Audience and the creative process

A couple questions came up in my
On-Line Mentorship Program: aBetterFilm.com
and I’m reposting my answers here….

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#1 how much do I think of my audience when I create?
and
#2 what do I do with my ideas once I get them?

The answer to #1 for me, now, is “always.”
I always keep the audience in mind with every choice.
And I also keep myself in mind. My goal is to look for
solutions that seem to fit for both myself and the audience.

BUT, I’ve been doing this for 20 years and I feel very
comfortable and satisfied with my creative voice.
The first 10 years I spent thinking mostly
of finding and clarifying my voice. I wanted people
to like the work, but it was secondary.
I was making money in other ways and
not THAT concerned with connecting with large audiences.
The process satisfied me and the response was icing.

“Schooled” was the first film where I began to care
about how the information was landing on people.
I wasn’t going for a blockbuster, but I did want to
provoke a certain type of response with the audience,
and I was successful in that. When it world premiered
at The MethodFest it was one of the most satisfying
experiences I’ve ever had because after doing so many script
readings and then later on — a bunch of rough cut screenings,
I knew how it landed, I loved the reactions it got,
and I was at peace with the people who weren’t crazy about it.
So I sat back enjoyed the screening, and the reactions.

With the scripts and the TV show I’ve developed since then,
I’ve opened up the scope of my target even wider.
My early work was seen by hundreds of people.
“Schooled” has been seen by thousands.
The intention of my future work is to reach tens of millions.

And to do that I still have to stay true to my voice.
Which means I have to find the “true” choices
that happen to appeal to larger amounts of people.

So the second question is:
what do I do with the ideas once I have them?
I package them. When an idea hits that seems deep enough
to sustain interest in a feature film or a TV show,
I’ll jot down notes about the idea.
Later, if I’m still feeling it, I’ll develop it into a
logline and then to a 3 page outline.

Sometimes I’ll have ideas for shorts too,
and if they’re REALLY compelling to me,
I’ll write them down. But for the most part,
I stay focused on larger scale work.

I have a handful of loglines that I’m ready to pitch
when I have meetings with people interested in my work.
I’ve got a 3 page outline of a film I’d love to direct next.
And I’m working on another outline of a sci-fi action
(triology!) that I’d love to co-write next.

So to specifically answer the question, I take the idea
and I craft it into a package that’s ready to deliver
– as long as it seems there is enough audience interest.