So, lately I’ve been thinking about the careers of some cinematic giants. Consider Woody Allen and M. Night Shyamalan. Here are two writer/directors who produce a new movie very reguarly. You can tell that these are disciplined writers who make their creativity a priority.
Now, it is also true that sometimes the efforts of these directors are not much appreciated by the critics!
In contrast, have a look at the career of Quentin Tarantino. Since he struck it big with “Pulp Fiction” (1994), his output has been minimal. He has done some television work, sometimes as an actor, but you have a sense that he must be a blocked writer somehow. Francis Ford Coppola was never able to overcome the towering heights of “The Godfather” movies. Yet, Martin Scorsese has managed to make a very interesting movie every few years.
What’s going on here?
I guess that’s the danger of having some big success with a project — “Pulp Fiction” in Tarantino’s case, “The Sixth Sense” in Shyamalan’s case. How do you top it?
The answer, of course, is to keep creating. Try not to worry about what the critics will say. (And especially, try to avoid your own internal critic!) Don’t worry about topping yourself; keep your discipline and keep working. After all, Woody Allen and M. Night Shyamalan and Martin Scorsese will always be able to look back on a larger body of work than, say, Tarantino.
So I encourage you, as composers, to have a large body of work. Besides, unlike movie makers, you don’t need to raise several million dollars to get your art out there!
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