*Sometimes life takes you behind a different camera than the one you imagined.*
If you've spent any time looking through my video portfolio, you've probably noticed something.
There's a fair amount of government work, tourism campaigns, promotional videos, interviews, and commercial-style productions.
But not a whole lot of narrative filmmaking.
Which is a little funny, considering that directing films is what made me fall in love with this business in the first place.
So what happened?
Well, life happened.
And apparently, movies cost money.
A lot of it.
## The Difference Between Making a Living and Making a Movie
Here's something they don't always tell you when you fall in love with filmmaking.
Making a movie and making a living making movies are two very different things.
You can have a great script, a compelling story, and a vision for every single shot.
Unfortunately, the electric company doesn't accept compelling stories as payment.
And unlike working as a videographer or multimedia producer for a city, municipality, or business, directing an independent film doesn't always come with a steady paycheck, equipment, a production budget, or the luxury of knowing where your next project is coming from.
Sometimes you're not just the director.
You're the producer, location scout, fundraiser, transportation department, and the guy buying everyone lunch.
And that's before somebody asks if there's room in the budget for another shooting day.
What budget?
## But the Storytelling Never Stopped
The funny thing is, even though my professional work shifted toward government communications, tourism, and commercial video production, I never really stopped thinking like a director.
Whether I was producing a tourism campaign, interviewing someone for a community story, or creating a promotional video, I was still asking the same questions.
What's the story?
What's the emotion?
What do I want the audience to feel?
And how do I communicate all of that visually?
The projects may have changed, but the creative process never really did.
A good story is still a good story, whether it's told on a movie screen, a television commercial, or a city's Facebook page.
And I've genuinely enjoyed that work.
Videography has given me opportunities to meet interesting people, tell meaningful stories, and continue creating.
But if I'm being completely truthful, **directing is where my heart has always been.**
## My Latest Directing Gig
These days, the closest I've come to directing a dramatic performance usually involves my daughter.
"Stand over here."
"Look that way."
"Wait, do that again."
"Okay, now swing."
She usually gives me the same look I imagine actors give directors who've asked for one too many takes.
Except she doesn't have an agent I can negotiate with.
Yet.
And somehow, despite years of directing actors and working on film sets, convincing an 11-year-old to repeat something for the camera might be my most challenging production to date.
At least on a movie set, people occasionally listen to the director.
## Man, I Miss It.
I miss the collaboration.
I miss walking onto a set before the first shot.
I miss watching something that existed only in my imagination slowly become real through the work of talented people.
I miss discussing a scene with an actor, working through a camera setup, and discovering those unexpected moments that make a film better than what was originally written.
I even miss the chaos.
Well, most of it.
There's something about directing that I've never been able to completely explain.
It's not about being in charge.
It's about bringing people, ideas, images, and emotions together to create something that didn't exist before.
And when it works, there's nothing quite like it.
## Maybe the Next Scene Hasn't Been Written Yet
I've learned that creative careers rarely follow the script we originally imagined.
Sometimes you direct films.
Sometimes you produce videos for a municipality.
Sometimes you create commercial content.
And sometimes you're standing behind a camera at a softball field, trying to convince your daughter that one more take would be perfect.
But none of those experiences are wasted.
Every project teaches you something. Every story adds another layer to your perspective.
And maybe that's what keeps me excited about what's next.
I still love videography. I still love editing. I still love finding the right frame and telling a story through images.
But somewhere inside me, there's still a director waiting to yell, "Action!"
And I don't think that part of me is ever going away.
Maybe I haven't directed the film I want to make next.
Maybe I don't even know what that film is yet.
But I know the passion is still there.
And sometimes that's enough to remind you that the story isn't over.
**We're just between scenes.**
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*JHector | Visual Storytelling*
*Still creating. Still dreaming. And always looking for the next story worth telling.*
