Hello, No MFA'ers!
The title 'Getting There,' in this case, refers to how I'm slowly moving along now that I'm currently eight and a half months pregnant.
I've been trying to make progress despite how lethargic and oftentimes sick I feel, and think that this is relevant not just to any No MFA'ers who might become pregnant in the future, but also any who suffer any kind of physical or emotional set back that slows them down in their careers.
One of my biggest challenges has been that, since I've had nausea sickness the whole nine months (I'm one of the lucky few women that got to have it the entire time I was pregnant) I wasn't able to do any of the filming I'd hoped to do in the Spring. The super-physical nature of an indie film shoot - especially when you're the one organizing it - ruled out the particular projects I'd had in mind, which would have involved a lot of travel, lugging heavy equipment, etc...
Of course, as I write this, I'm asking myself why I didn't just shoot more stationary, doc-style interviews during this time and realizing that would have been a great idea. So, my advice for any filmmakers who might be in my situation or any situation which keeps them somewhat incapacitated in the future is to do just that - find a way to simplify filming and shoot whatever they can given what they can do! If that means staying in one room, finding a friend to set up a camera, and just straight up interviewing folks, then do that.
Another challenge has been the overall exhaustion that I didn't expect from the pregnancy. I guess I've always been a fairly fit person with lots of energy, and the sheer difficulty of just moving myself around as I've gotten further along took me by surprise. Feeling sore is the norm and I'm usually longing for bed by about 7:30 each night, and having to force myself to crawl out of it in the morning.
Anyway, all this aside, I've been plugging away and 'Getting There' as best I can. I've tried to use this time to focus more on my writing than on filming, since sitting in a chair has become my best friend. I wrote a web series for a client and also got to take part in the filming by doing voiceovers (a first for me, and something that didn't require physical strain.) I connected more with a female producer (also a mother) and, in addition to trying to plan future shoots that will allow us to be closer to home with small children, I've gotten a nice new job writing outlines for her (which will hopefully lead to a feature collaboration.) I've worked on my own writing and also put together a master database of industry contacts, using the fact that I feel lazy and chair-bound to push me to do lots of online research. Luckily I had filmed a short in October, right before getting pregnant, so I was able to get the editing finished and submit it to some festivals. (Still waiting to hear back.) Also, I made two new connections and together, the three of us are making plans to organize a film festival next year. More on that to come!
Finally, of course, I'm still writing for the DFA film school blog. :) Here's a few of my recent posts that I think might be of particular interest to you all:
2014 Emmy Nominations (including a poll to vote for who you think will win!)
Actor Advice, Part 1 and Part 2
4 Things Screenwriters Should Know About Selling Their Screenplays
3 Ways for Indie Filmmakers to Learn from the Numbers at Sundance
(Enjoy those!)
All of the above might sound like a lot, but really, each one was tackled pretty slowly, over the course of many months and with a lot of generous 'rest' time. Hopefully it's inspiring to see what can get done even with just a little energy - whether you have just a little energy or are working on a creative career outside of a regular 9 to 5 that eats up most of your time and focus.
So I guess the message of this post is to try to figure out what you can accomplish in the face of certain obstacles. It might mean throwing some of your previous plans and timeline out the window, but you can still be making progress even when some bigger goals have been temporarily put on hold.
I'd love to hear about any challenges you all have faced and how you worked around them. In the meantime, happy writing/filmmaking/living!
