When do you know you should give up?

L

LDS

I want to be an actor and I also like making films. People I work with say I am good at both acting and film making. But... The only acting I do is in my own short films, I did act for couple of my friends, never for strangers. My short films hardly get 1000 views on YouTube, while other guys' films get at least 500.000 views

4 years of doing it and I am still struggling, whenever I film something, it's because I wrote it. When I film music videos, that's because they're either for free with no budget or couple of £100's with no budget

A friend of mine makes videos on youtube and gets 20.000 views in couple of weeks.

I am talking about youtube because that's where I know if something works, if short film gets several hundreds of thousands views, that means people like it and share it. Nobody ever shared my films lol

I am also struggling getting a simple job at production company even as a runner. My portfolio doesn't seem to satisfy anyone in a professional world

All I hear is "oh you're good" and I am tired of that because nothing that I make actually succeeds so... How do I know when to move on?
 
(typing on phone so excuse anything it autocorrect....)

At the end of my first month of film school my teacher decided to take the last moments as our teacher to address us as a fellow filmmaker. He tackled the topic of failing to break into the industry.

He said that the only way to fail as a filmmaker is to give up. If we're working at McDonald's for years on end, we haven't failed until our Sundays have ceased being about filmmaking.

Take that how you want.
 
One question about acting:
do you ever reply to casting calls?
Did you ever post somewhere (like a messageboard for actors/models/filmmakers/photographers) you are available as actor?

I'm also trying to get that 50,000 views in a week short on youtube, but I won't give up.
I'll just go on.
 
WalterB said:
One question about acting:
do you ever reply to casting calls?
Did you ever post somewhere (like a messageboard for actors/models/filmmakers/photographers) you are available as actor?

I'm also trying to get that 50,000 views in a week short on youtube, but I won't give up.
I'll just go on.
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hmmmmmmmm




HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

lol

I think for the past 2 years I concentrated so much on making my own films and youtube stuff that I forgot about that "apply for role" part.... :cool:


But I do have spotlight (in the UK it is the MUST HAVE for professional actors), over a year ago I did have an audition in front of Kate Dowd (casting director of films like World War Z (Brad Pitt), Pirates of the Caribbean (Johnny Depp) etc...) but I didnt get the part... Cuz of my accent (I'm Polish in the UK so... you know = TOUGH) :grumpy:
 
Echoing others' sentiments, so I'm just going to leave this here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fORG3YSfCzM
 
When do you know you should give up?
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When you lose passion, drive and desire. Basically, when you don't want to do it anymore. Are you at that point yet?

Who knows, maybe you should keep as an amateur or step up your game.

As GA said, views has more to do with marketing than film making. Is their stuff any better than yours?
 
I forgot about that "apply for role"
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umm, are you expecting people to come out of the woodwork and beg you to act in their production?

There's a whole bunch of questions. Do you network. Do you have a fanbase. Do you work towards building your fanbase as an actor? If so, how is that going and so on...
 
Well, we do hear about actors, as well as others for various reasons, learning to speak with a different accent to get jobs. Many Australian and British actors, for example, learn to speak with an American accent in order to get jobs in the American market. It might be a prudent professional move for you to learn to speak with a UK accent...just for your acting work, you know. It's not like Hugh Jackman goes around speaking like an American all the time.

But I'm under the impression that this is not uncommon for actors to do. You might even get a voice coach, if you can afford one, if they are available. Maybe a friend could help coach you out of friendship. I realize there are many different accents throughout the UK. So I'm guessing that you'd want to learn the one that most roles call for, whatever that is.

I have no advice and certainly no wisdom on the question of when does one give up. I don't know. I'm clueless, myself. But, if you love it or even like it, you should probably not give up. On the other hand, maybe there is another love out there for you. Or maybe you don't do it for love or for like. Maybe you only want a career, a profession. There again I'm clueless. But I'm rooting for ya.

Without assuming that filmmaking actually qualifies as an art form (or that it doesn't), and without assuming that for you it is an artistic pursuit...as opposed to a purely professional or hobbyist one, I'm always glad to recommend one of my favorite books, Art & Fear.

Come to think of it, it hasn't kept me from quitting things. :rolleyes: But it's still a great and inspirational read. It might at least help you with the comparing-yourself-to-others-and-feeling-bad-stuff.

Feel better.

