Budding Filmmakers Crave a Break
-- Budding Filmmakers Crave a Break via Wired News
This reminds me of a previous post I made over 18 months ago on Too Much Positive Reinforcement (which, itself, was a link to another article).
Let me put this article in another way:
Budding Businesspeople Crave a Break
Would an article which read like that get published by Wired? No. Why? Because it seems rather... um, naive... for young business graduates to expect that upon finishing their degrees that they're entitled to be CEOs*. A CEO is a very important position, after all - you are responsible for millions of dollars, heaps of staff, the overall direction of a business, and need experience, experience, experience to do all those very important things well! (I'm not being facetious about the importance of the things they do, btw, it just reads that way!).
Wait... isn't a Director responsible for millions of dollars, heaps of staff, the overall direction of a business (sorry, film) ... and doesn't doing that well require experience, experience, experience ?
(Qualifying aside, feel free to skip:
I do fathom that film is an artform and that business, perhaps***, isn't. I do understand that calling yourself a director ("Hi, I'm a Director, my name is Stuart") is akin to calling yourself a painter, or a writer, or a sculptor ... in so far as its designed to define Who You Are As A Person ("Hi, I'm a Director, my name is Stuart, do you want to come back to my place?") and defines what you do on an assumedly fundamental personal level. This does make it slightly different from being a CEO, which is harder to get away calling yourself unless you are actually a CEO.
endQualifer)
You're welcome to stop reading here, unless you are actually interested in a less flippant response to the problem :)
Having a Career (aka how Stuart imagines it is, cause he doesn't really know):
We're talking about the world of actually getting paid and actually having a career... and that's completely different from how you introduce yourself to people you want to impress at parties.
You may think of yourself as a great artist, hell, you may even be a great artist! But unless The Powers That Be think (or know) that you're a great artist, they're not going to give you money. Why the fuck should they? Would you pay $5 million for a painting from some art school graduate if all you had seen of his/her work was a charcoal sketch in an art diary? This is no different from the rest of the art world. Commissions don't come unless you have a track record and a portfolio and people know you. They want to know you can deliver.
The wired article does address the issue of portfolios - Adams is said to have one covering "documentaries to hip-hop videos". The problem is that Directing jobs aren't advertised - and nor should they be. Do you really think studios are going to have interviews with a bunch of applicants with cover letters, cvs, and pages addressing 'selection criteria'? I can imagine the ad:
---
Warner Brothers is seeking a young, upcoming Director for their latest film project.
We are looking for someone young and enthusiastic Director to direct one of our many b-grade movies based on DC Comics intellectual property. We will provide on the job training in storytelling and film appreciation. If this sounds like you, please send you CV and a response addressing the following criteria to theboss@warnerbros.com
Essential Criteria:
- Bachelor or higher degree in film or cinema studies is a must!
- High level communication skills
- High level creative problem solving skills
- A practical understanding of coverage and continuity editing
- A visual style which incorporates lots of fast editing, camera movement, and digital grading tricks
Desirable skills:
- The ability to construct proper sentences (object, subject and verb)
- A knowledge of filmmaking jargon to impress crew and executives alike (comprehension optional)
- Experience directing a short film or a music video
- As little knowledge about things other than film as possible.
---
:)
Directing a feature is something which needs to be earned.
Earned by either:
(a) Struggling through blood sweat and tears to make a feature your own way, like David Lowery and his friends did...
(b) By writing a totally kickass script that someone is willing to give you money to make (e.g. Donnie Darko, Andrew Dominic)... and, more importantly, making it so fucking kickass that when you say "you're only getting my script if i direct it" they agree (that's the real trick :)... or having a friend write a total kickass script which you then attach yourself to. Personally, I think the second bit is the smarter way, seems to require less effort, but you gotta watch yourself that you friend doesn't realise that its total kickass and that they may get to make it instead of you. Those bastards!
(c) By creating a whack of fucking kickass work: short films, commercials, music videos, dental education materials... it don't matter. Build a reputation and people will notice you. When they notice you, they will begin thinking about getting you work. It happens a lot. Of course, kick ass work takes a long time to develop... years and years sometimes. Unless you're Chris Milk, who got signed straight out of filmschool cause he was a frigging genius. Oh yeah, as someone just pointed out, you may also find something you *prefer* to directing by making your own stuff. It happens. Directing isn't fun and isn't hands-on either.
Oh yeah, and you probably won't learn how to do (a) or (c) unless you actually have experience. Being a low paid production assistant is a good way to learn heaps of shit and make heaps of friends who will suddenly want to help you make a total kickass short film... which in turn will help you get your first music video... which will eventually help you get commercials.
