“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But, it ain’t how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done. Now, if you know what you’re worth, then go out and get what you’re worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you are because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain’t you. You’re better than that!”

Getting a film to market must be one of the toughest challenges in the world. Competing on the world stage is overwhelming. Going up against all the big budget Hollywood films is a monster exercise. Getting an indie film released in the USA must one the hardest things you could ever try to do; now imagine getting a non-American indie film out there – wow, talk about a big mountain to climb! Yes, competing in the arts is not easy: there are very few winners and lots and lots of losers.

When you go to a cinema or a book shop or a CD store, you don’t ask to see the international products or the local stuff, etc. You simply want to check out what’s hot – you want the best. Your leisure time is precious. Simply put, you don’t want to waste your time with something that is average or mediocre. Then, consider that South Africa is not a big film going country – it is not a big part of our culture. Sports, on the other hand, is all everyone talks about. So, how then does one get a local film to stand out? The chances of success are slim in the film business at best. And when it comes to SA films, well, it is even more difficult. Then, when you consider how low the cinema ticket prices are here compared to the rest of the world, and all the other factors, well, you have better odds just going to a casino (financially speaking that is).

I love storytelling, and the creative process, and inspiring people, and capturing imaginations, and magic. But if your business is that of storytelling, then it needs to be sustainable (like for any other business). If we keep losing money in our local film industry then we will eventually hit a brick wall. Yes, yes, I am stating the obvious, but we see the vast majority of our local movies losing every cent so I am confused. Perhaps there is no brick wall. Perhaps there is just endless money to burn. I certainly don’t get it.

If life/comedy/magic is about “timing”, then choreography is the art of making “timing” look impromptu when it actually has been planned (where timing = knowing when to do the sleight, body movement, ask question, make joke, etc.). I’d attribute at least 50% of how my close-up magic “works” to choreography – the art of making timing look effortless (when it is actually planned). – Marcel Oudejans

The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery. – Winston Churchill

Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind. – Dr. Seuss

Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. – Lou Holtz

Have you ever been involved in a low-budget film adventure? The most common question you get asked is about the favours you pulled in to get it done. I have been involved in a few of these inspired journeys and I can tell you this has nothing to do with favours. It is a combination of lessons learned, careful planning, a solid vision, and most importantly, it is a function of good people. They say ideas move mountains, but the truth is, people move mountains. You don’t need a lot of money to write a book, compose a song, shoot a film or develop software. You need inspiration and many late nights.

One has to be in start-up mode to attack a challenge like this. It is guerrilla style film making and here is the rulebook :

No catering
No chairs
No portable toilets
No drivers
No trailers
No parking
No cellphone allowance
No assistants
No attitudes
No nonsense
No offices

And here is the methodology :

Plan, plan plan
Triple check all details
One week off, one week on
Triple check everything again
Find closest McDonald’s (toilets)
Find closest garage (coffee and food)
Find grass patch (chairs)
Back-up all footage
Pray for good weather
Have fun, take chances

Making a movie takes time. The film shoot though is the quickest part. First you got to have a vision. Then a script needs be developed. This is easier said than done. A good script can take a lifetime. A mediocre script can take a month. Then you got to plan the production. The longer you plan, the better. In fact, if you never shoot the movie you will be ahead. Ok ok, that sounds crazy, but consider that there is a 1 in 20 chance an independent film will work. So, if you want to win this game the best bet is not to play. Planning, planning and more planning. And then it starts: lights, camera, action! All through this, with a handful of crew.

After the shoot ends the long, tough stuff, begins, Yes, the edit. This is where the dream is made or broken. This is where opinions clash, chirps fly in every direction, and tempers flare. If you survive this part the next thing to do are screen tests. You got to have nerves of steel to listen to other people criticize your work, but that is the name of the game. You make a product, that no one has asked for, that no one really needs, and then you see if anyone is prepared to recommend it to their friends.

There is a big difference between making a film (production) and selling a film (the film business); just like there is a big difference between writing software and selling software. Yes, then starts the real work, distribution and marketing.

Not an easy thing to get right at all. In my view, nothing is harder.

A company’s core purpose is the organisation’s fundamental reason for being. I know, you think that it is all about money. If it is, then why not have a mission statement that goes “We exist to make money”. Doesn’t sound that inspiring does it? And I know I have probably written this same piece a dozen times in various forms, but this is a subject that one has to re-visit often. And it is something that can take a lifetime to absorb.

