Week in Frame — vol. 02: Movement, Systems, and Building Momentum
This week in frame covers: inner reckoning on unfinished work, the kickoff of a new build diary, ongoing progress in the Burying Doris production log, and practical problem-solution systems.
From the Dunkin Line… idiling.
Thursday, December 18th
Dear Reader,
I’m trying a new series called: Office Hours.
I’ll be going live today at 1:30 PM to answer any questions y’all might have.
I’ll simply be streaming myself doing work for 15 minutes. So please stop by.
The goal is to see if having a weekly open line to y’all could help.
Second, this week wasn’t about breakthroughs so much as alignment.
A series of small but deliberate steps—writing, planning, documenting—began to pull a few long-stalled ideas back into motion.
The work touched grief, systems, and the slow discipline of building things that matter.
We covered a lot of ground in the last 96 hours. Here is the recap of what went down at The Modern Filmmaker.
1. Inner Work: What Unfinished Work Does to the Soul
A personal reckoning.
I reflected deeply on the emotional and creative weight of unfinished projects — how fear, loss, detours, and hesitation can pull a filmmaker away from true purpose.
This piece goes into how revisiting childhood promises, confronting past choices, and choosing filmmaking as a means of closure and meaning can be a catalyst for creative rebirth.
Key theme: unfinished work isn’t just unfinished tasks — it’s unfinished life.
It shapes your confidence and your narrative as a creator.
2. Drive-In Diaries #001: A Simple Idea Takes Shape
New build diary started.
I officially put stake in the ground on the micro drive-in theatre project — a long-held idea meant to turn a cinema desert into a gathering place for community and film lovers.
This first entry captures the spark of the idea and the first decisions that get a big project rolling.
Today’s progress:
Started the project officially
Acknowledged constraints (like snow and cold)
Set plans for tomorrow’s design and step-list creation
This is the first in what will be a daily/regular documentation of the build process.
3. Production Log #002: Designing a Human Set
Film progress continues.
In this production log entry for Burying Doris, I laid out some of the practical production planning work: refining the outline, inventorying resources, and setting core non-negotiables like shoot days, crew pay, and budget discipline.
What worked:
Collaborative phone call clarified priorities
Better understanding of resources and constraints
Creating a non-negotiables list
Creating an inventory list
What didn’t:
Need to follow up more aggressively on timeline
Mood: tired but committed — the feeling of real production starts to take shape.
4. Problem → Solution: My Filmmaking Project Was Stalling
A small system with a big impact.
I wrote about how my feature project was drifting because of a mismatch between ambition and current reality.
The simple solution was to create a Non-Negotiables document that anchors every creative and logistical decision.
Why it matters:
This one-page system protects the project’s identity and keeps focus razor-tight — especially important on lean productions.
In the article, I share my template and example.
5. Problem → Solution: How to Create a Resource Inventory
Clarity before execution.
For micro-budget projects, assumptions about what you already have can quickly derail production.
This week I shared a system for creating a Resource Filmmaking Inventory — a tool that lists every element the project touches and checks whether it’s owned, borrowed, rented, or needs to be cut.
Result:
Instead of guessing whether a location, prop, or crew piece exists, you document it — which leads to confident planning and stronger budgets.
In the article, I share my template and example.
The Takeaway
This week was about movement through clarity:
Facing the emotional weight of unfinished work gave direction.
Starting the Drive-In Diary transformed a concept into real momentum.
Production log work sharpened what needs to happen next.
Problem → Solution systems gave me tools to keep progress focused and consistent.
Every step forward — internal, logistical, creative — compounds.
The Week in Frame:
A heavy soul became sharper through honesty, a project got its first stake in the ground, and production systems started taking shape.
Let’s keep moving.
Together, with faith.
M.P. Rekola
P.S. How I Sustain the Work
I’m an independent creator. I don’t have a studio overhead or trust fund backing this work. I earn my living through:
Affiliate links, views, and one-time donations (click here).
Sales of The Modern Filmmaker’s On-Set Filmmaking Dictionary on Amazon
Producing industrial and commercial work through Goodworks (you can hire us)
Consulting on individual projects (email me)
And a micro drive-in movie theatre, I’m currently building
None of this is separate from the art.
It’s what allows the art to keep happening.
Love the non-negotiables approach. The idea that a one-page doc can anchor every decision on a project is basically whatI've been fumbling toward without naming it properly. In product work I've seen too many projects drift because people keep trying to solve for everything at once instead of locking down the few things that actually define the project. Once we had a build that took 3 months longer than it should have just bc nobody could agree on what was essential vs nice-to-have. That resource inventory system is genius too btw.