When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous “yes.”

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

“Now,” said the professor as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things–your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions–and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else–the small stuff. “If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

“Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first–the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked.

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.”

Press Release for Denial

So this was to throw out some credibility of myself in the film world. With the tools that are coming out today, it makes it possible for talented individuals to deliver great visuals to a compelling story. If not a compelling story, at least good visuals. But I find it funny that so many people don’t take the time to understand how to use these tools. It’s more than pressing record, focusing, and composing. Some people I’ve dealt with say “Why pay someone 5k, when I can buy a camera for 5k?” I always laugh and shake my head on those ignorant comments. For those who don’t know the answer to that question, let me ask you this? Do you even know the concept behind shutter, aperture, or iso? Do you know the concept of color temperatures? How about accessories that are needed to make filmmaking easier? How about lighting work to manipulate shadows? Or how about knowledge of lenses to shoot certain styles and give different looks?

Did I mention anything about using the camera in just hitting record and composing the shot? There are tons of things aside from the equipment to understand. And when you do understand those things, hitting record on the camera probably makes better sense as you’ll start to capture great images.

There are too much BS on the internet these days. If you pick up a camera, please do your due diligence and put a thousand hours into self-educating yourself on how to capture great footage. Or go to school and learn how to make a great image.

I learned in the last 10 months that the tools are the last thing to worry about when it comes to making a film.

This was my first short film ever created, my first film festival displayed on the big screen, and for the first time, I spoke to an audience of 200 + about my film. It was a great feeling and I’m very humbled by it. Below are links to the Trailer and the Full 8 minute film to “Denial”.

Denial TRAILER:

Denial Full 8 Minute Short (with soundtrack):

But get this, the girl who charged me musta been mad sleepy. Because the fee was suppose to be $185, instead she charged me $18.50 lol. Checked my CC and yep, it’s $18.50. So now I’m just left with a $65 dollar ticket which I can live with since I was irresponsible for not reading the signs correctly.

Lesson learned, read the signs carefully!