We can't coddle our way to greatness

My Dad was the ultimate dream killer. My childhood was “interesting.”

“Wayne” he used to say. “Don’t waste your time on that if you are not fully committed.” Only he wasn’t that nice about it.

I’ve always been a creative, but it really was all I was good at. Everything else I tried could just fake it enough to get by. I played every sport he wanted me to, but at any given time I was only pushing halfway. It wasn’t what I wanted deep down I wanted to be a part of movies and television. My imagination ran wild with stories of comic characters and magic skateboards.

Although my father’s expectations would help me later in life, early on it only served to force my true potential underground.

By the time I made it to high school I was used to pretending to like everything everyone else did. Then on a whim, my Grandma Daisy convinced me Drama would be good for me to take. (Grandma’s see things us that others, including ourselves, don’t or can’t see in ourselves.)

In Drama and creative writing, it was ok for me to say the things that were really on my mind.

Wait!!! Thad, you’re getting off topic. My bad. Where was I?

Oh, yeah I can’t do anything else.

When did it become ok to not be honest about other’s skill level as a creative?

When I watch a movie I can clearly state this movie sucks, or I don’t get it. However, it’s that much better if I could reach out to M. Night and say… M…(cause we are comfortable with each other) what the hell was up with those killer trees?

I mean that is exactly what we have the opportunity to do when we know our independent filmmakers locally.

We have the opportunity; no we have the obligation as fellow filmmakers not to jerk each other off - for instant gratification but to prolong the experience for a tantric nirvana experience that will have us looking for the next chance to Netflix and chill.

Is that the correct thing the kids say, “…Netflix and chill?”

Whatever we want to call it we need to foster those who create quality.

We need to get rid of the participation trophy culture that has become our status quo. We can’t fear that our friends’ feelings will be hurt by our true and honest assessment of their work.

No, everyone’s baby is not cute. And if as a film community we want to get better, then we have to start pushing each other to do and be better. And part of that process is being able to give and accept constructive criticism.

Iron sharpens iron, people.  Iron sharpens iron.

Leadership Value of the Day: Preparation

Leadership Value of the Day: Preparation

Sometimes we get so excited to do what we have been dreaming about that we get ahead of ourselves. We look to finish the race before we have even begun. This is a mistake that can slow and even finish a project before it has even had the chance to breath. As a leader striving for greatness not only in self but the projects we want to produce, we need to often prepare ourselves and the people we a leading for the tasks at hand. When many people think of preparation they think about the gathering of all the materials they may need and the drawing up of a game plan to help them achieve their measurable goals. This is a great step, however it is not the extent to which one must prepare. In order to truly prepare a leader must now where he or she is leading people, the goals that need to be achieved and must communicate those goals to the people that are making up the team. Sounds easy right? It is not as easy as it sounds because we all are subject to getting caught up in the heat of the moment and forgetting the purpose and our preparation. A great leader should always communicate the goals of the group in the simplest form. This allows all involved to know what is the collective goal. It helps to solidify the unit as a cohesive group, and not just a bunch of people with their own agendas. That leads us to one of the most important factors choosing your people wisely. Many leaders do not like to turn people away from their groups. However sometimes it is necessary for the whole group. It is the leaders job to make sure that the group embraces those that are coming fourth with a pureness of intent, and protect the group from ill will and malice. Sometimes that comes in the form of friends that fain to be champions of your cause. Finally in order to be completely prepared for the task at hand you must be able to delegate the right people for the right jobs. A great leader does not need to run around to every job to make sure it is done. A great leader instills confidence in the people that he or she has chosen. Letting them know that they are trusted and capable to perform the duties at the highest levels for the progression of the group.

Here is a little funny video that drives home the point of preparation.

Leadership Value of the Day: Understanding life as a production triangle.

Leadership Value of the Day: Understanding life as a production triangle.

When I was starting out as a videographer, I knew very little about the business of production, and I knew even less about the uphill battle I would face to change my life after sitting out of school for ten years. All I did know was that I wanted to do something that I had always dreamed I could, but had been told was impossible. From the outside in it looked simple. Pick up a camera film some stuff edit it and there you go. It is like life that way. We can often see the things others should do but have difficulty knowing what steps to take on our own. Then one afternoon as I was explaining the production triangle to someone else as it was explained to me it dawned on me that this simple break down could also apply to life.  Maybe I am getting ahead of myself. How many people reading this know what the production triangle is, ok by show of hands now… Oh, I see. Please allow me to explain then. The production triangle is a triangle, of course, but it represents the three main aspects of a production. On one side there is Time, on another Money, and on the final side Quality. Now the deal is you can only have two sides of the triangle at any given time. For instance you can get something done fast and if you want it to be quality work, it will cost you more money, or you can save money and it is going to take longer to get the same quality, or you can get it fast and cheap but needless to say the quality won’t be there. Do you see how this works? Ok so where was I … oh yea ok so life is just like this. You can choose to work hard and sacrifice and pull yourself closer to greatness, or you can choose to have a good time and indulge all of the little things that you want but you will sacrifice the ability to become great. The point of it all is that in this life you have to choose what it is you are willing to sacrifice to get to where you want to be. If you can’t remember all of that just think of it like this; at any given time you will only get two of the things you want, so you should make sure that the two things you choose are helping you reach your goals and not a sacrifice that you will have to make up for later and possibly never gain the ground you lost. After ten years out of school I was blessed enough to be surrounded by people who saw the potential in me to do something more with my life. Sometime we don’t get a second chance, so we don’t have the luxury of mindlessly wandering hoping it will all work out in the end. Be diligent in your journey and intelligent in your decisions if you desire to be great.

