On the Verge of a New Chapter

It's not even a new chapter, it's almost a new book.

This time tomorrow, we'll be on the road, en route to California by way of the entire width of the United States.

I don't know what I'll find out there, but I know the pattern well.

In high school, I was just a kid with a video camera, but I made my mark as a filmmaker (and as a result, the school still has an active film program). Then, from being the big fish in that tiny pond, I went off to Brandeis, where I was a very small fish in a much larger pond. I was just another freshman in 2001, but graduated four years later having made an undeniable impact on the University's film culture -- not only had I made movies, but I founded a film festival that continues to thrive six years after my graduation, and I set gears in motion that eventually led to the institution of a new Film major. From there, after a brief year in Cambridge, to Baltimore. Again, I was an anonymous face in a bustling, strange new city. Though I wouldn't call myself a "big fish" today, I've certainly managed to leave an impression -- after all, I successfully brought a feature film to production in a region where there's almost no interest in that sort of thing. It's not a big film, but it employed dozens of people when the economy was in a very deep rut, and it inspired a collaborative on-set environment that will live with me, and I suspect, with everyone involved, for a very long time.

Now, to California. I go there knowing that I am a cliche, a Spielberg-inspired, self-taught indie filmmaker with no name, no background, nothing to point at that the traditional "Hollywood type" would find even mildly interesting. Of course, I know that I've got more to contribute than that -- much more. In fact, I believe (perhaps with a bit of inflated ego, but perhaps not) that given the right tools, the right talent, and the right balance of guidance and liberty, I can achieve the same results as the best of them. I know, however, that this kind of big talk is a waste of breath. I can claim these things all I want, but they're meaningless if I don't demonstrate them. I need to believe these things, though, in order to push forward in this crazy industry. Otherwise, what's to motivate me?

But more realistically, I'm ready to take those smaller steps, the 'baby steps' if you will, without too much of a timetable, without high expectations, and without ego. My goal for the immediate future is not to find a job, but to find people. I want to network, to reach out, to volunteer on sets and in production offices. I want to meet people whose creative, technical or business skills are enviable, and I want to work with them. For the first time in my development as a filmmaker and motion picture professional, I am in an enviable position: I can focus on building relationships rather than begging for a job.

-Arnon