Measurable and Accomplishable Goals.
Sometimes, the beginning is the hardest part.
I have had conversations with potential contacts - conversations that I still look back on, only to cringe. I’ve got projects that - so far - are only disjointed paragraphs. Far from a finished script.
I’ve also got projects that mean more to me than gold - projects that had me learning more about my calling - not to mention, the call of those around me. I’ve gotten to meet talented people, who are not only contacts, but friends.
As RBRN Media, we’ve had our highs and lows. We’ve had festival losses, indeed. But we’ve also had our first festival win. We’ve had rejections, and we’ve had nominations - finishers, and finalists.
Neither are worthless - and none of it ever happens unless we begin.
One of the most daunting things about the beginning is that the world is your oyster - and you know it. The possibilities in front of you are endless - because, all of the sudden, you are your own boss. Coming from a girl who just left her day-job for the sake of what the Lord was beginning, I know that it can be dramatically helpful to figure out a few choice objectives. Once you have measurable and accomplishable goals in front of you, you can create a fresh momentum for you and your business or ministry. Checking off each new box will give you the resolve to move forward towards the harder things - the things that you cannot yet measure or map out.
Below, I have listed out five different measurable and accomplishable goals - concrete things that you can do today, to help you reframe the way you think about the beginning of your journey.
1. Go To The Event.
Perhaps the events don’t seem worthwhile to you. Why go to a film festival if your films aren’t even playing yet? Here you are, still trying to fund your dream project. Here you are, wondering if you’ll ever have something to put up on that screen alongside everyone else’s product.
Print your business cards, put on a blazer, and go to the dang festival.
What you may not yet realize is that, by putting yourself in these environments, you are posturing yourself to learn, and to meet people who you might not cross paths with otherwise. Some festivals hold diverse workshop options, leaving you with an opportunity to hone your craft. Some are even specialized in the way of theme - meaning that you will be able to meet people who share a common devotion towards a certain kind of storytelling.
When Carter and I first attended the Christian Worldview Film Festival (CWVFF), we didn’t really know what to expect. It was our first time attending an event dedicated to Christian filmmaking, and we we knew only one other person, besides each other. In addition, we didn’t have a single project playing. We were newbies.
By the end of the event, I had attended workshops on marketing, fundraising, and film contracts. I had been encouraged in my calling - by the people I met, and by the messages I heard from the main stage. My script had been read, our TV pilot had been a repetitive subject of conversation, and we were leaving with fresh determination. The very next week, I had a stack of business cards to send emails out to.
Go to the event, let people know you, and don’t be afraid to be in rooms full of people who know more than you do. In fact, let it excite you - rather than intimidate you. By doing this, you are going to be sharpened beyond your personal knowledge and abilities.
2. Send The Message.
Even last week, I took a leap, and sent a LinkedIn message out to a potential contact. I let him know that I was aware of his work by way of a shared festival experience, and went on to express my desire to learn from him in the future, should he be open to it. Just yesterday, he sent me a reply, and prompted me to set up a time to meet with him.
What I’ve learned is that sending the email can never truly hurt. The worst that could happen? They don’t reply.
That’s it. That’s literally the worst that could happen.
Take a moment to consider the people you met at the festival you went to. Write down the names of people who have expressed a desire to work with you in the future. Next, do some googling, and copy down the names of some organizations or individuals who you think might be of educational help to you - or, that you think may be aligned with the mission and vision of your project/s.
Now, start emailing! Take the time to craft your messages with care and intentionality. Check your spelling, express your reason for messaging, and always remember the person on the other side of the message.
While you’re waiting for them to respond, do this next thing….
3. Watch The Youtube Video.
This one might seem clear - but it’s always worth mentioning. When it comes down to it, we have to be lifelong learners - Creatives who are convinced that we have more to learn with each passing day. The truth is, the more we learn, the more those who learn from us will benefit. Our projects will be better, our leadership will improve, and our hope for the future will expand as we begin to realize how much is actually possible - even for people who are still in the beginning.
Depending upon your personal profession, beneficial content will vary. However, if your endeavors are anything like ours, I would encourage you to study topics beyond the technical. Certainly, find the videos that teach you about blocking, formatting, and color-grading. But also find the videos that address theological, societal, or moral topics. These will help you to understand worldview, rhetoric, and the human condition.
The truth is, art is so much more than lighting and camera work. It is those things AND it is the content they serve to communicate. The equipment you need is out there, and it is by learning the sum of each part that you can better equip yourself to tackle the next thing on your check list.
4. Write Chapter One.
Often, when I begin a new script, I know only a few things. This could look like some vague idea of how it ends, a conceptualized conversation near the middle, the purpose behind the script as a whole, and/or the scene that starts it all. The rest, I like to figure out as I go. I learn who the characters are based off of how they service the theme and morals of the piece. I realize that one setting is not worth including - and that one media reference makes more sense than another.
The point? If all you have right now is one piece of the puzzle, you can still begin.
I once heard that Ray Bradbury - author of “Fahrenheit 451” - actually had a case to make for beginning with short stories. He taught that beginning with a short story would help the author to discover whether or not a story concept could hold water, and be expanded into a larger work later. By beginning with a shortened version, the author is able to save himself time and energy. Later, if he finds himself with unresolved ideas, he may expand on what he has already written.
With my very first feature-length screenplay, I only really knew how I wanted to begin - and in fact, I had imagined that it might only result in a short film script. Little did I know, it would become my very first festival-nominated script - going on to receive recognition at both the Christian Worldview Film Festival and CONTENT: Christian Media Conference.
So, start with Chapter One- even if you don’t know what Chapter Two looks like yet. You may find that the characters have more to say. Better yet, you may find that the topic feels more worthwhile than you had anticipated. If you are willing to put some words on a blank page, the final product - and the process of creating it - may just proceed to leave its mark on you, even as it holds the potential to do the same in the lives of others.
5. See The Potential.
This one is really important.
Today, I want you to dream a little. On its own, this can be hard to measure - and of course, I did tell you that these would measurable goals. So, to make this a measurable goal, I want you to begin a list of these dreams. Perhaps you hope to someday have a brick-and-mortar studio. Maybe, instead, you hope to see your eventual feature-film playing at a local theatre.
Write it all down.
And then?
Then, I want you to pray.
I want you to trust God with the potential. Trust him with what this thing that you’re building can become. Let this particular goal expand - let it expand so that, before you write a new project, or attend a new conference, you’re talking to him, and altogether including him in the process.
We don’t manifest around here. No, we submit our projects to God, ask him to move, and expect him to answer. Two things are accomplished in this process - whether he sets his approval to our request or not.
1. We will have exercised the building of our hopes, thereby trusting the Lord to move in our future.
2. We will have gone on to reaffirm that our Lord is still worth more than any other piece of the process - such that, even if he redirects our dreaming, he is considered more valuable to us than the thing he said “no” to.
If you can learn to dream with God - and still, to place him above the dream - then you’re going to be just fine. Truth be told, we cannot do anything without him anyway - and, truth be told, he has already let us know that nothing is impossible with him. If we are going to build RBRN Media into something better than the sum of two young adults who don’t have film degrees, then we need him to show up. If people are going to meet with him as a result of moving pictures on a screen and sounds through a speaker, then that’s not something we are capable of transmitting. The outcome we’re looking for requires that he be present with us, moving among these people, and moving among these projects.
Altogether, we need to remember what Psalm 127:1 says: “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.”
Build your hope, trust God for the fruit, and place him above the results. Always remember that, at the end of the day, he is the dream.
I hope that these measurable goals will be helpful to you in your endeavors.
Let’s make media that matters.
- Cana Grace
