Chasing too many rabbits!

It's now been about four months since I did any proper, directed, film project. And while I now feel completely free to film what I want, not being controlled by a set brief (one set by someone else) does have it's down side. When you have no set brief, what exactly do you film?

Being assigned a filming brief may seem like a confining situation, one with limitations on your creativity but, in actual fact, it's the puzzle of making something creative from within the confines of someone else's concept that drives designers and artists to be at their most innovative (or that's the theory, anyway).

On the other hand, some creatives find the lack of third party interference - with the conceptual catalyst coming from 'inside' rather than from without - liberating. It does add an extra burden of having to come up with the original idea in the first place, which can be the hardest part.

This is the quandary I find myself in, now that I am out of a job just what do I film?

KISS and make up
An added additional complication is that I am currently involved in learning how to use various items of video equipment, including a new camera. So, trying to undertake some sort of filmed 'masterpiece' while trying to fathom unfamiliar kit is probably adding too many potential pitfalls.

If my work experience taught me just one thing it was never, ever, attempt a live project with unfamiliar, untested equipment. Alway, do your learning and testing on a separate tailored - non-critical - project.

So, the moral is keep it simple, stupid!

“The man who chases two rabbits catches neither.” Confucius
Don't over-complicated matters, by trying to produce a clever movie, while trying to master clever equipment. Start small and simple. So, I began by looking for some simple ideas for film projects and found some on the Vimeo web site with their 'Easy Vimeo Projects'.

'5x5 Project: Garden drops' by Nicolai Amter

These small movie ideas are, on the face of it, uncomplicated concepts with which you can practise your elementary film making skills, but also do have the potential to be creatively challenging if you want to push yourself further.

First steps
Everyone is different, and because I am me - and a little quirky - I actually liked the idea of the 'One Minute Project'. This is really bare bones, but - to me - is also a little left field (but then I am a fan of David Lynch)...Others might find this boring.

In any case, such a simple format will allow me to focus my attention on the mechanics of my film making; exposure, focusing, composition and style.

So, let's see...