Christopher McQuarrie: ‘Focus Entirely on Execution and Not on Result’

Christopher McQuarrie:

After twenty five years in the craft, I’ve learned the secret to making movies is making movies — starting with little movies no one will ever see.

The secret to knowledge is doing and failing — often and painfully — and letting everyone see.

The secret to success is doing what you love, whether or not you’re being paid. The secret to a rewarding career in film (and many other fields) is focusing entirely on execution and not on result.

McQuarrie is writing from the field he knows best — movies — but I really do believe this advice is universal. You want to be a writer? Write. You want to make apps? Create apps.

There’s not much similar between football and filmmaking, but I recently heard Alabama head coach Nick Saban give the same advice to a younger coach: focus on execution, not results. The results you deserve will follow from the quality of your execution.

★ Saturday, 26 October 2019