On Plans and how to Exceed Them...

When I began this particular blog, it was with the intention of holding myself to a very specific and detailed plan to re-energize my push towards a career in motion pictures. The plan itself is interesting to look back on. I accomplished some interesting things -- I wrote a screenplay (that has been named a runner-up in a screenwriting contest, in fact!) and I produced and directed some small promotional videos... I even shot a short film. All of this was part of the plan.

Interestingly, I think all of those different little goals I set for myself helped build the momentum that led to 'A Modest Suggestion'. That's a beautiful thing about setting ambitious goals. They get you going.

'But wait!' you say, 'you weren't planning on shooting a feature film! That wasn't a goal!'

And to that, I say, a-ha! that's where you're wrong!

Before I left Boston, I spent a long time trying to figure out how to plan out my four years in Baltimore. I knew I'd be lost for a while, just trying to find my way around the local industry, getting to know the people, the attitudes, and the rhythms of filmmaking in this new place. That timetable and list of goals is not posted anywhere -- in fact, it's mostly a handwritten series of notes in a folder by my desk.

I definitely did not meet many of the early goals I had set for myself. As I recall, my plan involved lots of short films, lots of networking, and plugging in to the central arteries of the Maryland film scene. It took me two or three years to begin to find those arteries -- much longer than I had expected. In that time, I wasn't able to be nearly as creative as I had hoped.

Here's where it gets interesting. I did anticipate, in that plan, that I'd have a feature film under my belt by the time my four years here were up. I remember discussing this with a very good friend, who suggested (correctly) that my plan may have been a little too ambitious.

I heard once, many years ago, an interesting suggestion from a motivational speaker (my father was immersed in the messages and ideas of motivational speakers in the '90s...) This guy, speaking at an event of some sort, suggested that everyone make a list of ten goals for the year, seal that list up, and tuck it away somewhere. The rule was, no one was allowed to look at that list until the year had passed. At the end of the year, he suggested, we'd be amazed to discover that seven or eight of our goals had been accomplished. The idea is that even if you forget that you've set a goal for yourself, by writing it down and tucking it away, it's always there, always teasing from the depths of your subconscious, egging you on. I think this system actually works very well -- I remember trying it for several years, as a high school student.

I think that's what happened here. Nearly four years ago, I determined that I'd leave Baltimore with having made a feature film, and that goal somehow stayed with me, despite the year-long job hunt, the two and a half years at Starbucks, and the many frustrated attempts to find the pulse of the local film scene. Now that we're about two days away from having a locked, color-corrected, mixed and finalized feature film, I'm humbled by my subconscious mind's ability to push me forward, to bring me to meet the goals I had set and forgotten.

I think it's time to start thinking about a new plan. In the past several months, I've surpassed so many goals, returning to any of my previous plans would be a step backwards. In the next month or two, I hope to have a better understanding of where "A Modest Suggestion" will go from here. Perhaps that will help me figure out where I'm going, and how high I should aim. If I've learned anything, it's that I shouldn't worry about aiming high.

-Arnon