Cameron’s Filmmaking Tips: Teamwork Over Ego

I’m launching a series: Cameron’s Filmmaking Tips! In each edition I'll be dropping a nugget of production-powered wisdom, covering filmmaking, brand partnerships, entrepreneurial hacks, and the art of storytelling (with a sprinkle of personal anecdotes)

First up: Teamwork Over Ego
The traditional genius theory we attribute to directors isn’t as relevant today. Films aren’t made by one person alone. It’s a collaborative art, just like music. The smaller your ego is on set, the better your film will be.

👨🏼‍🏭 Step 1: Skill Audit: Think hard about what you do best and what you enjoy the most. Ask people you’ve worked with on projects to honestly tell you what you excel at. Focus on the part you’re good at instead of trying to be amazing at everything. If you’re a technical wizard who loves to talk lenses and f stops, focus on cinematography and find great producers and directors you can collaborate with.

🗣 Step 2: Ask for Help: This is Harder than it sounds. Find those who embrace your blind spots. They'll bring their magic, freeing you to focus on what you do best. Find the “Who” not the “How”. Read “WHO NOT HOW” for bonus points. It will change your life.

🎨 Step 3: Creativity Multiplier: Teamwork is what makes filmmaking so fun, so lean on the team. Let them bring their own ideas to the table. Collaboration isn't just a timesaver, it's a creativity multiplier. If you allow your set designer to have creative freedom over the patterns and bring her own ideas for props, ask the actors to bring their own ideas to the characters and get input from the gaffer on the lighting approach they think would make the scene work better, you aren’t cheating. You are using everyone’s skills to make something better than you could make on your own. I find this kind of collaboration creates sets that are more fun and you get better, more engaged work from your crew. People don’t want to just follow orders, they want to participate.

Check your ego at the door. You may need a little ego to make a film come together, but the more you can lean on your team and find people you trust to lean on, the better your films get.