10 Years of REAL Filmmaking Advice in 15 Minutes

Looking for real, honest advice about a career in filmmaking that’s based on experience instead of gear? Start here!

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CHAPTERS

0:00 - Intro
0:56 - Why am I making this video?
1:37 - You need to be obsessed
3:23 - Big news: New mentorship program
5:24 - There’s no such thing as “making it”
9:22 - You have to get lucky
10:56 - Invest wisely in gear
13:25 - You need to save money
15:26 - Network extensively

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IG: @lucforsyth

[elgrau]

Can confirm, you never feel like you "made it". I've worked for the biggest brands, made good money, and still never feel like I made it.

[chipcurry]

I've been making all kinds of documentaries for 40 years now. A few nicely funded, lots of lower funding, but definitely, I'm doing good work, and in the business. The best advice I ever got, and by the way, your advice is all excellent, but my best advice was from an informational interview I did with a film school teacher. He said "there are no available jobs for what you want to do, you have to create your own." And that gave me the feeling of empowerment and I took over.

[hidicproductions]

Hello Luc. I want to thank you. Because of your videos and advices, I did something I never had done before: Being persistent and writing that one mail, even if the last wasn't answered. In one of your videos you explained how you got that one documentary-job. By asking. And asking. And asking again. I always thought "Na, not a good idea. Don't annoy the busy, important people..." I am shy and a introvert. I don't run around and tell everyone how cool I am and what awesome projects I make. Not like the others at filmschool here. But my heart beats for some topics, like paleontology and next year I will have to finish my bachelor-film. To get paleontologist in front of the camera, you have to do much work. Their trust isn't gained easily. And here in Germany the people are a bit different than in the US. A bit more harsh and likely to say no for no reason. I wrote many mails, especially to one exhibition, that covers the subject of my film. And nothing happened. And I asked again. And again. "Someone will call me", they wrote back. Again, nothing. For weeks, silence. I was about to give up. But then I remembered, what you did, to get that job. I don't know, was it National Geographic? You waited two weeks and wrote the next mail. And so did I. And today I got the call. The scientists who is behind this famous exhibition did not seemed interested at first, until he realized my love for paleontology and his subject, felt my fire. I think, he first thought "Ah, another student who just wants to make a video for YouTube." But I am different, paleontology is my topic, I am so deep into that science and he seemed to realize it. What I needed was a foot in the door. And with your small advice, small but very helpful, I achieved that. Now I don't even get access to premium fossils to film and experts with deep knowledge for interviews. It's maybe possible to get no other than Sir David Attenbourough as the english narrator for my film, because the paleontologist is in contact with him through his book. This will be hard work and I will have to crack many brainnuts, to get to the end of the production. But I got the first step done and thats why I write you all of this: Without your channel and your insights into documentaryfilm-production, I wouldn't have achieved this. Thank you, Luc. I am very glad, your youtube-channel exists. Without your videos this dream-bachelors project maybe would not be possible.

[mikefeatherston]

Strike while the iron is hot is about taking action when the opportunity presents itself. It is a very old piece of advice from metal working that simply points out that you can't make a horse shoe without heating the iron and hammering it into shape, so you strike while the iron is red hot.
Your point about most lucky breaks come after much work is already done is very similar to this. Timing is a key factor, taking advantage of that timing and opportunity is another, but you are absolutely correct in that a creator has to put in the work to help bring about the opportunities. (Hope that makes sense.)

[briano]

"... 'mo money, 'mo problems..." That can never be understated. As for the "big" gear ... have you ever addressed the rent-vs-own for the top shelf stuff if it is required? There are several gear shops across the country who drop ship. Thanks for the good work here, Luc. Cheers.

[dissolution]

Oh man, "achieving your goals doesn't feel like you thought it would" - this is just life advice for everyone. It's so true. You'll have your biggest triumph ever and then the next day is back to normal.

[WhySteve]

Man, I feel this one! I am actively creating content all day. Whether it's making reels, YouTube videos, practicing cinematography or even just helping friends on shoots when I'm off. Hopefully I get "my break" soon🤣

[patrickcasella]

Your analogy about luck is spot on! I always think of luck as a result of what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

[BrunoPozoReal]

You would absolute crush it on Linkedin. I really appreciate the level of thinking you provide in this career. You say it better than I ever could, Keep it up Luc!

[rickbiessman]

Thank you for what you do, Luc. That first part was SO encouraging for me. Am I sure that I'm obsessed "enough"? Guess we'll find out. But I'm at a point where I know I won't stay in my current job and that I've got to build a career in media (photography/videography). I'm willing to leave a lucrative job as a school teacher because I yearn to tell real people's stories with a camera in hand. And only giving it a year sounds silly to me. It really spoke to me when you said that you have no control over how long it'll take you to "get there", but that you do have control over how much you're willing to sacrifice for it. So I feel like I'm the kind of person who will make it no matter what.

THANK YOU.

[JetForceFive]

Really great pieces of advice. "Focusing your gear" is especially profound because once you work on a lot of diverse projects, you really hone in on what you are talented at, can become skilled at, and what types of projects you LOVE to make. It's so much more rewarding upgrading specific gear/ workflow, as opposed to investing into a wide, ever-growing variety of moderate gear like I did for the first few years.

[Brian-Hansen]

Thanks Luc! I concur with all the points. Thanks for getting this information out there. When I tell young people that I ran my video production business for 3 years before I even had a camera, they look at me a bit dazed. They don't quite believe me. For me, during that 3 year time-frame, I was frustrated that I did not have gear. But, 25 years into this career, that 3 years seems like a blip on the radar. It takes a lot of time to build this career. 10 years or more sometimes to get consistent traction. I appreciate all the wisdom you are putting forth. Thanks for the great content!

[Joshua-McField]

i think stirking while the iron is hot has to do with blacksmithing as it would be harder to mold the iron if you strike it when it cold/ cooled off. Also im pretty sure there its a technique to keep the iron hot by striking it. but referring the expession back to blacksmithing i think i means to take advantage of opportunities before you while they are there because same way the blacksmith's iron will cool off opportunities can be missed

[StephenParsey]

Solid straight dope for everyone. You have to be obsessed because there is no making it and you have to get lucky.

[t-virus]

I had doubts about myself before this video. After watching, I still do, but I can put more of my mind on ease now that I can see what I was doing wrong. So thank you Luc <3

[alessandrocwilliam]

In fact I feel that most of these tips could perfectly be applied to other areas of anyone's life. It reminds me something I heard once on movies budget; _"The bigger budget you have, the more control you have"_, just as life itself.

[kannmann]

This advice is helpful even for me who is just a hobby editor and a full time farmer. Things can be difficult and we are on year 4, but your advice really helps keep me motivated and not lose my drive and excitement.

[Blakepurcell]

Can fully agree on the “making it” feeling. All it gave me was more anxiety and the feeling of “ok what’s next”

[markusrydberg]

Great advices here Luc! So good to get a reminder of this every now and then :) Been in business working full time with my production company for 5 years and still prioritize personal projects that can put my career in different directions and keep doors open as they do not require budget in the same way as commercial/branded content does.

All the best and thanks for all the great content! /Markus

[oospagheti]

Man, thank you for this video! I’ll work to save enough money to be able to afford to apply to your 1o1 program! Hopefully by the end of the year we will get in touch!