Humility

We work in an industry of attitudes that is very heavily populated by people who need validation. From general insecurities to people who feel they haven’t gotten the opportunities that others they work with have, to out and-out-jealousy, crews are made up of individuals who are wanting more than they have in their careers, and in fact, this can happen to any of us if we are not careful. It's the price of chasing a dream that goes hand in hand with stardom, money, flattery and beyond. 

Everyone in the film industry has a dream and it’s extremely rare that that dream is ever realized. Why? Because the sad part of things is that most people don't actually “make it” in this biz we call “show”. Yes, they may make a living, may have solid employment and may have long careers, but there’s a reason that the old joke “but what I really want to do is direct” is so well known by everyone. There’s always something more that people want and it can act like a drug if you aren’t careful. It can change you and it can destroy you.

So, what happens if you do actually “make it”? Well, my first bit of advice would be to define what this actually means and then redefine it as you move forward. I don't mean that you want to be a camera op and then when you do you decide that you want to be a DP, and then when you DP you decide that you want to direct, and on and on. Rather, I mean that when you are doing well, when you are well known, when there is buzz, reassess what is important to you and continue to highlight that.

I have been lucky enough in my career to have gotten a fair amount of coverage at different times in my life. I was the A camera/Steadicam operator on the biggest show in television history at the age of 26. I was featured on the Emmys where I was introduced onstage to all of the world. I was part of a team that won two Emmys and have statues with my name on them. It goes on and on. I have been lucky enough to have stumbled my way through this business and constantly land on my feet (not always, but more than most). And through it all, I have done my best to stay humble because that was how I was raised. I recognize that I haven't always succeeded, but it has always been my goal.

Staying humble is not easy when everyone is singing your praises, but it is essential to not losing yourself in the fray and for maintaining who you are. Yes, I did good work on ER and, yes, I worked my ass off while I was there and then after, but I also realize that I largely lucked into the show and if I had not done well there someone else would have. Yes, I have two Emmy’s to my name but as one of a group of operators on those projects, if someone else had been called in because I was sick, they would have those awards. It's a fine line between recognizing that you have earned it and thinking that you deserve it. That’s where humility lies.

Years ago, I was called to do two days on a pretty big passion project of a movie. The lead was a huge star I had never worked with but had always admired. It was February and we were all huddled in the lobby of a hotel waiting for the cast to arrive. When they showed up, this actor was saying hi to people on the crew (this was a month or so in) and, looking around the room, spied me and made his way back to where I was standing. He came right up to me, extended his hand and said “Hi, you're new with us, right? I’m Tom. Welcome.”

Humility.

I started my directing career at 29 on ER. It was my third season there, and I was the first crew member to be given the opportunity to direct an episode (which is now something much more common). I remember they asked me to go out and direct anything that summer, so I could prove that I knew what I was doing so I made a music video with a story line (still very proud of that). It was very easy to think that I was on my way, and, in fact, by most people's assessments I was on the fast track to being a wunderkind director who would be directing features within a few years. Agents were contacting me (this was pre- internet mind you) and it seemed like it was all ‘happening’.

Through the entire process, though, I woke up every day and tried to remind myself how lucky I was. Yes, I’d worked hard to get where I was, but the reality was that I was lucky to have these opportunities, and I didn’t “deserve” them in the sense that they were owed to me. As an employed filmmaker, I earn a living for the work that I do, and that’s really the only thing I am owed. Accolades and promotions are always fantastic, but at the end of the day, if you expect them you are barking up the wrong tree.  Do good work, work hard, and, someday, you will, hopefully, see something from it. That may be an advancement, or that may be simply a paycheck and the knowledge that you have done good work you can be proud of. At the end of the day, that’s what it is all about.

When I learned Steadicam the op who taught us was Bob Crone, a 65-year-old Steadicam operator from Canada. Bob was about the kindest, warmest, most humble guy I have ever met and he wasn’t the biggest name out there by far. In fact, I had never heard of him. During the one-week course, he never put the rig on and we all wondered if he was past his prime. Then, when we were ready to do our final test, a huge shot that was created for us that they called the Grand Prix. He put the rig on to demonstrate to us what we needed to do. To this day, I have never seen anyone move that elegantly or that precisely and make it look like it was nothing. He had been keeping himself out of the rig, not because it was too much for him, but because seeing that early on would have been too much for us and would have dashed our spirits (at least this is my belief). In a word, he was being humble (and kind).

As we finished the course, excited at what we had learned and overwhelmed by how far we had to go, Bob sat us down to discuss the business of steadicam operating–how to book a job, how to invoice, how to work with different people. I remember him saying “you’re going to want to buy one of these new facsimile machines because this is how business is done now”. But the most important thing he said, something I have tried to model and hope that I have succeeded in more than I have failed was this:

“The irony of what we do, is that if we have done it well, no one will ever know we did it.”

Bob was talking not only about being a seamless operator and not making the shot be about the shot, but about life in the film business. About humility. About realizing you are a part of a greater whole and that you need to fit in seamlessly. Its not about you, its about all the yous.

You will meet all sorts of people along the way on your ride in this crazy business. If you are like me, the ones you will gravitate to are the people who realize they are just happy to be there. Make it about the work, about doing well, about being a good person, about helping uplift the larger whole because of your place in it, and in the end, you will be rewarded simply because that is what is important to you.