No Film School has a succinct review of ‘Film Hawk’ a new documentary on independent film consultant and producer Bob Hawks.

Hawks discovered Kevin Smith‘s Clerks and produced Chasing Amy.

WIth a nod to the teams all across Canada frantically finishing up their micro-budget projects, here are some of the highlights, in Bob’s words:

Don’t make a film unless you have to.

“The world is cluttered with so many films that have no reason to exist. What I’m saying is, if you don’t have a story that you have to tell, if you don’t have that passion, don’t waste our time. You don’t have to be serious or have something heavy to say. You just have to care about it.”

Treat collaboration as a privilege.

“If you don’t let people in, if you don’t hold them close, you’re hurting yourself. It takes some people many, many years of effort to learn that isolation and unhappiness are your own creation.”

Use your whole life’s experiences to make your films.

“I’ve been working in film for over three decades, but I didn’t start doing that until I was in my forties! I’d already had a full life as a techie off-Broadway, way back in the ’60s, before I even thought about film. Then I was a stage manager. I learned about dramaturgy, storytelling, I added that to my own life experience… and that’s what I brought to filmmaking. You have something in theater that film doesn’t have: four-to-six weeks of rehearsal where you hone the script. So one thing I try to do as a consultant/producer is to help filmmakers develop their narrative.”

Stay local and be authentic.

“But don’t misunderstand me. Your honesty doesn’t have to be geographic. It can be internal. Just remember: a narrative can be modest, it doesn’t have to set the world on fire, but it needs to be authentic. Unfiltered.”

Prepare for rejection.

“First-time filmmakers need to prepare for rejection. Too many of the beginners I meet with may have great potential, but their attitude is wrong. They think, ‘Oh, I’ve got a Sundance film. They’re gonna love it.’ Or, ‘My film is perfect for South By Southwest.’ They assume they’re gonna get in, and when they don’t, they’re crushed. Immobilized. That’s not good for their future. You’re better off assuming that you might not get into anything. Then if you do get into something it’s ‘Wow, how great.'”

Re-define success.

“If you’re in this for money, forget it. I have always said and will always say, ‘If you’re in independent film to make a killing, you’re nuts.’ Success in indie film is breaking even. Or, even better, it’s making something that helps you find other work. How do you measure success? It’s the satisfaction of accomplishment, of making something you’re proud of. Of making something that moves others, that makes them laugh and cry. Or ask searching questions. For me, success includes people you don’t even know coming up to say ‘Thank you.'”

My take: words of wisdom. Particularly that first gem, Don’t make a film unless you have to.