Routine, Discipline & Making Your Movie

Jack Truman

At the State Burlesque Theater, Canton, Ohio

1976

This has been one hell of a busy week.

There's just too much to do. But I guess that's what happens when you take the bull by the horns, say screw everyone else, and just make what you want to make. After over 7 years of making my own movies, there's no words that explain how it feels right now for films I've made to be screening around the world, having a new book written about making movies that took 5 years in the making, making a new movie, and going insane with non-stop projects.

Welcome to my world of insanity.

If you want to make a movie, you can make your own movie. You can have a world of insanity like I do. It's a lonely, anti-social life 98% of your life. But there's nothing better than exercising your mind first thing in the morning. Creating, making and sharing projects with the world by making statements and opening people's eyes. There's nothing else in the world like it.

To have this world of insanity, and be a success as a well known filmmaker, I've learned a few things over the years:

It helps to have a routine.
You have to have discipline.
And you have to make your movie. No matter what.

I hate routine. That's what most people in life have. A lifetime of the same routine. That's why I've never been able to settle down with one job for 50 years, live in one place all my life, and say that that's it. But if you can work a little routine into your filmmaking, it pays off. Every time I make a routine on a film project, it gets done. And explodes around the world.

Discipline goes hand in hand with routine. We live in a world and culture these days that has no discipline. None. A generation of idiots that grew up on reality shows. A nation of idiots where their parents never instill discipline. And it reflects these idiots that are become adults now, and a generation of dum dums that have no discipline and backbone. As a kid, I went to military school my grade school years. I was in the Army. My grandad was a farmer. I grew up in the days of pencil and paper. If you have discipline, and force yourself to get things done, and not stop until a project is done, you will stand out from the pack. You movie will get made. Your discipline will make your film shine, and get it to be seen around the world.

You have to make your movie. No matter what. Whenever I have a routine and discipline to get a film project done, my movie gets made. I don't let a day job interfere with making my movie. Hell, if you work a 40 hour a week job, the older you get, the more that becomes your life. How can you focus and discipline yourself to make a movie? Sometimes you have to say 'screw it'. 'Fuck it'. Throw the security out the window. Grab ahold of your balls, take a shot and dive into your project. Hell, if you take a few months out of your life and just focus on getting a movie made, you can get a movie made. You can always get a job. You can always live a regular life. How many people do you know have made a movie on their own? That answers that question. We're a rare breed. Come and join the club.

Routine, discipline and making your movie. It doesn't get much simpler than that.

NO BUDGET FILMMAKING OR HOW TO BE A WELL KNOWN FILMMAKER & BE BROKE AT THE SAME TIME
Written by Jack Truman
Copyright Dixie Publishing
ISBN: 978 - 1 - 300 - 61518 - 7