Sunday, August 27, 2006

Call me a flip-flopper

After spending some time pondering what I said yesterday, I think I've reverted back to my original position, or at least closer to my original position. That means I'm almost certainly not going to buy a cheap camcorder just to hasten the production of Aimless.

If I went out and bought a cheap camcorder just to get Aimless started, I'd be compromising my principles. Aimless is not just a movie that hasn't been made yet; Aimless is a rite of passage. My objective is not simply to make a movie; one of my objectives is to learn how to communicate more effectively, which means I can't go out and buy a cheap camcorder even if I want to.

What I am trying to accomplish is not the same thing Some Rock Band is trying to accomplish. A demo tape is a rough draft, and everyone who listens to that demo tape knows it's a rough draft. I don't get a rough draft because Aimless is the equivalent of Some Rock Band's debut album.

If I set out with a crappy camcorder, I'll end up ruining Aimless. I only get one chance to do this right. I can only leave home for the first time once. I can only learn how to convince people to share their food and spare bedrooms with me once. That stuff and similar stuff is what makes Aimless Aimless. And if I do all of this stuff with a crappy camcorder that cannot produce quality audio or video, I will have done it for nothing.

If anything about Aimless can be compared a demo tape, it's this web site. This web site is my demo tape. This web site is Aimless's demo tape. It may not be a video, but it is an audition, much like a demo tape functions as an audition.

Actually, I don't even like that analogy because I'm not auditioning for anyone. Comparing this to an audition implies that I am trying to get someone's approval, but I'm not trying to get anyone's approval. I'm trying to find people who understand the fundamentals of economics. No one is above me, nor am I above anyone else. I am offering something in exchange for something else of equal value. And I am not interested in dealing with anyone who thinks their assistance is more important than what I offer them in exchange for their assistance. I don't need them any more than they need me, just as they don't need me any more than I need them. My job is to find a few folks who understand that so we can get on with the fair trade.

Aimless is not supposed to be easy. Does the word 'Aimless' sound easy? No. That's no accident.



This is totally unrelated, but I stumbled onto Mark Cuban's blog today. If you don't know who Mark Cuban is, he owns the Dallas Mavericks and some other stuff, too.

1 comment:

docrivs said...

Ryan,

A Website is not a movie.

Although your website can give potential investors and potential fans a glimpse of your talent and your potential, it doesn't match up to the project you are proposing on undertaking.

You are talking about creating a movie that many people will want to see and pay money to see. You are talking about a "rite of passage" for yourself. You are talking about taking risks and not compromising. You are talking about putting your soul on the table, in a way. You say that Aimless isn't any audition, but that your website is your audition. Well, then lets see how this website pans out.

I've been putting the word out on the web. People will click on. It's your job to keep 'em interested enough to support you.

You may be under the impression that your idea is greater than "Some Rock Band", but sometimes that band that passes out that audition tape becomes The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, or Led Zeppelin. Maybe you haven't heard the saying that 'You have your whole career to create your first great album'. As an afterthought, I give you this website that one of your favorite artists put together. He don't need no fancy equipment to change the world.

Plus, Ryan, if you need to rely on big spenders to make this idea happen and you need such expensive equipment to produce something as good as you promise, then I'm not sure that you're up for it.