'Being Seen' is more important than 'Hard Work'.

The key to working with and engaging other artists is your ability to be 'seen'. It doesn't matter how wonderful an idea you have. If you don't let people see 'your art' and the qualities you have then there will be no quality communication and no collaboration.

When most of us start out in film we're digging holes, cleaning buckets and brushes, delivering lunches. From there we move into roles of greater responsibility.  Most think this is a process of working from the bottom up. Most translate this as 'you work hard, complete the task then graduate to the next level'.  This is not completely true.  What is actually happening here is you are allowing yourself to be seen. Are you a hard worker, smart, patient, talented, creative? what qualities are revealed through your work?  Does the work reveal your art?

When we consider recognition through 'being seen' rather than task completion our relationship to the work shifts dramatically.  Also we become awake to the most important questions. How do I want to be seen? And where do I best reveal that? Too often we take on work we think will lead to something without considering what it reveals of our art.

In 2006 I was hired for the film 'Bridge to Terabithia' as a researcher and runner.  I got books, reference and delivered lunches to Roger Murray and his props crew at Main Reactor...Roger will be the first to tell you how bad those lunches were.  I was being seen but not particularly well.  So I did something about it.

In the evenings I started doing illustrations of the production designers (Rob Gillies) plans. This was not my job. I was reminded on more than one occasion that the work wasn't necessary. Still every night I worked late to create concept art. Pretty soon the work was getting noticed. I set up in an office next to Rob and was powering through designs. Next Tim Coddington called me to his office. I had been seen, by a producer...I was terrified. On the floor of his office were storyboard frames. Too many to count. Every inch of carpet was covered. Tim ran me through the story explaining a frame was missing here, there, a sequence there and another there. I nodded politely in silence. Then he said, "Can you storyboard?". I nodded again even though I had no idea if I could or not. "Great." he said "lets have those changes for the end of the day."

Had I worked hard at the job I had been given as a runner yes I might have been offered it again. Likely though I wouldn't have. I didn't work my way up from this position. I couldn't.  It didn't reveal anything that was unique about me.  To be seen the way I wanted I had to do the work that allowed that. The only way to be 'seen' was through my art.

http://www.brendanheffernan.com/Bridge-to-Terabithia