A love letter

I am days away from completing a major project where I have been in charge of around 120 team members. we just had an early wrap party and at the end of it I felt the need to express my gratitude for all the hard work that they had done.

I wanted to say it from the heart as A: I hate giving speaches and B: they always seem so silly to say and listen to.

Here is what I said:

I am not a religious person. Nor am I a believer in spirits or fate or mysticism.

I do have a form of faith or religion though and I do have a temple in which I worship.

My religion is film

My temple is the studio that I work in and the project that I am working on.

My faith is in the Gods and mystics that populate that great temple.

I go to this temple every day to watch the miracle of creation. I witness the Gods and mystics give willingly, a part of themselves to every frame that they create. This act of creation sometimes makes these Gods and mystics feel diminished, a part of them that has been torn from their being.

But it also gives them a portion of immortality. For every frame that is so blessed becomes a living thing. An eternal thing. A thing that those that do not know the God’s, will still feel their joy, their fear, their laughter.

You are the Gods and mystics. You are the ones that make the frames come alive. Infuse them with feeling. A life of their own. Through this sometimes herculean act of creation you achieve greatness and bless your disciples with joy.

I thank you for allowing me into your temple.

The last of this speach was said quite literaly between my sobs...

As a producer I think it is extremely important to let your team know that you too are human and that you know they are people too. people that are important. We can get so immersed in the process that it is easy to lose track of this. Be it a game or film or any other sort of creative endeavor.

Be thankful for all the small miracles.