As I seek out my place in the madness that is filmmaking, it’s been interesting to notice vast differences in how more well-known, successful directors view their career choice. Steven Soderbergh – the man behind movies such as “Contagion,” “Ocean’s Eleven” (the one with George Clooney) and “Traffic” seems to approach this path like he would any other job. On the other hand, Quentin Tarantino – the man who brought us “Pulp Fiction,” “Kill Bill” and “Django Unchained,” operates from another end of the spectrum where he’s made film his life.
“It’s a real privilege to make a living doing this job. It’s a great job — the best I can think of, actually. You walk into a room and say, ‘I’m imagining this,’ and they give you millions of dollars to go out and make it real. That’s a pretty good gig. I have certain standards — sometimes I hit them and sometimes I don’t.
I don’t think being precious is really good for any art form. So I believe in being really prepared, working hard, doing everything I can think of to improve it, but staying on budget, staying on schedule, and when it’s over, it’s over and I’m onto the next thing. I’m really dispassionate about it, in that regard. I haven’t seen a great benefit in my own work in agonizing over things. I’ve seen more of a benefit in my work, for moving quickly. It’s harder to be pretentious when you’re moving really fast.” – Steven Soderbergh
- VS. -
“I’m lucky enough to be in the position where I don’t make movies to pay for my pool. When I make a movie, I want it to be everything to me; like I would die for it….When you gotta go out and make a movie to pay for the kid’s private school and for the three ex-wives, don’t talk to me about your artistry. It’s their job. It’s not my job. It’s my calling.” – Quentin Tarantino
I used to view film as my end-all be-all because it was – and still is at times -- everything to me, before embarking on this exploration of what really matters in the grand scheme of things. Now, I find Soderbergh’s position to be more relatable in the sense that making movies shouldn’t consume us too much, for too long. It’s probably healthier to do what you can and move on when the time has come for putting your energy and focus toward new (or even different) work.
Have YOU found your calling?
What are YOUR most favorite jobs (or gigs) that you ever had, to date?