acting was by the critics.... I mean, for a superhero/sci fi show whose bread and butter was special effects, I was singled out for some high praise in my execution of Barry Allen.  So, you hold onto that and keep going.

What's really apparent to me, especially today with your answers; is how much passion you have for TV, theater, film, music-- and for me, that is such a key thing, because people think that success as an actor just comes by luck, or by chance. But I've always believed it's about doing the groundwork, putting the hours in, surviving through the struggle. I mean, this all started when you were playing the piano at age FIVE! That's when your curiosity began for the arts. This interview is for 'Kid In The Front Row' - so I guess my question at the end of all that is, do you see a link between who you are now as an actor, and where you were as a five year old learning to play the piano?

I mean, I was five, so obviously, knew nothing.... but the reason I was given piano lessons so early was because I was drawn to it. Whatever it is that is communicated through sound, as a child I wanted to make that sound. And I had to first learn my ABC's which my piano teacher taught me, so she could teach me the keys!

She took me on with some reservation, she had never had so young a student before, but she would give it a whirl, yes?

And I demonstrated an affinity for making music. Recently someone said to me, "You live out your life  between a fierce desire for independence -- of thought, expression, and an almost desperate desire to connect, to be understood." Another friend once observed after I said something, I guess, self-revealing--"You say what you really think and feel, even when it would be in your best interest if you didn't."Ha!

This connects somehow.  There is this wide-eyed boy at the piano on which he has previously only banged and made noise, submitting himself to the discipline of theory and practice, because he wants to be heard. Listen, I am suffering under no delusion that I am a GREAT actor--- I could have been, I believe, a great musician, but that is another story of how I diverged from that path (laughs)--nor am I the smartest person on the planet, but I try, as best I can, to be true to certain values of communication, what's important, why stand on a stage and expose yourself to all kinds of public judgement in the only career at which everyone is an expert haha!

John, I think you underestimate your wisdom and expertise when it comes to what you do.

I know I'm a good actor, at times even a fine actor. But GREAT is a category reserved for the very few.

I have tried to keep at the forefront the reason for doing it.... that if you are honest and do your work, you WILL in my experience sound a chord which will set up a sympathetic vibration in some others, and they respond by telling you ways in which you have influenced their lives, or given them hope, or made them understand something about themselves or their situation from an angle they hadn't previously considered, or simply made them laugh, or presented them with an object on which to vent their scorn ha!   Something... there will be a response. And I guess this is where the "almost desperate desire to connect" comes in.

You know, I appear at conventions from time to time. And it amazes me how mechanically some actors go through that process. There is this outpouring of support and gratitude and admiration..... there is even the occasional person who goes by you and says loud enough for you to hear, "I have NO idea who THAT is." Ha! In other words, there is this outpouring of human energy coming at you.  WHY would you sit there and not engage? I mean it's exhausting HAH! but sometimes it's like it's the only thing that makes sense. I don't know how to explain that.  And I don't mean just at conventions.

You know there is only ever a split second at a time of satisfaction.

Someone expresses interest in you for a role. Great. Maybe you have to audition, maybe you don't. If you do, you immediately engage the preparation with the accompanying anxiety that audition brings. Then you sweat that out, and you get the part...... there is one split second of joy, before the obligation of fulfilling the expectations of the job --mostly your own-- fill you with anxiety. Will I be good enough? Will I like what I do? You find your choices, you become invested in them. And you commit, this can bring you a lot of praise, but also cause conflict when what you've found doesn't match someone else's preconception. Then you balance the strength of your commitment to your choice against,  again, the desire to connect, to please, to win approval, and if it's important enough, you stick to your guns. Then you do it, you wait with anxiety for the reaction, your own reaction, and maybe you and others like it. A sigh of relief. And then you wonder what will be next and the process repeats itself. I know, right now, that I am being as honest in my answers to your thought-provoking questions as I can be. I also have a sense of dissatisfaction at my ability to communicate in this way what I think. I also know that some readers will read it and go, "Oh what a load of shit" or simply put it down and not read it. Others might find something to relate to. You know, it's the same in acting/singing. You show up. You do your work. You try, if you care, not to let the judgement and cynicism of others shut down your instrument, nor the praise too.

That is such an incredible answer which I relate to strongly.

I don't know how that relates to my being five, except... sophistication be damned... I choose to show up, wide open, and learn the friggin alphabet so I can play the instrument.

My wonderful voice teacher, Mahon Bishop, in NYC, we were working on a piece, Mahler I think, the first of the Kindertotenlieder.... at at one point he stopped and said the most amazing thing: "And that's why you labor and labor and labor to understand YOUR INSTRUMENT.  So that when I get to a phrase like (he sang, it could apply to the delivery of a line as well) I am free to do what I need to do.  You can like it?  Or not.  I am free to do what I need to do." That about sums it up, I think.

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Creative Stuckness, Continued..

TONJA: For me, it's just family, the mommy-gig, getting in the way finding time to write and keeping up my momentum on writing projects. On the other hand, the pressure of having only a few hours a week to write definitely moves me forward. I don't waste those hours.