Having experience in production with (b) is kinda important if you don't wanna fuck up... but its not vital. Hollywood, in particular, often attaches experienced DoPs to inexperienced directors to help em through the process.
---
You moron, I just want to work in films, doesn't mean I wanna be a director
(Sorry, I was projecting).
In this case, getting *any* experience is important.
Three things matter in the film industry:
(a) Who you know. Recommendations are everything. Your next job will come because someone thought you did a good job as a lowly production assistant and thinks you should be promoted to head coffee person on the next shoot. This is how it works. Really good people fly up the ranks very quickly. Thats why those ranks don't get advertised - because they're going to be filled from the inner circle. Some people think that's nepotism. I don't. Film projects have such short lifespans that you can't trial someone. You want someone who can do the job and the best way to know that is because someone you trust recommends them.
(b) Production sense. This is that difficult to define 'sixth sense' that people with a lot of experience have. They identify problems early, they know how to fix em, and they know how long it'll take to fix em. A problem may be as simple as knowing how to get a particular kind of shot to knowing how to animate Golem. Production sense is the most important skill to develop in production and it only comes from experience and being a genius. If you're not a genius, then you need to get more experience to compensate; and
(c) Your reel. If you're creative crew (vfx, dop, art direction, those kinds of things), then your reel matters. People judge you on it. The only way you get a reel that is kickass is experience.
Moral of the story
Yes, there are many many people who want to break into the film industry. Doesn't mean that there's more talented people trying to break in. How do you feign talent? Experience and working your ass off. Be willing to become a lowly production assistant and thrive at it.
If you're a director, then you're probably not reading this site, so you can ignore all my advice (but please send me some :)!)****
Footnotes:
[* As a compete aside, the CEO I now work for isn't much older than me, so there are exceptions - the guy is a genius with experience!]**
[** As another aside, I once read a business card which read 'Freelance DJ/Promoter/CEO' which I found very very amusing... 'Hi, I'll be your CEO for today']
[*** I think running a business well, or developing a good business model, could approach art in an artisan/craftsman way)
[**** How's that for coming back to life? Huh? Huh?!]
[!The article then goes on to talk about Final Cut Pro and how there's this perception that "noone gets paid as a FCP Editor" which is bullshit, as its how I made my living for 3 years! Not that I was cutting features or anything. Nor did I expect to HAVING JUST FUCKING GRADUATED ! HI!]
Wow. I swear a lot. I just hope its artful :)
Do-it-yourself video technology has given an entire generation of young filmmakers the tools to master the video art form. But it has also created a cutthroat environment where only a few can find work.
"It's very competitive going into film. I'd sent resumes to over 40 positions since graduating, and I'd say these are all low-level production assistant positions and I hadn't gotten anything," Adams said.
[...]
With an entire generation that has grown up behind the lens of digital technology, the movie industry has become very competitive, filled with young directors trying to break into the business.
-- Budding Filmmakers Crave a Break via Wired News
This reminds me of a previous post I made over 18 months ago on Too Much Positive Reinforcement (which, itself, was a link to another article).
Let me put this article in another way:
Budding Businesspeople Crave a Break
Do-it-yourself computer technology has given an entire generation of young businesspeople the tools to master business. But it has also created a cutthroat environment where only a few can find work.
"It's very competitive going into business. I'd sent resumes to over 40 positions since graduating, and I'd say these are all low-level assistant positions and I hadn't gotten anything," Adams said.
[...]
With ane entire generation that has grown up with computer technology (like Excel, Office, myob), the business world has become very competitive, filled with young CEOs trying to break into the business.
Would an article which read like that get published by Wired? No. Why? Because it seems rather... um, naive... for young business graduates to expect that upon finishing their degrees that they're entitled to be CEOs*. A CEO is a very important position, after all - you are responsible for millions of dollars, heaps of staff, the overall direction of a business, and need experience, experience, experience to do all those very important things well! (I'm not being facetious about the importance of the things they do, btw, it just reads that way!).
Wait... isn't a Director responsible for millions of dollars, heaps of staff, the overall direction of a business (sorry, film) ... and doesn't doing that well require experience, experience, experience ?
