Making a movie or a television show is a challenging endeavor under the very best circumstances.

Secret #2 – Passion

In many respects, passion is the wellspring of the tenacity. Passion gets you out of bed at 4:30 in the morning on the 20th day when you are faced with another 14 hours on the set. Passion gets you back on the horse when your project falls apart at the funding stage, or your dream actor backs out of your project to take another job. Passion toughens up your skin against criticism. Passion connects you to other passionate people.

How do you keep connection with your passion? The same way you get to Carnegie Hall — Practice, practice, practice. Becoming or staying consistently passionate about your work is both a habit and a skill. Approach developing your passion in a similar way to how you would develop your body. Instead of setting aside time to go to the gym, schedule time throughout the week to get inspired or improve your skills. For example, you could watch one of your favorite movies or read a book about lighting techniques. Call someone in your field that you respect and talk through the ideas that came to you in the shower this morning. The possibilities are vast.

Mark Gordon talked about how he regularly makes big summer blockbuster films like The Day After Tomorrow so that he can pursue passion projects like The Messenger. The former is an effects-driven film with wide appeal that is perfect for a summer blockbuster. The latter is a more intimate, challenging tale that is risky when it comes to making a profit. Harvey Weinstein said that Mark’s balanced approach was one of the things he admired most.

Important related point: Even though critics didn’t fall in love with The Day After Tomorrow, Mark said the films environmental message sparked great dialog far and wide about how we can take better care of the planet. That shows that even the most commercial projects can have an impact beyond just money.

This post was written by Deluxis Entertainment founder and CEO Christopher Kaminski. For Secret #1, click here. To catch the next secret, please follow us on Facebook and Twitter.