Here is the difference between ideas and art. Ideas just happen. Art does not just happen. Art requires work. To illustrate this, consider this situation involving a giant Pink Bunny.

Daniel Sanchez, 17, was sitting in class listening to cinematographer John Doran drone on and on about how to become a professional filmmaker and he zoned out. Suddenly, without him trying, the idea of a giant pink bunny causing someone to step in a pile of filth and ruin their perfectly clean sneaks popped into his head.

Pretty cool idea, right? He got the idea for free. However, Sanchez decided he wanted to make a movie about a giant pink bunny making a mess on someone's perfectly clean shoes.

First, he built a plot around it, something involving a young man's struggle against vanity. Second, he found an actor with nice clean shoes. Third ... third ... he needed a giant pink bunny suit. But he didn't have one. Even worse, Sanchez didn't have the money or the connections to get a giant pink bunny suit. Brick wall!

Nobody ever said making movies was easy. Distraught, Sanchez went to talk to Peter Sollett, director of "Raising Victor Vargas."

"It's hard to get a giant pink bunny costume," Sanchez whined.

Sollett looked Sanchez in the eyes and said "Look, either you make this movie or you don't."

There it is. The line had been drawn in the sand. On one side there was nothing but an idea. On the other side there was a movie about a giant pink bunny messing up some shoes.

Sanchez took a deep breath, prepared himself and marched into a costume shop. He begged and bargained. He pleaded. He borrowed 50 bucks from a friend. And guess what? He got that pink bunny suit.

As a result, I got to watch Sanchez's completed movie yesterday. It was everything I could have hoped for. There were clean shoes and dirty shoes. There were clean shirts and dirty shirts. Not only was there a giant pink bunny, there as a giant pink bunny riding a bicycle.

What is the moral of all this? What is the lesson we should all learn? First of all—and I think this is obvious—step carefully around giant pink bunnies. Secondly, if you get a really bizarre idea and you want it to become more than an idea ... face it ... you're going to have to borrow 50 bucks.

(This story comes from attending the Ghetto Film School's 6th Annual Public Screening and Award Ceremony on September 15, 2005. Special thanks to Daniel, James, Lilian, Luise, Raul and Joe for explaining GFS to me. Check out their website at www.ghettofilm.org)