In response to my earlier post Anyone under forty isn’t creative, I have since received feedback from Paul and I would like to redress some of the points that I made. The statement “anyone under forty isn’t creative” is more about taking the time to develop your “writing and filmmaking skills” and actually deconstructing and reflecting on your own practice rather than continuing to produce work without improvement. Paul mentioned that it is more about “honing your craft” not just about being inherently creative.
I generally agree with this statement as there is really no point in producing something if you are not continually trying to improve your skills. I prefer to think of filmmaking as a set of skills that you develop, some of the skills are technical (for example learning to use a camera), however some the the skills involve observation (how do they do it? and how can I do it better?) and reflection and refinement of ideas (why did/didn’t it work?). I have always found it useful to listen to as much constructive criticism as possible and I think that this is a large part of the creative process. It is important to take on feedback, not matter how harsh it may be and then reflect upon it. Ask for feedback from people that you trust and don’t respond until you have contemplated the feedback fully and made a decision on whether or not it works for you or your project and why.
Paul also brought up the point that empty superficial comments aren’t useful and I have found this to be the case also. I used to attend independent short film screenings and the same people would turn up to these events and make the same type of films, without improvement. As soon as the film was screened everyone would congratulate the filmmaker. I found this pointless, and the reason that I stopped going was that I did give constructive criticism to a ‘so called’ friend and instead of considering the feedback they were just defensive. It is hard not to be defensive, because it is your work, but if you don’t consider any feedback you have less creative possibilities or ideas to continue with.
I am glad that Paul clarified his position. I think that it is important to not think of yourself as being a creative person, as many people may call you, but being a craftsperson. Learning your craft and refining it. Anyone can pick up a camera and film, but not everyone can make a great film.
