Well, it seems I have a knack for finding cool opportunities at the last minute and that’s no different with this Loveday contest entry. This was another cool opportunity where I approached the challenge in a much different way. This information is meant to help you CRUSH your creative blockades so you can do your best work.
1) Think About It
Yes, there are rules and all that other good stuff. Let’s face it though, to do your best work you’re gonna need to really think about the process. You need to be inspired and with this project, I decided to get deep into the details of what Tesla stands for. I started by understanding the Loveday story behind the contest. From there, I started reading about the company and literally copied and pasted their mission into a document.
I looked for key phrases and emotional statements that stood out to me. Essentially, I was looking for the feeling and the heart of Tesla’s story. Once I had that, I went a step further and looked into their promotional materials.
What makes Tesla unique? How do they present their vehicles and marketing materials, visually? By getting into the details of the Tesla brand I had to learn as much as I could about them.
2) Get Other Opinions
When I was working through pacing and the script, I thought I had it locked in. It felt good and it sounded good too. Grammatically though, my script was kind of sloppy and before I hired talent I wanted to make sure what I had down, made sense.
Other opinions can help especially if that person is in sync with your ideas. In this case, the script I once thought was great, was dramatically improved in almost every way.
The idea that other opinions matter can be argued and while every artist owns their style, it never hurts to run your creation past others. Even more greatness can come of it and you learn more about the art itself by opening up your perspectives.
3) Redo It, Over and Over
We get too close to our work sometimes and you easily lose perspective if you’re not careful. That’s why it’s important that you give yourself enough time to get away from your editing bay for days or weeks. This gives you the opportunity to clear your mind and when you come back, you’ll likely feel different about your original cut.
This process is now critical to my workflow. It enables me to breathe a little bit and really feel confident about my work. There’s always more that you can do with your work and understanding that will ultimately make you more successful.
Sharing the Love is Awesome
Tesla’s message is solid and the contest comes from a great backstory. No matter the outcome, you can’t deny how cool it is that we live in a time where every aspiring filmmaker has a shot at the big time.
