Grumpy Bear Film Festival

Content creation and filmmaking are senses of art.

It can be therapeutic to get out of your head and be able to manifest them into something real.

Think about painters and composers, they understand this notion on a core level. Taking an idea and turning it into a song or film.

I've made films that were only to be seen by one person, sometimes none - just me.

There are so many reasons to create videos:

• group weddings
• blogging
• music videos
• sentimental.

And there are so many ways filmmaking can scratch a creative itch:

• focusing on the camera work
• writing storylines
• post-film editing,
• and so many other angles from an artistic standpoint.

A short film competition gave me the nudge to finally create my first short doc. That permission to make, taught me a lot to develop as a creator and learn by doing.

This is one of the things I've always wanted to do with Grumpy Bear. Give others a platform to create.

Sometimes all you need are some guidelines, some rules to follow. Think of it as a writing prompt in English class.

Good Will Hunting

Look at Matt Damon and Ben Affleck with Good Will Hunting. It began as a school assignment for Damon, who brought Affleck on and turned into a full production.

Goes to show how powerful storytelling is. It can help give aspiring filmmakers and hobbyists a chance to learn and scratch that itch.

When I first started filmmaking, a lot of the client work I was doing was impactful, but not what I would have made for myself.

It's a great gig, but you lose some creative fulfillment over time.

Filmmaking Give Accountability

One of the most powerful aspects of filmmaking and photography is the power it has to push you to get out there and explore.

There are so many days I wouldn't have gotten out of bed if it wasn't for this reason.

It forces initiative and serves as a form of therapy and accountability. Not to mention the community and collaboration it creates and all the people I have met through it.

Filmmaking has been so meaningful and powerful for me, I want to provide that kind of space for others.

This quote from Charlie Kaufman hit me to my core.

“Say who you are, really say it in your life and in your work. Tell someone out there who is lost, someone not yet born, someone who won’t be born for 500 years. Your writing will be a record of your time. It can’t help but be that.

But more importantly, if you’re honest about who you are, you’ll help that person be less lonely in their world because that person will recognize him or herself in you and that will give them hope.”

― Charlie Kaufman

Announcing: Grumpy Bear Film Competition

There is a $1,000 cash prize pool.

Check out the below link to see all the qualifications and to submit your own short film.

I hope you enter, or share this with someone who needs the nudge.