Tonja, first of all; it sounds like you're doing really well! For so many, the 'Mommy-gig' is the death of their writing pursuits. "I would have been a writer but...", or "When the kids grow up, then maybe I'll...".

You should give yourself a huge pat on the back for still being a part of the game! You write when you can, you read sites like these that are linked to your work. Do you give yourself the credit you deserve for all this?

The hardest thing for nearly all writers, is discipline. It seems that you have it, because you know your writing time is precious and short. Maybe try and develop that a bit more -- try to find a time of day, or certain day of the week, when you'll focus your energy on the writing, and then dedicate yourself to it. 

But it sounds like you're doing better than you think. 

BRUCE: I'm getting more ideas lately for things to write about but I have a problem with getting distracted. If I can just finish this level on a game I'm playing. If I can finish this movie I started watching last night. 

The real problem is I need to commit to sitting down to write more often and I'd like an editor to go over my work. I'm too wordy and I need help getting my point out in a shorter fashion. HELP!

Bruce, I totally get this. 

Firstly, the distractions. Allow yourself to be distracted! Say "This next hour will be for the distractions!" --- indulge in it... watch half a movie, flick around on Facebook, snack on food, text your friends, do all that nonsense; but do it willingly and happily, not guiltily, not like you should be doing better. This is your NONSENSE TIME! 

Also, find time to relax! Turn everything off and listen to your favourite album or watch a film you love, but dedicate yourself to completing it. NO DISTRACTIONS FROM IT, even if it's painful. Even if your brain begs you. Get through it. 

Have some NOTHING time. Sit in a room, put a countdown alarm on for ONE HOUR. Sit, breath, think. DO NOT write, do NOT record any ideas you have, no matter how good they are (during this nothing time, even writing ideas are distractions!). 

---- And, as a separate exercise; have your writing time, your creativity time. Dedicate yourself to seeing it through, do not succumb to distractions. 

The reason for all these different things I've mentioned? We get CAUGHT up in ambition so much so that we refuse to rest. We NEED rest, so we keep trying to rest and be distracted. But whenever we do, we feel guilty, so we force creativity. It doesn't last long, because we're so TIRED!. 

We need to dedicate to each stage of creative life. CREATIVITY, REST, NONSENSE, etc -- they all play a part! Do each of them CONSCIOUSLY and purposefully. 

Neuroscience is proving that the brain follows patterns of behaviour, habits. If we have a habit of getting distracted, we'll keep doing it and doing it and nothing will change.

Break that pattern. Decide what to do, consciously, and stick to it, see it through. The more you do, the easier it'll get. 

DANIEL: Ok, for me it's that I've got loads of writing, which I really WANT to do and am doing, but I also feel I OUGHT to be making short films (which I don't feel passionate about doing right now). So I am worried that if I just carry on with the writing and don't do any directing for a bit, I'll 'miss out' on some directing practice.

Who is the voice of this 'OUGHT'? Is it the wisdom you've heard from a director you admire, or a screenwriting book you read? Why does this voice have so much authority? Question it! And then see what resonates with you. You could make fifty films but how good will they be if you don't know how to write good scripts? Learning comes from all places, it's all relevant and valid. If your juice is getting going for the writing, then do the writing! 

Before you know it, the directing bug will be back and you'll do three short films in a month or something crazy like that. Go where the river is flowing! 

DONNA: Oh wow, there's a lot. I think all artists go through dry spells, not sure there's any real "cure" for that, other than time, patience and willpower. For me it's lack of focus and my own insecurities. When I finally do sit down and write, I keep going back over it tweaking and trying to make it better until I convince myself it's not good at all.

Dry spells would be fine, if only we'd be okay with them. Instead we fight them and get grumpy and think about quitting. Enjoy the process!

Lack of focus is a big one. I think it's often linked to what I wrote about BRUCE'S problem, about the mind being in too many places at once. You often need to step away to get focus, indulge in the things that are affecting your clarity. 

The important thing with writing; is to get the thing written! Go full steam ahead and save the criticism for much later. There's no rule that says your 1st draft must be golden. It's allowed to be awful! You've just to get to the other side, get through it. Otherwise you'll keep re-wording and re-drafting forever and ever. 

Insecurities affect every artist I know, whether they're starting out with short films or directing Hollywood blockbusters. It's part of being creative. If you're not insecure, your art probably isn't that interesting. 

Make sure you remind yourself of your successes. Of how you're better prepared and qualified than you were two years ago, or ten years ago. Creativity is a process that takes time, it has many ups and downs, we just need to hold on to why we started a project and why we want to finish. 

Re: convincing yourself it's no good at all. Compared to what? Compared to your favourite writing? Compared to what you think you're capable of? Or compared to what a friend/parent/partner thinks? Figure out who you're writing for, who the judge is (in your mind), then tell them to back off! It's just writing, it's art, and we only write well when there's an element of fun and energy to it. 


Go Where The River Is Flowing! My new catchphrase!

