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Now that I’m at Columbia for film school, knowing the basics in working with a team is essential for survival and success. As a director, we are thrust into the role of creative leader, spiritual guide, and head of human resources. What’s the lesson? Film making is collaborative.

I am in the midst of putting together a crew for our Production 1 final films. If I hadn’t mentioned this before, I’ll do it now…this is a BIG deal.  I’m a team player. It’s a core value I grew up with and admire in others. Despite my Hollywood exterior (yeah, right), I had a typical Midwestern upbringing. Part of surviving life in the suburbs is participating in sports. I wrestled in the spring, played soccer in the fall, threw shotput in the winter, and played baseball in the summer. The calendar for the year could be planned out on a field. What I learned from these experiences was the importance of teamwork.

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A few weeks ago, we started the hunt for crew members with a meet and greet that included lots of free food and lots of DPs (DP=Director of Photography). The idea was to mix, mingle, and pitch your project to DPs with the hopes of eventually collaborating with one on the final project. I’ve got to admit it was a bit nerve racking. I’ve never been the best networker and I’m even worse on a blind date. This was a bit of both. I was worried I’d leave something out of the pitch or I wouldn’t ask the right questions. Can you blame me for being anxious? I was about to build a marriage. A marriage of vision and ideas focused on a common goal. Sometimes I think too much.

Instead, I let the anxiety pass and enjoyed the event. I met with a lot of talented individuals. In fact, I didn’t realize how deep the talent pool was until we exchanged a few words between bites. So this went on all afternoon. DP after DP, pizza slice after pizza slice. After all was said and done, I made the tough choice from a very qualified field of possible DPs.

But then the doubts started to sneak into my subconscious. Will I be able to handle the personalities? When do I fight for an artistic choice? When do I take advice? What if I need to fire someone? I really hate those doubts. But these are the questions I have to be ready to deal with if I’m going to lead this team. It will be a challenge to balance my ego and passion for the project while keeping others interested. I have to have realistic expectations. Sometimes you have to sit back and let people do what they are good at, otherwise they are stifled and cannot excel at what they are trained to do. My new teammates can get the job done, and I’ll be there to steer them in the right direction.