Motivation

I'm not experienced in how long it takes and how much it costs to make a film like this, but, whatever it cost in time and money, I suspect that, if I had spent that much on a film, I would want to get more out of it than just a couple of laughs from my audience. But that's all this filmmaker gets from "A Ninja Pays Half My Rent". He gets some laughs. Do you suppose he made much money from it? It won some awards. But still, I don't think I would ever be willing to spend so much of my effort making a film this short and with so little of a point. I guess, now that I'm thinking about it, I wouldn't want to make a film if it didn't teaching people something. Not that I'm against making a film solely for humor; I think that's awesome and ought to be done more often ( and not in a cheesy or trashy way. There's plenty of that.) But I just don't have the motivation to work on a long term project like a film if I don't get to teach somebody by it. What would motivate you to work for 3 months, or 3 weeks, or 3 years on a project? Could you stick with it if you were making it for a reason other than the reason that usually motivates you? Probably some of us are going to be forced, for financial reasons, or because we feel God calling us, etc., to make a film that we don't really want to make. Maybe it's not humorous enough, or it's not deep enough, or it's not a genre we like, or it doesn't teach somebody something important. Can you stick with it? And can you do your best and try to make it a good film anyway? This blog sounds preachy, but I think motivation is a problem worth considering before we get more committed to  this career.