Filmmaker Mistakes: Why Embarrassing Old Work Makes You Better
- Indie Film Podcast
- Jun 4
- 5 min read
Every filmmaker has a project that makes them cringe. Ok, sure, maybe more than one. It may have been your first short film, a student project, something rushed for one of those 48-hour-competition numbers, or even a feature-length “learning experience” that you now hope no one discovers during a casual internet search.
But here’s the thing: Being embarrassed by your old work isn't always a bad sign. In fact, it might be one of the clearest signs that you're growing. In this episode of Indie Film Podcast, we talk about bad films, bruised egos, creative failure, and the filmmaker mistakes that can actually make you better if you are willing to learn from them.
Filmmaker Mistakes Are Part of Getting Better
The real problem isn't making a bad film, it's refusing to learn from it.
Every filmmaker makes mistakes. Some are technical, like bad sound, flat lighting, awkward editing, or pacing problems. Others are harder to admit because they're tied to story, tone, performance, collaboration, or creative ego. And isn't is so much easier to say, “The audience just didn’t get it,” than it is to ask, “What did I fail to communicate?”
That kind of self-reflection can be uncomfortable, but, frankly, it's also where growth happens. If you can look back at an old project and see what's just not working, that probably means your taste has improved, your skills have elevated, and your standards are higher than they used to be.
And that's a W any way you look at it.
Why Your Old Films Make You Cringe
Cringing at old work usually means you can now see the gap between what you wanted to make and what you actually made. And sometimes that gap is wider than we're comfortable with. Maybe the performances weren't grounded. Maybe the sound design accidentally made a serious drama feel like a cartoon (whoops). Maybe the story was trying to do too much. Maybe the film was built around compromise instead of clarity. Maybe you were so focused on finishing the project that you lost perspective on whether it was actually worth making in the first place.
Thankfully, that doesn't mean it was worthless. It means that project taught you something (probably a lot of things, actually). Some films are masterpieces, some are practice, some are probably teaching moments with a tinge of embarrassment, and some are chaotic little lessons you made with your friends because you were learning how to make movies by actually making them.
Not every project has to be the best thing you've ever made to be valuable.
Even Great Filmmakers Have Work They Regret
One of the most comforting things about embarrassing old work is realizing: You're not alone!
In the episode, we cite several famous filmmakers who've had complicated relationships with their own films, including Stanley Kubrick, David Lynch, Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, and the Duplass brothers. Even filmmakers with legendary careers have projects they tried to bury, disowned, revisited, or learned painful lessons from.
A bad project doesn't mean you're a bad filmmaker. Sometimes it means you were still learning. Sometimes it means you lacked resources, support, or perspective. Shoot, sometimes it means you had a strong idea but maybe your skillset for the execution just wasn't there yet.
Of course, sometimes it does mean you just made choices that didn't work and you do have to own that. But at the end of the day, it's all useful information.
Constructive Criticism Matters More Than Vague Shame
One of the biggest filmmaker mistakes is turning embarrassment into a dead end.
“Wow, this is bad” might be emotionally honest, but it isn't very helpful, is it? If you want to grow, get more specific.
Instead of asking, “Is this embarrassing?” ask:
What ISN'T working here?
Is the story clear?
Is the pacing too slow?
Are the performances believable?
Is the sound distracting?
Does the lighting support the tone?
Did the edit create the right emotional rhythm?
Did the film communicate what I thought it communicated?
Vague shame? That's just going to send you into a spiral. But specific notes can guide your future projects!
The other side of that coin is that every piece of criticism isn't always useful. There's a difference between constructive feedback and someone being cruel because the internet gave them a keyboard and a bad attitude. But when criticism points toward something you can actually improve, it can become one of the most valuable tools you have. As for the haters slinging insults? Feel free to ignore those (you have our permission).
Should You Delete Your Old Work?
This is one of the trickier questions. If an old project makes you cringe, should you delete it? Hide it? Leave it online? Pretend it never happened?
The honest answer is: It depends.
Worst answer ever, we know. But hear us out!
You don't need to actively promote work that no longer represents your abilities. You don't need to put your worst, old project into your current demo reel. And you don't need to use an outdated film as the centerpiece of your pitch deck. (Actually, you probably shouldn't do any of those things, but, hey, it's your work, do what serves you!)
But you also don't necessarily need to scrub your entire creative history from the internet.
There can be value in showing that you're growing. For indie filmmakers especially, old work can prove that you've been making things, learning from them, and improving over time. A rough early film isn't always a liability. Sometimes it's just a part of the story of how you got better.
The key is knowing the difference between archiving old work and showcasing it.
Embrace the Cringe, Then Make the Next Film Better
Embarrassing old work is part of being a filmmaker. It's kind of the cycle of things:
You make something >> you learn >> you look back >> you cringe >> you make something better!
It feels brutal, but it's how creative growth works. And it's not always a perfect cycle, sometimes you make a few brilliant things in the mix and you try to recreate it and...your next project doesn't live up to the previous hype (see: Francis Ford Coppola). The harsh reality is that your worst project might not even be behind you yet! That's the beauty and joy of living in the creative realm. We're all working hard to create this thing that we love, even if over time we start to hate it. The goal is to let it teach you where to improve, and never let it stop you from making the next thing.
Because, hey, your best work might still be yet to come, too!
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