The Power of Momentum

A friend once joked that he should call his company “Sisyphus.” In the myth, Zeus punishes Sisyphus by making him roll a boulder up a hill for eternity. Making films can sometimes seem like that: like we are destined to get to the top, only to have the boulder roll and crash back down to the bottom. The power of momentum is real. But the difference between us and Sisyphus is that we DO get there eventually. We can let the momentum move us along more like a roller coaster and less like an endless struggle against the forces of nature.

Indie filmmakers and entrepreneurs, I know some of you are out there pushing your projects along for sometimes years. I have a great amount of respect for passionate creative people. It’s the ones who don’t give in, the ones with persistence that end up having that moment of celebration when it all finally happens for you. However, there is no merit in struggling for struggle’s sake. If you can pivot and find where you can create momentum, you can use that to your advantage so you can ride alongside it instead of using all your energy.

What does that look like? It could sometimes mean accepting help. If someone who might seem like a film outsider offers to make calls for you, instead of thinking you can do it better yourself, say “yes.” Sometimes it means staying in touch with contacts even though you can’t see why they could be helpful on this. And most importantly, when you are told that your methods are not going to work because others have tried something similar, trust yourself. Great companies were built by doing it differently than how it has been done before. Enjoy the ride.

Photo: STANLEY’S MISTAKE, Gray Savarese Films and Yerington Productions, 2021

Photo Credit: Maxen Yerington, director