30 Dec 2009, Posted by Asher Emmanuel in Articles,Drama,Filmmaking,Screenwriting, 0 Comments

Plan F: From Failure to Forward

I recently read a thought provoking blog post by owner and CEO of Whitestone Motion Pictures, Brandon McCormick. In it he describes Plan F as the last option or worst case scenario when plans ‘A-E’ have failed. The author admits that it’s not all that brilliant or daring, but the power of Plan F comes from its mere presence. It eliminates the easy temptation to quit when the going gets tough, especially when a project has a significant risk factor attached. No plan to “Give Up” and no plan to “Go Home.” Brandon then simply asks us content dreamers, filmmakers, storytellers, and artists a question. Do you have a Plan F?

Am I committed to “finishing the race” when significant obstacles and difficult hurdles stand in my path? How easy is it to say “yes” in the pre-production phase to a grand dream or vision only to later backtrack when the project is in full swing? How often do I complain about the presence of problems forgetting that to create art, I must work through problems and not flee from them?

Brandon beautifully captured the power of Plan F. “The knowledge that I have thought through every possible option, and if everything goes horribly terribly wrong, I still have a plan.” The quiet resolve to finish whatever you started changes your mindset in how you deal with difficult situations. You embrace them for challenges that they are, understanding that through the problems you mature as an artist. It’s my belief that in these often chaotic moments genius is cultivated. It’s how you can tell an amateur from a professional, the apprentice from the master.

To any artists (or person for that matter) reading this I would urge that you begin to turn your perspective on the word “failure” and look for the possibilities to move “forward”. You will often by surprised by the number of situations that looked like impending doom only to be wonderful opportunities to create even better art. These potential creative moments only happen if you stay in the fight and commit to finishing what you have started.

Hegel famously remarked that, “Salvation is through suffering not from it.” Seeing potential ‘failure’ and continuing to move ‘forward’ is a timely tragic value that we would all do well to live by. See you at the finish line.

Link to Brandon’s original blog post