When people are asked to describe a filmmaker, or any artist at work, they describe a picture of an individual in their designated space.
A painter holds a paint brush in front of a canvas, a dancer is in a studio dancing and a filmmaker is on a film set next to a camera. It’s always an interesting conversation when I tell video production clients that a lot of film and video production doesn’t happen on a film set. It happens in the production office. It happens in quiet moments sipping coffee or while walking the dogs. Filmmakers are working, even when we’re not holding a camera.
It is scripting, planning, casting, assessing and managing a shoot from concept to delivery, and most of that work happens in our office in Gateshead.
2021 was an incredibly busy year for us. So much so that during the month of December we decided not to do any more filming for the year, and take a proper break over the Christmas period. I’ve never been one for taking time off. I think it comes from that habit of working freelance in my 20’s and running a business in my 30’s - a week without work is a week with no pay. Today I’ve learned that actually, at some point, you need to recognise when your hard work is paying off and your business is flourishing.
Sometimes the best thing you can do for your business and yourself is take some time off.
So the holiday season was a chance to have a restorative holiday, my first one in eight years. Creativity comes naturally to me, but it isn’t an infinite resource. The more tired I become the less able I am to concentrate or come up with really good ideas, and when I am not happy with my work, my mental health suffers, my mood suffers and it impacts everyone around me. If 2021 taught me anything, it’s that it’s OK to prioritise wellbeing, for myself and the people I work with.
Our start to 2022 has been slower paced and more introspective, but it has also been an immensely creative time. We aren’t running around Newcastle and Gateshead with cameras making commercial videos for clients. Instead, we are working diligently and carefully on new video productions, refining our project management system so that we can share information more easily with clients while also working on our own original film, documentary and VR ideas. All this alongside our projects for Above The Line and our slate of original feature films.
This is filmmaking too. Putting in the work and effort before we even get anywhere near a film set.
What I hope for Candle & Bell in 2022 is to be even busier than we were last year, but to also make sure the busy schedule doesn’t overwhelm us, or impact our wellbeing in a negative way. Creative ideas don’t appear in a sudden flash of inspiration, fully formed and ready to go. They need nurturing, discussing, testing and developing. They need quiet moments of introspection, wherever that happens. That’s what hard work looks like sometimes.