"One of the great adages of Hollywood is: Do the same thing, just different. Give the audience what they know, but do it differently."
- A.W. (Tony) Scott, Writer, Producer, Director
During our conversation with award-winning screenwriter, producer, and director Tony Scott, Tony dropped one of the greatest pieces of advice that many independent filmmakers just refuse to take. It's the idea that the general audience doesn't want something brand new; they want something familiar yet different.
Think of it like this: When you go to a new restaurant, what do you look for? I'm sure that most of you look for the chicken, the fish, the steak, or the salad. And, what do you find? The chicken, the fish, the steak, or the salad. The only thing different from the last restaurant you went to is how the food is prepared. Same food, just different.
Restaurants and Hollywood filmmakers alike know what their customers want. There's no secret, there's no magic formula. Audiences have been conditioned to look for certain fundamental things when deciding on the next film to watch. These fundamental elements live in the characteristics that define the best and the worst of us and the never-ending battle between the two.
Ultimately, what we want to watch are the sins of the villain (pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth) pitted against the virtues of the hero (hope, prudence, fortitude, and temperance). These are the basic ingredients of all great films. What makes each film different is the environment where the battle is fought and the culture of the characters that take each side. Same thing, just different.
Independent filmmakers often get lost in the misguided belief that, to stand out, they have to offer something new. This newness is sought out via a purposeful departure from the basic elements of character, plot development, and structure in the search for innovation and authenticity. This departure results in a whole host of things that detract from the fundamentals or create confusion in the filmmaker's delivery. Filmmakers who do this often find themselves saying things like, "What I meant by that was..." or "What I was trying to say was..." or "It's a metaphor for..."
In the end, it's not "new" that audiences want; it's "different". As Tony said, this is a great adage of Hollywood. An adage, by definition, is a saying that sets forth a general truth and that has gained credit through long use. Independent filmmakers would be well advised to heed this general truth and to stick what their audiences want. They key is to give them what they want delivered in your own unique voice.
We would like to thank Tony for so graciously accepting our invitation to be a guest on the MAKE IT podcast. It was eye-opening to learn about his creative journey from jazz to business to film and how he weaves his personal experiences into all of his work. We wish him the best of luck with all of his future projects and we look forward to seeing what he does next.
As always,
Be Better. Be Creative. Be Engaged.
If you're looking for someone to help you on your creative journey, feel free to reach out to us. We'd love to work with you!
In this episode, Jason and Chris talk about what a business moat is, how a filmmaker can build one, and how an investor can spot a filmmaker or producer that is leveraging a moat.
About the MAKE IT Podcast The MAKE IT podcast is a platform for the voice of independent filmmaker. We offer a variety of educational, aspirational, and entertaining content that promotes the success of creatives across the filmmaking community and the film industry. Our Filmmaker Conversations with industry professionals are dedicated to sharing the advice, knowledge, and insights of experienced filmmakers while exploring what it truly means to be an independent creative in the highly competitive world of filmmaking. Each filmmaker conversation is backed by thoughtful research that allows us to uncover the raw, authentic truths behind each filmmaker's journey. Through our Indie Talks, we share our thoughts and perspectives on navigating independent film from the perspective of Advisory and Executive Producers. We discuss topics that are relevant to filmmakers across a wide spectrum of filmmaking perspectives, and we do our best to uncover hidden truths and new developments in the film industry. Our goal is to help filmmakers avoid the pitfalls and obstacles on the business side of film so that their filmmaking creativity can thrive. Our Industry Insights provide bite-sized actionable advice that filmmaking professionals and creatives of all kinds can use to keep their heads up as they continue their filmmaking journeys. With advice sourced from the filmmaking community, we build upon the wisdom of our filmmaking guests to provide our audience with truly aspirational and inspirational content. The Mistakes in the Making series gives our filmmaking friends an opportunity to speak directly to our filmmaking audience to share a specific lesson they've learned through a mistake they've made. We are firm believers that mistakes can be the gateway to success when we open our hearts and minds to learning from them, sharing them, and using them to Be Better. The Film Investment series is a conversational series of 52 episodes geared towards the would-be film investor. Each episode, facilitated via a friendly conversation between hosts and friends Christopher Barkley and Jason McConnell, highlights a unique aspect of the film investment process. In addition to being a great resource for film investors, it serves as a reference for filmmakers regarding the many considerations that must be made when seeking film investment.
In this episode, Jason asks Chris to give some examples of bad and good answers to the "Why You, Why Now, and Why This Film" questions.
About the MAKE IT Podcast The MAKE IT podcast is a platform for the voice of independent filmmaker. We offer a variety of educational, aspirational, and entertaining content that promotes the success of creatives across the filmmaking community and the film industry. Our Filmmaker Conversations with industry professionals are dedicated to sharing the advice, knowledge, and insights of experienced filmmakers while exploring what it truly means to be an independent creative in the highly competitive world of filmmaking. Each filmmaker conversation is backed by thoughtful research that allows us to uncover the raw, authentic truths behind each filmmaker's journey. Through our Indie Talks, we share our thoughts and perspectives on navigating independent film from the perspective of Advisory and Executive Producers. We discuss topics that are relevant to filmmakers across a wide spectrum of filmmaking perspectives, and we do our best to uncover hidden truths and new developments in the film industry. Our goal is to help filmmakers avoid the pitfalls and obstacles on the business side of film so that their filmmaking creativity can thrive. Our Industry Insights provide bite-sized actionable advice that filmmaking professionals and creatives of all kinds can use to keep their heads up as they continue their filmmaking journeys. With advice sourced from the filmmaking community, we build upon the wisdom of our filmmaking guests to provide our audience with truly aspirational and inspirational content. The Mistakes in the Making series gives our filmmaking friends an opportunity to speak directly to our filmmaking audience to share a specific lesson they've learned through a mistake they've made. We are firm believers that mistakes can be the gateway to success when we open our hearts and minds to learning from them, sharing them, and using them to Be Better. The Film Investment series is a conversational series of 52 episodes geared towards the would-be film investor. Each episode, facilitated via a friendly conversation between hosts and friends Christopher Barkley and Jason McConnell, highlights a unique aspect of the film investment process. In addition to being a great resource for film investors, it serves as a reference for filmmakers regarding the many considerations that must be made when seeking film investment.