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Creativity in the Digital Age: The Currency Of Expertise

The film industry used to be very exclusive. It was run by a select few. They still want it to remain this way, but things are changing. The Internet came along, and DV tape, and cracked software, and DSLR cameras, and Twitter, and streaming, and a million different things that put the tools into the hands of the people.

The problem with enabling everyone to make films, is that everyone makes films! We get flooded with material, and most of it is terrible.

A big problem with art in this era is how people perceive success. I talk to teenagers who want to be Hip Hop artists, they talk about driving big cars and 'making it to the top' when they 'get discovered'. They think It's about the attitude and the bling. They think they'll get discovered and someone will pay for everything and make them rich and famous.

"There are potentially more talented writers and directors than I working in shoe stores and Burger Kings across the nation; the difference is I was willing to put in the nine years of effort and they weren't."

-Frank Darabont

If you have talent, you're lucky. If you think it entitles you to anything, you're crazy. I know talented writers whose screenplays are terrible. I know very good actors whose performances don't quite work. The thing you need to realise is that being an artist takes time, it's about longevity, business-wise and talent-wise.

Every success or failure helps prepare you. Those who've been at it a long time naturally build a wisdom, a gravitas. We improve. 

That being said, it's not just enough to be in the game. You have to be passionate and you have to be pushing yourself. Expertise in filmmaking comes when you are consistently producing work, watching movies, and striving to improve. When you look back at the early work of your biggest influences, you can see them working towards becoming who they'd end up being. If you look at Tom Hanks in 'Bosom Buddies,' and then in 'Splash,' and 'Big,' and then on to 'Philadelphia' and after that look at 'Saving Private Ryan,' you see the growth of a performer. Yet, it didn't start with Bosom Buddies. It started when he was much younger, studying and working in the theatre. He found something he loved, and he worked at it. It took years,  as it always does.

Anyone can pick up a camera and make a bad movie. It takes perseverance to make a lot of them, to learn to adapt and fine tune your skills. We get too caught up in the Spielberg story; about a kid who snuck into the studios when he was 17 and took over the industry. That may have been true, but you shouldn't cling on to that tale. I've been on low-budget shoots where an actor has talked about their aspirations, but done it in a way where they're putting down the small film they're on, because they believe they're destined for greatness, that this is just a stop gap. But what is greatness? For me, some of the best moments of greatness come from the tiniest of films. Art appears everywhere, at any time, and in 2012 (and beyond), one single camera and an actor, filming down your street, may be enough to produce something of brilliance.

It could also be terrible. It probably will be terrible. Why? Because everybody can produce work now. Ever met a 22 year old with a film idea? They speak with certainty that it's a great concept, absolutely masterful. They get much quieter after the final edit, or after the first screening -- because they realise how tough it is to do good work.

With Social Networks, we are inundated with people's projects. They suffocate us. Nobody cares about your project at first, because they only have time for greatness! It's like when someone sends you something on Facebook, you resist clicking on it, you read maybe two lines, or watch ten seconds.

Most things that come our way are a waste of time. Life is filled with the irrelevant. But if you are amazing, people will pay attention. However; AMAZING doesn't just drop out of the sky, it isn't an accident, it's the result of a commitment you make to producing great work, to not leaving things unfinished, to stretching yourself to work with new collaborators.

In the age of Twitter, averageness suffers. Ten years ago it was easier to do something mildly okay and get a bit of attention. Now the information flows much quicker. There's an endless stream, and people respond only  to greatness, uniqueness, brilliance. And they love when things are heartfelt and resonate. The Internet truly is democratising art; we're getting more choice, and the big corporations who owned our entertainment don't hold the power they once did. The show 'Arrested Development' is coming back. It was a small, unsuccessful (ratings-wise) comedy sitcom. The show's fans were obsessive, because they knew it was magic -- a once every thirty years kind of thing. The fans pestered the creator and actors and producers, every chance they got. Jason Bateman and Michael Cera went on to star in big films, but at every press junket or Q+A, the people would always ask "When is Arrested Development coming back?". This has happened because of the Internet; because the audiences have more power now, and because people prefer Netflix over the TV networks. The show reached greatness. Not by the old paradigm of ratings and advertising revenue, but by the fact that it made people fanatical. It reached their hearts and they demanded its return.

Focus on expertise. Get better at what you do. Don't look for success or your big break. Look to improve. Find your uniqueness and work on it. That thing people like about what you do; make it truly your own and master it. Look at Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Diablo Cody, the Duplass Brothers; they're not successful because they found luck. They're successful because they've been at it for years. Kristen Wiig didn't appear suddenly on SNL and in 'Bridesmaids', she put in the groundwork for years and years, and now she's a stand out comedienne, there's no-one like her.

The Internet is flooded with content, and as a result: no-one cares about your work. The media dumbed us down and convinced us to watch crap for a lot of years. It's fair to say, as a culture, we lost our way a bit. It convinced us as artists that the key is marketing, branding, being noticed.

Turns out the key is expertise. People will clamber to work with you if you know what you're doing. Work towards excellence, not celebrity or money; because the world is becoming impervious to advertising, we're starting to think for ourselves again - we want to see and be a part of greatness.

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