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Make Something, Anything: Your 2025 Creative Challenge

It’s December 27th. The last few days of 2024.

This is the week where time feels elastic. We look back on what we’ve accomplished and, often, what we haven’t.

But this time isn’t just for reflection—it’s for decision.

You don’t need a perfect plan. You don’t need a grand resolution. You don’t need to wait for January 1st to act.

You just need to take a step.

And if you’re a filmmaker—or someone feeling the pull to create—there’s only one step that truly matters:

Make something.

Why Make Something in 2025?

Because making is how you learn.

You can read all the books, watch all the tutorials, and take all the courses—but until you get your hands dirty, you won’t fully understand what it takes.

A script teaches you storytelling in ways no book can. A short film, even one shot in your living room with no budget, teaches you directing, collaboration, and problem-solving.

But making something isn’t just about learning. It’s about fulfillment.

There’s a voice in every creative’s head. It whispers, you should be writing, filming, editing—creating. Ignore it long enough, and it doesn’t go away. It just gets louder.

Making something silences that voice.

It doesn’t need to be perfect. It doesn’t need to win awards. It just needs to exist.

Extraordinary Results Require Extraordinary Actions

Everyone wants extraordinary results: a finished film, a celebrated script, an audience that connects with your work.

But extraordinary results don’t come from ordinary actions. They require extraordinary effort.

What does that mean?

It means being patient. Persistent.

Most people quit because they don’t see results fast enough. But here’s the truth: everyone has time.

This isn’t about glorifying hustle culture. It’s about carving out focused, intentional time to build your craft.

You could take five years to make a movie, working one hour a week. One hour a week—52 hours a year.

Would that feel slow? Sure. But you’d have a movie.

Progress, even slow progress, is still progress.

Start Small, Start Now

Filmmaking can feel overwhelming—the scale, the cost, the logistics.

But you don’t have to start big. In fact, you shouldn’t.

Start small. A single-page script. A 30-second test shot with your phone. A weekend editing footage you already have.

Every small step compounds. Each action builds momentum.

Here’s what that could look like:

• Write a page a day. By mid-year, you’ll have a full script.

• Shoot a short film in one location. Keep it simple. Two characters, one room, one weekend.

• Document your process. Share your journey on YouTube or Instagram.

If You’re an Actor, Be Your Own Star

Waiting for someone to cast you? Stop waiting. Cast yourself.

Write a role that showcases your talent. Collaborate with a filmmaker or pick up a camera yourself. Create the opportunities you’re hoping someone will hand you.

And if you’re a writer? Produce your film.

Learn and apply the skills you need to make your script a reality. That’s how you build credits. Many writers I know got their start by writing and producing a short film—or a feature—on their own terms.

Want to direct? Write a script you can direct. Learn to produce so you can make it happen. If you don’t have a friend who’s a writer, then you’ll need to be both writer and producer yourself.

Filmmaking always comes down to two resources: time and money.

• If you have money, you can make things happen faster.

• If you don’t, you need to invest time.

Time is just as valuable as money, but it requires focus. Put in the hours and learn as you go.

And don’t just learn. Apply.

Learning without action is procrastination. When you take action, you figure out how to leverage what you’ve learned to get further with less.

Let me tell you a story.

Building Systems to Save Time

When I was learning to edit, I started with clunky, slow workflows. It felt like each cut, each transition, took an eternity.

Then I learned how to use keyboard shortcuts in Davinci Resolve. I began building my own shortcuts, personalizing the process so the tools worked for me, not the other way around.

What took hours began to take minutes. The same thing happened with visual effects. I spent two years learning After Effects while working on 13 Miles. Some if it was painstaking, but the work I did at the beginning took 1/10th the time by the end of the two years. I learned and applied as I went. I invested dollars and time into tutorials, classes, etc. but focused that learning on the exact challenge I needed to solve - a logo replacement, a background set extension, adding 3D elements to a scene, and even compositing a finish line into another country. If we needed to do it, I went and learned and spent a week (or a month) until I got it right. Today? I could do that same task in a day, and with the new enhancements (AI and otherwise) in motion and compositing, it could be less. One of the advantages of having learned "the old school way" of 2018 is that as the new technology and advancements make it easier, I'm well positioned to customize and confidently perform most cinematic visual effects solutions. I still can't put a realistic dinosaur chasing a triathlete to the finish line... but maybe in the sequel?