The world is so cynical and so aggressive that it is not easy to get people’s spiritual juices stirred up. That’s why I love writing these kinds of things. The challenge has never been greater. No one has any time on their hands to think about the bigger picture. Everyone is so busy scheming and dealing, trying to get to their hands on the next million smackers. Yes, to inspire people to think about the “fundamentals” is not easy. So, let’s jump right in. Here are some examples of core purpose from some of the world’s visionary corporations. Read these over and over.

Hewlett-Packard’s purpose: To make technical contributions for the advancement and welfare of humanity. Merck’s purpose: To preserve and improve human life. Disney’s purpose: To make children smile. Wal-Mart’s purpose: To give ordinary folk the chance to buy the same things as rich folk. Sony’s purpose: To experience the joy of advancing and applying technology for the benefit of the general public. McKinsey’s purpose: To help leading corporations and governments be more successful. Marriott’s purpose: To make people away from home feel they’re among friends and really wanted. General Electric’s purpose: To improve the quality of life through technology and innovation.

I think you get the idea (you can read the book “Built to Last” for more insight here). A company exists to do something beyond just making a profit. A company is formed by a group of people who share a common vision and have common values. They ultimately want to leave a legacy. They want to make a difference in the world. They want to do the things they love to do. History has taught us that all the great companies, the real companies, the visionary ones, are those that were built as a labour of love.

If business is all about making money then each one of these great companies could have just added the words “make money” after the word “to” as in, “Our purpose is to make money.” Then all these companies would be the same. Rather boring isn’t it? Hey, what I am saying is simple. Even if money is the centre of your world then lie about it. You are not going to inspire anyone to work for you, over you, under you, with you, in fact, anywhere near you if you only talk about money. And who knows, you might even start believing that your life has more meaning if you start thinking about making a difference to other peoples’ lives. In the book, Built to Last, the author’s say “An effective purpose reflects the importance people attach to the company’s work – it taps into their idealistic motivations – rather than just describing the organizations output or target customers. It captures the soul of the organization.”.

How does one know what they were put on this Earth for? Every person has God-given talents. Every person has something inside them that they love doing. We all love to talk and express ourselves. This is what makes us human beings. We all have passions. When passion becomes purpose and purpose becomes passion then the wonderful becomes familiar and the familiar wonderful. In other words, when you do what is in your heart then real happiness follows. Merck was a doctor. Disney was a child at heart. Hewlett and Packard loved technology. And so it goes for the founders of these great institutions. The problem in this day and age is that all too often we only see are the end results of their years of commitment to what they believed in. Life is a journey. So don’t focus on the destination.

I often make use of this quote from the founders of the Merck pharmaceutical giant. I think we should have a look at it again. George Merck II made a speech in 1950 to his management where he explores their reason for being, “We try to remember that medicine is for the patient. We try never to forget that medicine is for the people. It is not for the profits. The profits follow, and if we have remembered that, they have never failed to appear. The better we have remembered it, the larger they have been.” Merck’s wisdom describes the relationship between purpose, trust and profit. Merck never said he never liked or disliked money. He simply stated that money is not what his company is about. Merck saves people’s lives with medicine. And the more they do that the more people trust them to do it time and time again. And the more people trust them the more they spent on Merck’s medicines. And the rest is history. Merck and his son were passionate about medicine. And their labour of love resulted in the world conspiring to reward them. They made a positive difference in the world. A difference that people respected and rewarded.

Greed is what motivates so many people these days. The world is obsessed with money. Merck’s speech was made well over 60 years ago but it’s really way ahead of its time. Merck represents the qualitative view on life; the paradoxical yet genius view that one can make a difference AND make a profit. Too many people are trapped by the tyranny of the “OR”, the quantitative view that one can make a difference OR make a profit. Merck never said anything against profit making. But then he never said anything for it either. He simply said that saving life was their core purpose. And the more they are true to that purpose the more the world rewards them. I know it is easy for us to look at companies like Merck and cynically say, “They got lucky” because we only focus on the wealth they have created – we do not see the journey they went on, only the destination. Yes, luck always play a role in everything we do. But more than luck, we need faith, and we need patience. Always try and remember that a journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.