:)
 
richy said:
Well, we do hear about actors, as well as others for various reasons, learning to speak with a different accent to get jobs. Many Australian and British actors, for example, learn to speak with an American accent in order to get jobs in the American market. It might be a prudent professional move for you to learn to speak with a UK accent...just for your acting work, you know. It's not like Hugh Jackman goes around speaking like an American all the time.
Click to expand...

I auditioned a French actress recently. I didn't realise she was French as she'd taught herself a pretty perfect NZ accent. Turns out she can do about 15 different accents and nearly as many languages.

Not exactly common, but a unique skill that keeps her employed.
 
Well, we do hear about actors, as well as others for various reasons, learning to speak with a different accent to get jobs. Many Australian and British actors, for example, learn to speak with an American accent in order to get jobs in the American market. It might be a prudent professional move for you to learn to speak with a UK accent...just for your acting work, you know. It's not like Hugh Jackman goes around speaking like an American all the time.
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Agreed!
I auditioned an Irish actress who I didn't realize wasn't American until we chatted as we wrapped up her audition.
 
richy said:
Well, we do hear about actors, as well as others for various reasons, learning to speak with a different accent to get jobs. Many Australian and British actors, for example, learn to speak with an American accent in order to get jobs in the American market. It might be a prudent professional move for you to learn to speak with a UK accent...just for your acting work, you know. It's not like Hugh Jackman goes around speaking like an American all the time.
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You can not compare Native English speakers with No English speakers about learning different accents. It is 10 times harder for non-English speakers to learn accents because many of us don't know them, we don't know how they sound, we know it is English.

Antonio Bandersa, Salma Hayek, Penelope Cruz have very thick accents - but they do act, mostly because of their looks- I'm... I would say... am a funny looking lol

Anyway I just want to make it clear. Don't compare actors whos first language is English to actor whos English is second language. Even Native English speaking actors do a very bad other English speaking accents.
 
cheeseandachallenge said:
I auditioned a French actress recently. I didn't realise she was French as she'd taught herself a pretty perfect NZ accent. Turns out she can do about 15 different accents and nearly as many languages.

Not exactly common, but a unique skill that keeps her employed.
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well... not everybody has the skill for accents - and you need skill for accents
 
LDS said:
I have NO IDEA how to maket myself - I dont have PR or whatever that is you need - or money lol :(
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Nobody else has any idea how to market either. It's not just you. Just because I read in a book or on the internet about facebook and social media, doesn't mean that's the way to market. Everybody is doing it. Only a few are scucessful. So it must be a little bit more than whatever they say in books or on the internet.

I don't have any advice for you Lukas. I've seen your stuff. I like your directing. I really do. It's very obvious that you have a great eye, and you see your films in your head before you make them.

It's a difficult thing to do, to make something relatively good, with no financial backing of any sort. I wish you luck.

All I can say is that you should think about your own situation, and position yourself for a future that doesn't work. It would be great if everything works out. But position yourself, so that you'd be okay, if things don't work out.

On the other hand, the successful people you hear about, are the people who went all or nothing. But that takes more courage and dedication than I have.

I wish you the best Lukas.
 
4 years? A lot of people been in this for 20+ years and still struggle to achienve their dream place.

Don't even compare yourself to that "other guy" because that shit will drive you up the wall. You don't know what they done, or who they met "at that one party, who turns out to be a marketing manager at YouTube/Find out that their girlfriend's best friends dad is Tom Cruise's agent."

Take some time to think how you can utilize resources around you. Learning about somebody elses path is good and all, but it gives you a tunnel vision on focusing on THEIR path. You have absolutely different circumstances and somewhere out there is your own way to your end goal.

Filmmaking, just like everything else, is a freaking terrible masichistic struggle. You gotta grind through this. Just like a boxer on a boxing ring, you don't get a thought "I want to be a pro boxer" and get out swinging in Las Vegas with multimillion contract in your backpocket right out of the gate. You're getting your ass kicked and having your face reshaped many many many times even before getting into semi pro. How many times do those fighters get KO'd and still get to the ring? A lot.
Same with filmmaking.
You have a choice of saying "I am done" and there is no definite answer on when to quit. Some give up in few years, some in decades. Some people reached their pinnacle of success in a year and for some it took 40 years. We only focus on those very few that got there faster than us and we immediately think "When is it my turn?! Am I not good enought?!". And that DOUBT eats you up. It fucks with your choices and goals. But you can't do that, if you want to get those 100k views.