Here’s the thing: the time you save isn’t a shortcut to avoid the work. It’s a way to do more of the work.

This applies to every part of filmmaking. Build systems. Simplify processes. Create efficiencies.

But no matter how streamlined your system becomes, you still have to put in the time.

Every small action matters. The only thing that doesn’t? Waiting.

Consistency Is the Key

Creative success isn’t linear.

Progress comes in bursts. You may spend weeks—or months—feeling like nothing’s happening. But then, seemingly all at once, things start to click.

That’s the J-curve in action. The J-Curve in business terms mean you will expend a lot of resources (time and money) before you start seeing measurable results.

1 action does not = 1 positive result. It usually means you start off by spending more and more time and money to get there (education and experience being a large component of time and money) and then, if you breakthrough, you start seeing positive outcomes.

Most people quit before they reach the breakthrough point.

Don’t be most people.

Here’s how you stay consistent:

• Show up daily, even for 15 minutes.

• Be patient. Trust the process.

• Focus on the work, not the results.

Small, consistent actions compound over time.

Leverage What You Have

Filmmaking requires resourcefulness. If you have time, use it to learn, practice, and create. If you have money, invest it strategically.

Neither works without the other. And neither works without consistency.

Reflection and Alignment

Carve out time to reflect.

Not the distracted kind of thinking that happens while you scroll Instagram. Real, focused reflection.

Ask yourself:

• Am I creating work that matters to me?

• Am I taking steps toward the life I want?

• Am I using my time in alignment with my goals?

These aren’t easy questions. But they’re necessary.

It’s Okay to Ask for Help

Here’s something we don’t say enough: it’s okay to ask for help.

In fact, asking for help is a sign of strength. It means you’re not giving up—you’re pushing forward.

Sometimes, you can reach the next stage on your own. But sometimes, you need that extra nudge. A collaborator. A mentor. A friend who can help you see things differently.

There’s no shame in that.

And when you reach the next step? Look back. Reach out a hand. Help someone else get there, too.

We grow stronger by lifting each other.

Your 2025 Challenge

Make something.

Write that script. Shoot that short or feature. Start that YouTube channel and share your work.

Ship completed work!

Take the first step, however small. Because the act of making isn’t just about the finished product. It’s about who you become along the way.

Here’s to 2025. Let’s create, grow, and lift each other higher.

Happy New Year!

— Anthony

P.S. Need help taking that first step? Reply to this email with your biggest challenge, and I’ll do my best to point you in the right direction. Let’s make something extraordinary—together.

Missing anything that you want to see? Let me know.

Cheers,

Anthony (He/Him)

P.S. Love these emails? Buy me a coffee to say "thanks"!

Ways to Work With Me

1. ​Monthly Coaching: To help you get unstuck in a script, your marketing plan or movie launch, etc.
2. ​Book a One Hour Coaching Session: Speaking of asking for help! Great for Pitch Deck reviews, script discussions, pep talks. 25% off until January 1st to book your session.
3. ​"Scratch to Screen": A guided 52 week email and live coaching course.
4. Budget and Scheduling: Telefilm is opening up applications for funding! If you want to apply, or pitch your script or film idea to producers and investors, you need a tailored budget and schedule. Reply to this email if you'd like this service.

Watch and Support My Previous Work

"13 Miles" a Telefilm grant recipient, is now available to watch!

Upcoming Projects

"The Quiet Canadians", a feature movie about skilled Canadian operatives who are trained in the elimination of local and foreign targets, is in development. Click here for more information​

"Xing'er: Origins", a feature film about a family's fight for survival against a deadly sect of assassins, is in development. Click here to find out more.​

See more of our projects in development by checking out our website.​
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