“To make a great film you need three things – the script, the script and the script”. -Alfred Hitchcock
The legendary sound and film editor Walter Murch (talk about a filmography!) revealed on a recent podcast the elements he looks for in a project before signing on. It needs to have (paraphrasing) “a great script, great people, and the resources to make it happen.” He goes on to say that you rarely, if ever, have all three lined up at the outset. But you need to feel confident about at least two, to then commit. (Apologies to Hitchcock who per the quote above, says you just need one element…the script.)
If you’re contemplating saying yes to a project or making your own, can you line up at least two of these elements beforehand? That will give you the confidence to move forward and/or attract the talented artists you definitely will need to collaborate with.
As Meat Loaf advises, “two out of three ain’t bad.”
The Vs. Studio Blog 