You need to step back for a moment and really ask yourself, what stops you from getting those 100k views? I'm in the same bowl as you are:
People see my videos, they get awards and festivals and competitions, but I can't get more than 500 views.
What's my problem? I'm really shitty at marketing. My voice isn't loud enough to stand out from social media. But thats ok, because now I know what the problem and can work on that, instead of thinking "When enough is enough?"

I'm sure majority of people on this board, and in Indie world in general (movies, music, books) have similar, if not exact thoughts on self doubt, and how you deal with it separates those who "make it" and those who decide to pursue different careers/passions.

Anyways, sorry for the lengthy rant.
A lot of thoughts, and much more coffee! :-D

Have a great day!
 
trueindie said:
Nobody else has any idea how to market either. It's not just you.
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Actually, this isn't true as I have an idea and am working with 8Salacious9 (banned) who has the identical idea. Funny we both have the same vision of how to monetise but there you go.

Might not work but we both have the idea and are progressing down that road.
 
dlevanchuk said:
4 years? A lot of people been in this for 20+ years and still struggle to achienve their dream place.

Don't even compare yourself to that "other guy" because that shit will drive you up the wall. You don't know what they done, or who they met "at that one party, who turns out to be a marketing manager at YouTube/Find out that their girlfriend's best friends dad is Tom Cruise's agent."

Take some time to think how you can utilize resources around you. Learning about somebody elses path is good and all, but it gives you a tunnel vision on focusing on THEIR path. You have absolutely different circumstances and somewhere out there is your own way to your end goal.

Filmmaking, just like everything else, is a freaking terrible masichistic struggle. You gotta grind through this. Just like a boxer on a boxing ring, you don't get a thought "I want to be a pro boxer" and get out swinging in Las Vegas with multimillion contract in your backpocket right out of the gate. You're getting your ass kicked and having your face reshaped many many many times even before getting into semi pro. How many times do those fighters get KO'd and still get to the ring? A lot.
Same with filmmaking.
You have a choice of saying "I am done" and there is no definite answer on when to quit. Some give up in few years, some in decades. Some people reached their pinnacle of success in a year and for some it took 40 years. We only focus on those very few that got there faster than us and we immediately think "When is it my turn?! Am I not good enought?!". And that DOUBT eats you up. It fucks with your choices and goals. But you can't do that, if you want to get those 100k views.

You need to step back for a moment and really ask yourself, what stops you from getting those 100k views? I'm in the same bowl as you are:
People see my videos, they get awards and festivals and competitions, but I can't get more than 500 views.
What's my problem? I'm really shitty at marketing. My voice isn't loud enough to stand out from social media. But thats ok, because now I know what the problem and can work on that, instead of thinking "When enough is enough?"

I'm sure majority of people on this board, and in Indie world in general (movies, music, books) have similar, if not exact thoughts on self doubt, and how you deal with it separates those who "make it" and those who decide to pursue different careers/passions.

Anyways, sorry for the lengthy rant.
A lot of thoughts, and much more coffee! :-D

Have a great day!
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thanks for that! It kind if made me think. :)
 
I have NO IDEA how to maket myself - I dont have PR or whatever that is you need
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Sometimes whether or not you've marketed yourself can be the determining factor if you get a break in some Low budgeted (paid) or even medium budgeted films.
 
trueindie said:
Nobody else has any idea how to market either. It's not just you.
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Wrongola! Marketing is a whole other industry in itself. You have to jump in 100%! No half-a$$ed attempts will succeed.

Just because I read in a book or on the internet about facebook and social media, doesn't mean that's the way to market. Everybody is doing it. Only a few are successful. So it must be a little bit more than whatever they say in books or on the internet.
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Only a few are successful because the others are NOT marketing with 100% effort.

A few words of advice:

1) Proper marketing takes more time/effort than making your film.

2) The money you make from your film does not depend on how good your film is, but rather how well you market it.

Math:

Good film + no marketing = $ .00
Bad film + good marketing = $$$
Good film + half a$$ed marketing = whining about marketing not working

----

To succeed in marketing, you have to jump in 100% -- blogs, FB, Twitter, you tube, et al, all BEFORE your film is done. At least an hour every day. Everything you do must include some kind of marketing angle. Including during the filming -- something cool you filmed can be used to update social media. Keep them engaged. Yes, read marketing books.

By the time your film is done, you'll have an audience ready to buy or rent your film.

Good luck.
 
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