You do not really know someone until you fight them....

More than any other industry, people that get in to the Entertainment Industry – be it Music, Film, Theater, Art, Sports or any other form, do so because they started off as a Fan. While that may also be true for Surgeons, Astronauts, Chefs and many other professions, the Entertainment industry is a bit unique.

Many agents, managers, advisors, coaches, etc. went down that career path because they wanted to be around the people they admired and/or wanted to be like. We often hear the term “frustrated athlete” or “actor”. This term was not coined by accident and if any of you have been in the business, you know exactly what I mean.

What I feel is important is that we hold on to that Fan inside us regardless of what role we’ve taken in the industry. I’ve often told people I’ve worked with, managed or advised to go watch or listen to something as a Fan. Not as a Director, Writer, Producer or Actor, but as a FAN. Enjoy the work, enjoy the performances, enjoy the art, just enjoy!

When you’re in the business it’s difficult to do this, because even as a fan, you’re trying to learn from the “great ones”. As an aspiring Tennis Player, I would sit mesmerized at the players I was a fan of, but right after, I would head to the practice court and try and emulate what they did to try and be more like them.

Among the many things I love about music, film, TV and art in general, is how there are underlying messages or lessons to learn that may not be that obvious at first glance. While I love watching a movie and being transported somewhere for that time, the ones that really grab me, the ones I watch over and over are the ones I learn something new each time I watch them. Truth be told, same goes for music or art as I hear or see something in the lyrics, beat or image that I only see after the 3rd, 4th or 50th time I enjoy it.

The Matrix Trilogy is one of those movies that does that to me every time. Anyone that’s really watched these films know that they’re about a lot more than just another Sci-Fi movie and there are countless references and messages “hidden in the Matrix”.

While I’ve seen this scene dozens if times, I only just thought about what the line at the end of this scene really means:

“You do not really know someone until you fight them”.

Granted, most of us are not getting in to Jiu Jitsu or fist fights every day (hopefully), so what does this mean or how does this apply to me?

 We’ve all had disagreements (aka fights) with friends, lovers, co-workers, people we manage, people that manage us, clients, etc. Sometimes these fights cause the end of a relationship, which may be unfortunate, but probably for the best. Other times – and the message I feel is important from this line – we learn from the experience. We learn something about the person we had the fight with and hopefully we learn something about ourselves as well.

All sorts of things can come out from a fight. Some may be hurtful, but necessary, some may give us greater insight in to our thoughts, actions and those of the people around us. We can learn more about character, heart, soul, reactions – positively or negatively, from those we fight with as well as from ourselves.

Hopefully, the learning can lead to growth and a stronger bond between us and whoever we may fight with and that can be a wonderful thing.

 To be clear, I’m not recommending we all go out and pick fights with someone, but rather than run away from them, I encourage you to embrace it for what it is and learn and grow from it and if you can hug it out after and have mutual respect – as Neo and Seraph did, what a beautiful thing that can be.

#matrixreloaded #filmmaking #knowthyself #ephelants