A couple years ago, my wife and I spent the better part of a weekend sanding, staining, and finishing a pair of cheap old Ikea bookshelves. For just a little extra sweat and effort, the immediate results were pretty darn impressive. A couple months of regular use, though, broke that spell real fast. In spite of the new finish, there was no covering up the fact that these were still some cheap old Ikea bookshelves.

It wasn't long ago that only a select few - those with lots of money, equipment, and technical know-how - could make motion pictures. Now, if you've got a decent camera, a computer, and some editing software, you, at home no less, can create pretty professional-looking work. But now more than ever, aspiring to slickness, to gloss for its own sake, won't cut it.

That doesn't excuse poor execution. But just remember, the most beautifully-produced work can't hide what's going on, or not going on, inside.