Beginner’s Mindset
My last morning in Lincoln, Nebraska after taking an extra day to sift through the 12 interviews recorded to date. That was quite the initial burst of content that has given me insights on how to streamline my efforts while improving the quality of the yield
Yesterday, I posted the 1-minute teaser video and promptly got a text from mom with motherly advice about how to make it better. At first, I bristled but then remembered two things: 1. she was saying it out of love and 2. I’m a self-taught documentary producer so I need to keep learning from feedback regardless of the source.
Scrappy Underdog
Having the Beginner’s Mindset, aka the mind of a child, is a wonderful way to keep growing throughout your life. I have always felt like the underdog, the overlooked, and the easily dismissed. Maybe it’s because I’m a younger brother. Maybe it’s because I’m from Nebraska smack dab in the middle of flyover country.
Yet, that’s been the secret to my successes. I have always felt like I was destined to make an impact in this world. Not out of grandiosity but because I understand my unique strengths and how I can move mountains with the help of friends.
This inner determination has served me well when I’m open to the feedback others give me. It can be outright stubbornness when I shut down.
Embracing Real
In reviewing the footage (five down, seven to go), I realize staying open and self-aware will be critical in this endeavor. Yes, I was a bit winded in my teaser video, but I chose to leave that as is. This real-time documentary is about telling an authentic story of life in America with all its conflictedness.
Why pretend I’m some professionally trained filmmaker when I’m not? Why not let the world watch me learn and grow through this journey? Why not embrace the lessons I learn instead of ignore them?
Decisions, Decisions, Decisions
My current dilemma is what to do with all these interviews. I’m pulling them apart to find the threads and gems that can be woven into a coherent, engaging narrative. Traditional documentaries shoot all the footage and then assemble. I have chosen to create in a serial, open-ended format.
That means, I need to figure out a narrative spine for each episode, not wait till this is over when I have the 20/20 vision of hindsight. This excites and scares me, which means I’m right where I need to be.
The other dilemma is how to break up the six episodes. Is sixty minutes enough time to share the 20 state journey? Or do we need to raise more money to bump this to nine episodes/ninety minutes? We’ll see.
Back to the Road
After a nice respite in Lincoln (thanks to to producer Jeff Moran and his family), I’m ready to hit the road and pick back up in western Nebraska where the Transcontinental Railroad and Oregon Trail will take us West from Kearney to Salt Lake City via Wyoming.
From the midwest to the mountain west.
What advice would you give me as I move forward?