If you’re a filmmaker, you have to face it: not all of your videos will be good. In fact, some of them may be downright terrible. But that’s okay—part of the fun (or frustration) of being a filmmaker is working on projects that haven’t turned out as hoped for, learning from mistakes, and coming back more vital than ever with new ideas and skills. If this sounds like something you love too, then read on! Here are 05 mistakes you should avoid in order to succeed:

Making excuses

Excuses are a way of avoiding responsibility. They’re a way of hiding from the truth and making you feel like you’re not responsible for your own failures or shortcomings. And they’re also a tool filmmakers use to avoid learning how to make better films. When you hear someone say, “I’m gonna fail,” it’s usually someone saying that in order to avoid failure, I’m going to do everything possible to ensure myself that I don’t fail!

“It was too technical.”

“The script wasn’t good enough.”

“The actors weren’t talented enough.”

Stop having this loser mindset.

Focusing purely on learning new skills and not putting them into practice

I know, I know. Learning new skills is fun, but it’s not enough. You have to practice those skills if you want to improve your filmmaking. It’s easy to get caught up in the idea of learning new things and forget about actually using them in your work altogether!

You need to put all that new knowledge into action if you want it to help you become a better filmmaker.

Dedicating time to watching other filmmakers work without practicing yourself

Watching others is a great way to learn and improve your craft, but it’s not the only way. It’s essential to put yourself in front of the camera and practice as much as possible.

If you’re putting time into learning by watching other people’s work, ensure it’s only a tiny percentage of what you’re actually doing. The more you practice shooting and editing, the better filmmaker you’ll become!

They Don’t Seek Help.

To be a filmmaker, you need to start acting like a filmmaker. You can do this by seeking advice from people who have already done what you want to do. The best way to do this is by being open-minded and receptive when it comes to their advice. Remember: they’re only trying to help because they’ve been through it themselves!

So don’t be afraid of asking for help—it’s the best way for any filmmaker (or anyone) to begin their journey towards being successful in their field of choice.

They don’t take the time to learn

This is the most obvious of all failures, but also one that many filmmakers don’t realize until they’re actually making a film. The time it takes to learn how to make movies, and what works and doesn’t work in your filmmaking process, is invaluable.

And learning from your own mistakes is just as important as learning from other people’s mistakes—if not more so. It’s easy enough to tell yourself, “I won’t do that again,” but if you’ve never learned what NOT DOING IT AGAIN would look like, you can’t really commit yourself to do it differently next time. You need concrete examples of what not doing something looks like so that when an opportunity comes up again, later on, you can recognize it for what it is and avoid repeating previous mistakes.

They don’t make film

Most people who want to make films don’t make films.

There are many reasons for this, but the main one is that they’re afraid. The idea of actually making a movie is so intimidating that they can’t even get started. They need to know how to shoot, edit and distribute their film before they begin, but then they realize how hard it all sounds and decide not to take any action at all.

This is why many filmmakers never actually finish their projects—they just talk about them endlessly in online forums and on social media until everyone else loses interest in their project (and them).

At the end of the day, filmmaking is a tough gig. It’s a harsh industry to break into and even tougher to stay in. The odds are not in your favor, and neither are most people’s expectations.

But if you can make it through this rough journey, there is no doubt that you will be stronger for it—and better at your craft! So don’t give up on yourself or your dreams anytime soon.

“It’s only after you’ve stepped outside your comfort zone that you begin to change, grow, and transform.”

Roy T. Bennett