I recently stepped out of my comfort zone to make a short film about a story that has captured the attention of my city. It took a lot of courage on my part to make it happen. I had to get uncomfortable, and the payoff has been amazing. This is the story behind my Cecily King documentary, You Are Enough.
The Portraits Project
I have made a lot of short films and YouTube videos over the last four or five years, and they have mostly been for my own amusement. That’s not a bad thing; I’ve learned a lot from making these videos. But I want to start making more serious, documentary-type films. The problem is I have severe “imposter’s syndrome” and I’m nervous about inviting others to work with me. “I’m not a real filmmaker,” I keep telling myself. “It’s only a hobby; why would anyone waste their time working with me?”
I believe that everyone has something they love to do that has nothing to do with what they do for a living. For me, that’s filmmaking. For you, it may be making music, poetry, or decretive coffee tables. It may be collecting stamps, baseball cards or exotic stones. And maybe you also feel a bit self-conscious about it in the same way I do about filmmaking. My solution for overcoming my insecurities about filmmaking was to use it as vehicle to tell stories about other ordinary people doing the things they love.
I decided to create a series of short documentaries highlighting ordinary people doing awesome stuff. I like to call them “portraits,” because they are a small snapshot into theirs lives. The first “portrait” was a short film about my friend Ryan and his incredible comic book collection. He was gracious enough to be my guinea pig for this this project and I’m grateful for that. I learned a lot from making this film, and I poured all of those lessons into my next.
A New Direction
For several weeks, I had been seeing handmade signs hanging from highway overpasses in and around downtown Columbus. Each sign had a positive, uplifting message, like “You Are Loved,” “You Are Valuable,” or “Don’t Give Up.” They were a welcome pick-me-up during otherwise mind-numbing commutes. But to be honest, I did not given much thought to who was responsible for these signs.
That is, until I read a profile of Cecily King and her sign project in Columbus Alive. As soon I read Cecily’s story, I knew I wanted to make a short documentary about her work. I instantly had a vivid visualization of the entire film in my head. It would fit nicely into my “portraits” project, but also take it in a new and more meaningful direction.
But for weeks my “imposter’s syndrome” got in the way. I knew the story would make a great film, but I couldn’t muster the courage to make it happen. “She doesn’t know know me; why should she trust me tell her story? What have I done that makes me worthy of of this project?”
You Are Enough
Finally, after talking to a few people I trust, I realized that the worst that could happen is she says, “No thanks, I’m not interested.” (Actually, I believe the worst that could happen is she says, “Yes,” then I make a terrible film. Thankfully that thought never crossed my mind). So, I reached out, explained my idea, and Cecily was immediately on board.
The actual process of making the film was pretty straight forward and not the point of this post, but I’ll outline it briefly. We met for a couple hours over lunch to discuss her project and direction we wanted to go with the film. We met for a sit-down interview, and later I spent a few hours following her and her daughter around while they hung signs on overpasses. The editing process took me about 25-30 hours spread over a couple weeks. The end result is the film below, which I’m super proud of.
I have been blown away by the overwhelmingly positive reception the film has received, and I’m honored to have had the chance to make it. This is easily the most meaningful project I have ever worked on. I’m happy that it’s bringing attention to the awesome work that Cecily and her daughter are doing. Cecily is one of the kindest and most generous souls I have ever met, and this film i just a small glimpse at how deeply empathetic she is.
Lessons Learned
Making this film was a huge accomplishment for me because I stepped out of my comfort zone, put myself out there and made myself vulnerable. I thought I could make a good film, but the positive response to it is validation that I can make a good film. I’ve learned a lot through the process of making this film. I’ve learned that I can’t think something into existence; it takes action. I’ve learned trust my instinct, that I have an eye for story. I’ve learned that all the work I poured into those silly videos no one watched was not in vain; it was preparation for the truly meaningful projects that would eventually come. I plan to carry these lessons forward to my next project and beyond.