Good Day Storytellers,

Would You Share a Boat With Me?

I spent the last day of 2014 reflecting on my year, and the first few days of 2015 deciding what projects to take on.

And this year, I would like to do things a little bit differently: I would love for you to email me the one or two creative projects you've decided to take on this year, and I will email you back my own key goals in storytelling.

Why would we do that? Accountability.

I believe sharing what we intend to do with someone that is in the same boat than you is a pretty powerful thing. It's nice to care for someone's else projects, and it's nice to feel the support of another creative. We won't yell at each other if we don't make it (things change and evolve, and that's fine), but we'll move forward knowing we are not alone, and that's priceless.

So, let's jump in this fresh pool of new days together! Don't overthink it, email me your Creative Goal for 2015 and let's start rolling! 

And if you've never emailed me up until now, don't hesitate to introduce yourself and tell me a bit about who you are, nothing makes me happier than getting to know you guys.

Below is my look back at 2014, that I published during my gap week -and thus had not share with you yet:

A Look Back at 2014: What I Did, What I Didn't Do, and What I Learned

This is a personal blog post about 2014, what happened during those 365 days, what I did and didn't accomplished on a practical level, and what I learned on an internal level. It's the first time I am doing this, because it's the first time in my life that I actually take time to review my… [Read More]

About this week's articles:

For the very first time since the site's inception, I ran a series of articles revolving around the same theme: Perception. 

In lieu the importance of shifting perception. I thought that would do for a good first week. Not only have I learned a lot from those three, but I also felt empowered. And we can all use some of that. Hopefully you'll agree.

Enjoy:

Articles on Mentorless

Three Unconventional Tactics Justin Simien Used to Make 'Dear White People' a Reality

As promised last month, I went back to Justin Simien's interview with Chase Jarvis and oh boy, this conversation is so packed with great information for filmmakers… I will come back to it again.The very first thing I want to focus on, is the unconventional path Simien took to make … [Read More]

"Pup Fiction": Illustrator Austin Light Take Out a Letter From a Film Title and Make Art Out of It

American musician and artist at large Amanda Palmer recently released The Art of Asking, a book based on her 9 million + viewed TED Talk, which Palmer was asked to give after she became the first musician to break the $1 million mark on Kickstarter.Palmer has been living and doing … [Read More]

"Pup Fiction": Illustrator Austin Light Take Out a Letter From a Film Title and Make Art Out of It

Last month while reading The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday, I came across a very interesting story about George Clooney used as an example to illustrate the idea that Perspective is everything, and that oftentimes, if we can just shift the angle we look at things, we can completely … [Read More]

My Weekly Selection of Bonus Links

[Videomaking] 15 Mistakes Every Beginner Could Conceivably Avoid

An excellent blog post on Stillmotion identifying a series of common mistakes beginning video makers make. A lot of valuable tips to take in, and that can be apply to other fields too, no need to be a video maker.

[Screenwriting] The Toughest Scene I Wrote: Richard Linklater 'Boyhood'

I finally watched Boyhood this week, and so I started digging content about it. I'll save my personal opinion for the Monthly Creative Menu but I was both pleased and not surprised to see that Linklater's toughest scene to write was my personal favorite. There is something very special about it. (Don't read it if you haven't seen the film first though.)

[The Business] For Universal, Zero Blockbusters Equals Records Profits

That's a title that should have made the round everywhere, and yet I just saw it only once in my feed. This article gives me hope, not in terms of line-up, I'll admit it, but we need medium budget films to come back.

[thanks to @dunkwun]

[Show Runner] On Ceilings Made of Glass

Shonda Rhimes, the Showrunner with three hits under her belt overlapping over a decade, wrote a personal essay on her very mixed feelings about receiving the The Hollywood Reporter Sherry Lansing Award. Excellent read with a good perception shift. 

[thanks to @chcosts]

[Filmmakers] 10 Filmmakers to Watch in 2015

A good list from Dazed and Digital. You can see that some names have been steadily popping up in the last month's lists euphoria. It will be interesting to see who is here for the long game, ten years from now.

[New Storytellers] YouTube Star Grace Helbig's Talkshow Gets Series Order From E!

I often share about Netflix, the disruptive child from the bourgeoisie, let's now forget about the disruptive punks that are coming so fast at us, nobody really understand what that means in terms of storytelling possibilities, and long term… everything (monetization,  audience, projects size, you name it). So, it's not that the article is particularly enlightening, it's more that I feel it's important to know about what's happening there too.

[thanks to Sheri Candler]

[Hindie Films] 8 Hindie Films That Made 2014 Worthwile

Same thing when it comes to the Indian Market at large. I feel it's time to start expand our knowledge about what's happening over there, and how it's working (more on that soon I hope). In the meantime, if you want to try out some of its 2014 indie production, check out Jamuura's selection. 

This is it! 

Thank you for reading and reaching out every week.

As always:

be creative
be inspired
be ambitious.

and

PERSEVERE, NO MATTER WHAT.

Nathalie