Leadership Value of the Day

Leadership Value of the Day: Embracing Chaos, and Ignorance

Now that I have your attention with such riveting values, let me explain what this really means. It is popular today for people to walk around stating they are realist. I know this because I was once a person saying the same thing. It is easy to allow your expertise to allow you to shoot down possibilities and limit the dreams of others. We get caught up trying to enjoy what we have that we forget how to really grow. Embracing ignorance does not mean to walk around happy that you have little knowledge of anything; it is indeed the opposite. It 's knowing that you have a skill set that may have caged your thinking. This will limit your ability to look at the entire possibilities in any given situation. It takes some training to be able to go into a situation and see the good in it, but that is exactly what you must do. Study other people in your craft, and instead of focusing on the negative look for the things they do exceptionally well. Greatness is not just having the ability to see the possibilities; it is having the skill to execute a dream and grow it to a reality. Embracing chaos can only do this. We only grow through strife. It is that friction or conflict that allows us to elevate our thinking so that we may push the boundaries on what we thought was possible to begin with. This does not mean to invite physical violence, it simply mean that during times of stress and turmoil when you may begin to see things in a negative light embrace the circumstances. There is very little if anything that can be done with a negative outlook. Remain calm and embrace the situation start pulling all of the positives to the forefront of your thought process, it seems like very little will come from this but the shift in your attitude will spur a positive change, growth, and open you to possibilities you would not have other wise known.

Don't Underestimate the power of Why

Leadership Value of the Day: Don't Underestimate the power of Why

I know many people with children, or people who have contact with small children have seen or heard a child catch an adult in the why loop. You know that is where after every question you answer they ask why. It can indeed try our patience as adults, but it is the raw form of a positive practice that anyone trying to achieve any measure of greatness should practice. That small word holds a lot of power if we use it correctly. It can help to align us with our goals, help us to refine our strategic thinking and provide an answer to questions that are so Obvious that we might have other wise missed it. It is not just the act of saying the word but the critical thinking that comes along with it that helps to focus our actions. Why can help to remove the cloud from actions and motives if thought through with any measure of separation from the problem. This is the spark for planning, and developing points for strategic advances. If you want to be successful in life you must start with why. Why are you choosing the profession you have chosen? Why do you think it is a fit for you? Why is it important for you? Vetting all of the whys will help you design a plan to achieve your goals and line you up with your end game. Without the knowing real motives, it is impossible to come to a goal, or a solution with any certainty. Without knowing why everything else is just a shot in the dark, or a best guess.

Navigating the Dream

Leadership Value Of the Day: Navigating the Dream

Greatness for leaders comes through the application of principals and skills. One of those skills is the ability to navigate. A great leader has to be able to visualize the dream and the outcome before they exist anywhere. Planning out each of the steps, just as you would plan a trip. It is essential that the leader know the end game. Simply put he or she must know where they are leading people and what they will do once they get there. The dream that a leader strives to achieve is only possible if he or she is willing to spend a lifetime to achieve it. Will it always take a lifetime? That depends on the dream. The larger the dream, the greater the number of obstacles and the longer the journey becomes. However you must be willing to put in the work that is necessary, and have the patience to wait as the steps are lined up for you. Timing is essential in navigating the dream; one second early or late can trigger effects that you never intended.

Finishing Strong

Leadership Value of the Day : Running through the finish

Sometimes we have a tendency to see that we have a slight advantage or a lead, and instead of finishing the race strong, we get caught up in running the race that someone else is running. We see someone's struggle and we say we can relax a little because they aren't as close as we think they are. In that moment we have already lost our race. We have betrayed our practice, and preparation for the race. We have decided to phone in our performance and let up instead of pushing ourselves to do our best. This is a problem if you ever want to become a great leader, and reach the peak of your own performance in the craft that you choose. We must discipline ourselves to work as hard as we can though the completion of the job or task. As we approach the final weeks of this year please don't give up, run through the finish so that you become familiar with the practice of finishing strong.

Leadership Value of theDay

Leadership Value of the Day: Being Grateful

I will keep this one short, because I know many of you have pies in the oven, and family to great. This time of year many people are sharing how thankful they are for the many blessings in their lives. I in no way want people to stop this. However to be a great leader you must be thankful everyday, not just on a holiday. We so often take for granted the many blessings we have that are abundant in our lives, and we get so caught up trying to achieve our goals that we forget to celebrate the small victories. To reach a level of greatness you not only have to practice principals that enhance your knowledge and understanding, you have to exercise the spirit. Being humble and grateful for all your blessings help to align you with the path to greatness.

