To be great at what you do, become an amateur
--
Hey, real quick — if you can’t read this story because you’re not a Medium member, sign up here. (By the way, it helps support my writing — so thank you 😊 ) _________
Amateur used to just mean a financially well-off person who was able to pursue the arts as a hobbyist because of their love, or “amor,” for the project.
There is, in the idea, a combination that leads to a new approach.
The idea of “auteur” is etymologically unrelated, meaning “author.”
In particular, this word is used in the film word when referring to a project as the single vision of the director.
Imagine, as an internet creator, all these things coming together as a businessperson and an artist to provide yourself the opportunity to act out your vision.
The idea of being an internet creator in some respects is about winning people to your vision.
As a creator, you’re able to delve into your own ideals and utilize your audience as your sounding board.
What if a filmmaker were able to create enough wealth to support their own filmmaking?
That is my vision.
It is my goal to develop enough means to build my own industry.
And as such, become that traditionally-defined “amateur” who pours their love into the craft.
But, as we know, the outsider perspective to any field, though at times dismissed, can be powerful when it comes to telling a story.
It is the distinct vision of someone from the outside looking in that helps them to bring about their unique flavor.
It’s this that can lead them to be an “auteur,” perhaps.
Orson Welles called Gregg Toland the greatest cinematographer. He told the story of why Toland said he wanted to work for Welles.
“Because you’ve never made a picture before… and you do not know what cannot be done.”
Toland was not wrong. Welles took chances, he pushed the boundaries of film-making to create a heightened style. Cinema had never seen anything quite like Citizen Kane before, and it hasn’t since. This case study will cover three topics: narrative…
