If there’s one lesson I wish I had learned earlier in my filmmaking journey, it would be to double down on my natural strengths.

To be a director – especially on the micro-budget level – you need to be a generalist. You should have working knowledge in every area so you can ultimately direct others to carry out those tasks.

As you start making films through this generalist lens, you quickly discover both your strengths and your weaknesses.

Maybe you’re great at writing, but you struggle to direct actors to their full potential. Or perhaps your strong suit is directing actors, but you lack the post-production skills to do their performances justice.

Filmmakers who move ahead are often the ones most critical of their own work. They identify their blind spots and work on them. That process is essential for long-term growth.

It becomes an issue though, when filmmakers get so focused on fixing weaknesses that they neglect their greatest assets.

It’s like a painter who’s a genius at abstract art but insists on painting portraits just to prove they can.

But here’s the truth: to succeed in film, you don’t need to be equally great at everything. What matters is the unique mix of skills you bring to the table that lets you say something new.

Yes, you should work to improve your weaknesses. But at a certain point, there are diminishing returns. Where you spend your energy matters as much as how much energy you put in.

If you’re naturally visually oriented, lean into that. If you’re a strong writer, double down there. If you have an acting background, bring that perspective into your films.

Out of everything that goes into filmmaking, pick the two or three areas where you’re strongest, and nurture them as much as possible. If you’re truly multi-talented, narrow it down further by choosing the areas you also love the most.

Maybe cinematography is your #1 and story writing is your #2. Once you find that Venn diagram overlap between what you’re good at and what you love, you have your own special recipe.

Not only can you start devoting more time to those skills, but you can infuse them directly into your work. You might write a visually dynamic story in a way that only you could. That becomes your thing – the element that makes people walk away from your film saying:

“That scene was shot so brilliantly, and it tied into the theme perfectly.”

That unique combination – your strengths expressed through what you love – is your voice as a filmmaker. And as you evolve, you want that voice to be heard louder and clearer.

Nurturing your strengths, particularly the ones you enjoy, is how you get there. General knowledge of everything else is the cost of entry. But to really succeed you need to find something only you can do.

Identify your strengths. Double down. And let your voice reveal itself.

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