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Friday, March 11, 2011

Why Do People Take Breaks from Filmmaking?

Because it's physically and mentally exhausting. I love it with all my heart and soul but there are times when I need a break from filmmaking too.

I'm thinking about this today because I read that Steven Soderbergh has decided to retire after he directs two more films. Part of me understands, thinking of the countless years of ups and downs of the filmmaking roller coaster and long hours on set, with early calls and night shoots. If I see one more tub of Red Vines...

(I could use a nap or a Red Bull right about now.)

Then, the other part of me thinks: how can you SS? We all dream of having careers like you. And you're just going to walk away from it, like that? Can you give your career to someone else? I could shave my head...

But wait, it's his dream to walk away from. Oh right! Okay, I feel better now. Not really, but what choice do we have?

In all seriousness though, I really do applaud SS for not wanting to be so exhausted by his creative projects. And it sounds like he has some cool things to explore next.

It will be interesting to see if he remains retired. I still wonder why people feel they need to announce their retirement. What does that really do for your career? And what if you decide not to retire? Do you then announce you won't be retiring? I'm confused.

Perhaps they want the publicity? But is it good or bad publicity? I guess any publicity can be considered good.

I'm not going to worry about SS. He has two more projects that look amazing. And then he will dazzle us with the work he does next I'm sure. And if not, let's just hope he invested wisely in his 401k!

1 comment:

Eric Y. said...

I think it depends on the situation. I can't imagine retiring from filmmaking at this point. "Aspiring" filmmakers should be shooting and telling as many stories as they can. I've never understood my peers who make only one short film a year. That doesn't make any sense to me. But feature filmmaking, I'm sure, is much more exhausting, and in any career you should take breaks to restore your energy and sanity. I think Soderbergh is half-joking when he says he's retiring.