The Passion Project (PP)

Have you got a Passion Project, or PP? I bet you do. I have about three right now that I’m working on. My other fab acting pal has a big one too. Even my friends who are directors or writers seem to have them. It’s such a buzz. When things are quiet you have something you are working towards. When things are busy, your Passion Project keeps churning away in the background, and provides more work to keep you busy.

I define a Passion Project as something that is yours. You own it, the whole shebang! The rights, the concept, the idea, and sometimes even the execution. Right now I’m writing a feature film that I’ve been working on for over a year now. A clever (ha – we hope!) little concept piece that is dramatically challenging to act in, and potentially will be even more difficult to shoot. And every time I don’t have other filming and acting commitments, there it is, waiting for me.

So what happens if you don’t fancy yourself as a writer? Why not do it the way millions of others do. Trawl the sites that have writers displaying their synopsis for you to review and assess. Determine if it’s your kettle of fish and approach them. A very good friend of mine did just that. He used a well known UK site and reviewed scripts for a year before deciding on the chosen script he ended up producing. And this became a big independent film that is now in post and stars some incredible actors.

Don’t fancy yourself as a producer? Then why not trawl the sites looking for a director you’d like to work with. Or do what another friend is currently doing and work collaboratively on a self devised piece. We have so many options. I love that my acting friend Zara Symes put Bits and Pieces together in her spare time to enter into film festivals. I love that three other acting pals are working on a self devised theatre piece called Dark Fairytales for later this year (pictured right). These Passion Projects keep the industry alive!

One other thing I can guarantee! Having a Passion Project gives you something to focus on, something to think about and something that keeps you busy in the lulls. And it also means you always have something to talk about with Casting Directors and Directors when you meet them. It shows you are independently savvy and very much aware of more than just the role of the ‘actor’ in this crazy industry we work in.

What’s your PP? Share below if you fancy.