Leadership Value of the Day

Leadership Value Of the Day: Patience, Perseverance, and Attitude

Many people like to believe that they possess these attributes. However once you learn what they really are you will realize we all need some work from time to time in these areas. Let's start with Patience. Many people believe that just because they are waiting and complaining about not being where they want to be or where they are striving to be they have patience. However patience is working towards your goals, even though you are denied with a positive attitude; I bet you are starting to see how this post will go. It is embracing the trials and tribulations as learning experiences, and not curses. It is something so simple to print but harder for us to practice, because we all want our success now. We all feel we deserve it now. However we don't know what the future holds for us, and that is why we are made to wait. The things we want for ourselves maybe actually selling ourselves short of what we will accomplish, so patience is needed to learn through and from each trial. Perseverance is simply application of what one has learned and the refusal to quit. Many times we think that we are not making any adjustments to our approach, but we are we are learning with each failed attempt. We learn to get up and try again. We learn how to keep going in the face of adversity. This is a skill that can not be learned from watching others. It is a skill that has to be learned through hands on methods, to truly be effective. Perseverance is a muscle that has to be exercised with every new task and even some old ones. Finally Attitude. A positive attitude is what makes the other values of the day easy. Without a positive attitude the other values become daunting tasks. I am not suggesting that everyday is or will be rainbows and sunshine. However I am saying that even at our lowest points we should maintain the ability to smile to laugh and to understand that we generate our own air. If you are positive you will attract positive people, if you dwell on the negative you will invite more negativity into your space. Then you will have to exercise the other values of the day in a negative cloud generating even more trials for yourself on the road to greatness.

Leadership Value of the Day

Leadership Value of the Day: Time and Understanding

There is an old saying that says there is no fool like an old fool, or maybe that was a lyric some where. Either way the saying holds true. Time alone does not make one wise. It is only through practice of principals and an understanding of people, relationships, and the symbiotic nature of all things that we are ever even capable of getting close to greatness. Notice I did not say achieving it. It takes time to develop in to greatness, however time alone will not bring you any closer to that goal. Wisdom is not the attainment of a certain age, it is the culmination of practicing and understanding why we do so. It is the application of that knowledge that makes one wise, and therefore brings you closer to greatness. You need time to develop the proper prospective, and to see the many different facets that bring a leader closer to his or her ultimate goal. Understanding means that you have grasped the information, or the situation, by truly accepting and learning from it, and planning for any similar situation. These plans are not always going to work, but with each one you will refine your approach. With each successful execution you will draw closer to your goals.

Leadership Value of the Day

So I want to start something new that I am already doing on my social media sites. It is a leadership value of the day. Just my take on the things you have to go through to be great, as a leader. So here is the first post on this blog, with many more to come, I hope you guys enjoy.

Leadership value of the day: Prepared through Adversity No one just wakes up great. Endowed with skills they did not have the night before. Greatness is achieved through diligent preparation and struggle. It is only with practice that we are prepared to seize and opportunity once it has presented itself. If we don't practice then we will never be prepared to act on any given situation. This is a fundamental block of building to greatness. This is not just practice when you feel like it or when you want to it is going hard at your craft everyday, making a way to push forward when you think you have nothing left and the tank is empty. That leads us to the second part of the value for the day. ADVERSITY. Most people when they meet adversity they run. It gets too hard and they quite, they feel the resistance pushing back and they give in. That is why most people never become great. They settle, they give up, the are happy with just good enough. I can only tell you from my own experiences that once you give up it takes 10 times the energy to get back in the game. It takes 20 time the dedication, and it takes something that you can't measure. FAITH. Adversity forges you like steal. Purifies you like fire to gold, and solidifies you like pressure for Coal that is meant to be a diamond. However it only works if you push through it. You can be a great leader but first you must conquer your own trials, face them and move through them, and you can only be truly prepared through adversity.

Killer support for a love story....killer?

First I want to thank all of the people that have been supporting this blog and Fanatik Productions. We appreciate all of you and we hope that you continue to travel with us as we enter in to a new phase of development.
We are currently in pre-production for our short film Killer Love Story. It is a dark comedy about relationships and the secrets we keep from each other to keep up the veil of happiness. The main character Regina is put in an awkward situation when she gets an unexpected proposal from her boyfriend, one that she is not very happy with to say the least.
The script was written by Thaddeus W. Jones Jr, and Ashley N. Johnson. Thaddeus will Serve as the Director of the film project. While Ashley will serve as the film’s Producer. Brandon Glover a recent graduate of Full Sail University, will serve as the Director of Photography. All three have been involved with numerous film productions as well as film competitions. Thaddeus and Brandon are both graduates of the University of South Carolina, and are Masters’ degree recipients from Full Sail University. Ashley is a graduating senior at the University of South Carolina. Here are some examples of their work.