START AGAIN MONDAY

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Alrighty… start again

Something I’m Pondering

I was asked a few weeks ago by a fresh new actor

“Should I be finding out who the best up-and-coming directors are, and start relationships with them now?”

Mmm

Interesting

In 2015 I was sitting on a balcony, having no idea what to do with myself 

I got a message from a fellow actor 

Someone had just pulled out of a gig

They were looking for a replacement 

It was an unpaid short film

I didn’t care

I hadn’t acted professionally in almost a year

I wanted to play

And when I found myself on set

I felt completely fulfilled

Free

It woke up that part of me that loved the craft of acting again

Something shifted

And 3 weeks later I booked an Australian television series and Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge

At the end of the year, I sat down with some external accountability to work on some things

Something that came up was the topic of professional relationships

What kind of relationships did I want to have in the industry?

What kind of colleagues did I want to play with?

Easy answer

I found a black and white picture of myself and the director working together on that unpaid short film

“I want more professional relationships like that”

The director was a nobody

In fact, I’m pretty sure it was his first crack a short film

Again, I didn’t care

Why?

He put the work first

And that made things so easy and fun

Everything he did was about telling the best possible story

About serving the script 

Giving the most generous work possible 

Regardless of all the challenges that come with making a short film with no money

The by-product of putting the work first? 

It meant a freedom on set

An honesty, an openness to collaborate, a willingness to listen and play

A humility to let go of ideas and do whats best for the film

But most importantly 

It was just goddamn fun

We would geek out on craft for hours

Spend long nights watching YouTube clips of Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Thomas Anderson discussing tiny details about their work

Buy each other fast food when the other had no money (usually him buying for me)

My point?

I simply felt energised when we worked together and hung out

I only wanted to collaborate more

And we did

Over the last few years, I have been fortunate enough to find myself on several of Pete’s projects

And on Saturday night

I watched him stand in his kitchen (in his pyjama pants)

And accept St Kilda Film Festival’s coveted award for best film (via Zoom)

Yep

Pretty special

Australia’s most prestigious short film award went to Lost Boy

It’s a glorious external reference point 

An objective “that’ll do pig” 

But when I think about awards

Especially in the arts

I believe they are the manifestation of years of behaviour 

The habits, choices, rituals and actions someone has made behind the scenes for years

The boring bits

The things no one else really sees (or wants to do)

Most people will wait for the industry to determine their behaviour

When I get that special gig, then I will behave like blah blah blah

What I have found thus far after my first decade out in the big wide industry 

Is that the real pros…

They go first

They don’t wait for permission or a pay check to give everything they can to the work 

So when Pete graciously accepted the award

As special as it was

I thought to myself

“I’m not surprised”

He didn’t get that award because of a few weeks of filming

He got that award because of years of loving the process

Years of sacrifice

And years of care

I’m going slightly off track here

Lets bring it back

“Should I be searching for who the best up-and-coming directors are, and start relationships with them now?”

My advice?

Hang out with people you love hanging out with 

The rest will take care of itself

Hope this helps

m 

Q&A

If you have a question

Something you’re feeling stuck with, frustrated by, or curious about

Please email it through to info@michaelsheasby.com and I’ll have a crack :)

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