Celebrate a Failure with Me…

Failure is Good, If You Learn From It.

Mike Rekola

Sep 15, 2024

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From late at night (after we put the kids to bed.)

Saturday, September 14th

Hey Filmmaker,

Failure Sucks.

I never went to film school and even got denied by everyone I applied to as an undergraduate and then again for graduate school.

It wasn’t until law school did I uncover the confidence to attempt this career change.

But, my first day on set, I realized that I knew very little of the lingo, slang, and terminology that the industry used.

I didn’t know the difference between a Dana Dolly and a Skateboard Dolly. I didn’t know what a “Martini Shot,” nor an “Abby Shot” was.

That first day was shocking. I was confused, humbled, and felt like an outsider.

So I fell back on my legal training. In the practice of law, if you don’t know something the best and first place to look is usually Black’s Law Dictionary, a very old and venerable dictionary of legal terms, exclusively.

Thinking there must be a filmmaking version I went searching for the perfect filmmaking dictionary that I could use on set to help me gain the confidence I needed to lead. But, there was none to be found.

Most were either outdated, out of print, or exclusively focused on academia and film studies.

Realizing that others might benefit, I set out to create a “working” on-set dictionary of the filmmaking terms that every PA, Crew Member, Above-the-Line Talent, and Producers should know.

So The Modern Filmmaker’s On Set Dictionary came about out of necessity.

This Issue: Celebrate a Failure with Me…

Last Issue: Industry-Standard Software Should Be Free…

On Sale Now: The Modern Filmmaker’s On Set Filmmaking Dictionary

The Elements of Filmmaking by the Modern FIlmmaker — The Elements of Filmmaking by The Modern Filmmaker

I am excited to announce:

The Modern Filmmaker’s On-Set Filmmaking Dictionary is available now!

You see, I collected all these terms.

All sorted alphabetically.

Each entry is in the following format:

Word - (Category) - Short Definition. Then a quick example sentence.

All terms fit into one of eight categories: Development, Pre-production, Production, Post-production, Distribution, Equipment, Industry Term, Occupation, or Rule.

(Click Here for the FREE version)

This will be a living dictionary that I plan to update regularly as new terms are defined.

In this version there are 1407 terms.

Please feel free to use it to look up any filmmaking term.

If you see a term, slang, or lingo missing and think that word needs to be included in the next edition, feel free to email me at – info@rekolastudios.com with the subject line: “Film Dictionary - New Word”.

(I’m also working through typos and formatting issues.)

I hope this dictionary treats you well in your filmmaking pursuits, my friends.

But what’s my ultimate point?

Turn failure into something.

I turned ignorance into a resource for myself and others.

What past failure have you risen from?

I bet you can think of some and smile.

Cheers,

The Modern Filmmaker - Michael Rekola Signature