I guess what is fascinating is the shared desire to reach out across the datasphere and work together.

It helps provide me with an often overlooked historical context for everything that has been blowing up since you all hit the red ‘vlog’ button.

What Jay says about people not doing it because they can’t make something as good as what they see around them is spot on. And his hopes for a band-like production across the world are mine, too.

Because we’re mostly doing it solo, it’s necessitated us being Jacks of all trades, something I’ve been uncomfortable with because I’ve had the luck to work with great crews before. This has stifled my ability to execute ideas.

I mean, what you’re talking about is what great professional film production has always been: several talented people in different disciplines working together, both during and post production. It’s just that now they all cluster together in physical communities and get locked into a commercial system.

And working with others independently and non-commercially at the moment is possible, but comes with its own problems – not least the geographical limitations of having to work with people you’re near to.

Maybe we really will be able to crews and likeminded collaborators across the world. It’s harder than walking next door, but I guess it remains to be seen how much harder.

It’s important also to get together and thrash things out face to face is also true… the alchemy and urgency that comes from sitting in a room together, or being on location together… but maybe not as important as we instinctively think?

I feel like my mind is opening up to the possibilities of projects that would have seemed inconceivable before this. And maybe I’ll be able to make the kind of things I gave up hope of making when I decided not to be an industry guy.

Keep dreaming You rule

I need distributed production help and inspiration.