This graph is from Joey Korenman’s book The Freelancer Manifesto, and although he writes for motion graphics designers, I think he has an interesting lesson for filmmakers too.
The graph represents the idea that there’s normally a trade-off between money and creative control.
On the one hand, you have well-paid projects that give you zero control. For example, advertising work where there are a million bosses telling you what to do. That’s “Pain”.
The opposite of this are projects with no budget but lots of creative control — making a music video with a friend, for example. This is “Rainbows”.
There are good and bad points to both types of project, and many people build good careers out of switching between the two.
The frustration comes — or so Joey argues — when you’re caught in the middle, doing projects that are poorly paid AND don’t give you creative control. This is “No Man’s Land” and is the real danger zone.
“Pain and Rainbows” is an approach I’ve been trying to do a bit more of in my career: taking on more commercial work, but doing more side-projects at the same time (my YouTube channel mainly). It’s got lots of benefits: more money and more time to work on stuff I really love. Plus, my commissioned work is helped by the learning and experimentation that happens in my side-projects. (Read: Why side projects are so important to a creative career — and how to make progress in yours)
Footnote: Joey Korenman attributes this idea to the artist David Lewandowski, who does insane but amazing video work. An inspiring example of where a rainbows approach can take you.