(Qualifying aside, feel free to skip:
I do fathom that film is an artform and that business, perhaps***, isn't. I do understand that calling yourself a director ("Hi, I'm a Director, my name is Stuart") is akin to calling yourself a painter, or a writer, or a sculptor ... in so far as its designed to define Who You Are As A Person ("Hi, I'm a Director, my name is Stuart, do you want to come back to my place?") and defines what you do on an assumedly fundamental personal level. This does make it slightly different from being a CEO, which is harder to get away calling yourself unless you are actually a CEO.
endQualifer)
You're welcome to stop reading here, unless you are actually interested in a less flippant response to the problem :)
Having a Career (aka how Stuart imagines it is, cause he doesn't really know):
We're talking about the world of actually getting paid and actually having a career... and that's completely different from how you introduce yourself to people you want to impress at parties.
You may think of yourself as a great artist, hell, you may even be a great artist! But unless The Powers That Be think (or know) that you're a great artist, they're not going to give you money. Why the fuck should they? Would you pay $5 million for a painting from some art school graduate if all you had seen of his/her work was a charcoal sketch in an art diary? This is no different from the rest of the art world. Commissions don't come unless you have a track record and a portfolio and people know you. They want to know you can deliver.
The wired article does address the issue of portfolios - Adams is said to have one covering "documentaries to hip-hop videos". The problem is that Directing jobs aren't advertised - and nor should they be. Do you really think studios are going to have interviews with a bunch of applicants with cover letters, cvs, and pages addressing 'selection criteria'? I can imagine the ad:
---
Warner Brothers is seeking a young, upcoming Director for their latest film project.
We are looking for someone young and enthusiastic Director to direct one of our many b-grade movies based on DC Comics intellectual property. We will provide on the job training in storytelling and film appreciation. If this sounds like you, please send you CV and a response addressing the following criteria to theboss@warnerbros.com
Essential Criteria:
- Bachelor or higher degree in film or cinema studies is a must!
- High level communication skills
- High level creative problem solving skills
- A practical understanding of coverage and continuity editing
- A visual style which incorporates lots of fast editing, camera movement, and digital grading tricks
Desirable skills:
- The ability to construct proper sentences (object, subject and verb)
- A knowledge of filmmaking jargon to impress crew and executives alike (comprehension optional)
- Experience directing a short film or a music video
- As little knowledge about things other than film as possible.
---
:)
Directing a feature is something which needs to be earned.
Earned by either:
(a) Struggling through blood sweat and tears to make a feature your own way, like David Lowery and his friends did...
(b) By writing a totally kickass script that someone is willing to give you money to make (e.g. Donnie Darko, Andrew Dominic)... and, more importantly, making it so fucking kickass that when you say "you're only getting my script if i direct it" they agree (that's the real trick :)... or having a friend write a total kickass script which you then attach yourself to. Personally, I think the second bit is the smarter way, seems to require less effort, but you gotta watch yourself that you friend doesn't realise that its total kickass and that they may get to make it instead of you. Those bastards!
(c) By creating a whack of fucking kickass work: short films, commercials, music videos, dental education materials... it don't matter. Build a reputation and people will notice you. When they notice you, they will begin thinking about getting you work. It happens a lot. Of course, kick ass work takes a long time to develop... years and years sometimes. Unless you're Chris Milk, who got signed straight out of filmschool cause he was a frigging genius. Oh yeah, as someone just pointed out, you may also find something you *prefer* to directing by making your own stuff. It happens. Directing isn't fun and isn't hands-on either.
Oh yeah, and you probably won't learn how to do (a) or (c) unless you actually have experience. Being a low paid production assistant is a good way to learn heaps of shit and make heaps of friends who will suddenly want to help you make a total kickass short film... which in turn will help you get your first music video... which will eventually help you get commercials.
Having experience in production with (b) is kinda important if you don't wanna fuck up... but its not vital. Hollywood, in particular, often attaches experienced DoPs to inexperienced directors to help em through the process.
---
You moron, I just want to work in films, doesn't mean I wanna be a director
(Sorry, I was projecting).
In this case, getting *any* experience is important.
Three things matter in the film industry:
(a) Who you know. Recommendations are everything. Your next job will come because someone thought you did a good job as a lowly production assistant and thinks you should be promoted to head coffee person on the next shoot. This is how it works. Really good people fly up the ranks very quickly. Thats why those ranks don't get advertised - because they're going to be filled from the inner circle. Some people think that's nepotism. I don't. Film projects have such short lifespans that you can't trial someone. You want someone who can do the job and the best way to know that is because someone you trust recommends them.
(b) Production sense. This is that difficult to define 'sixth sense' that people with a lot of experience have. They identify problems early, they know how to fix em, and they know how long it'll take to fix em. A problem may be as simple as knowing how to get a particular kind of shot to knowing how to animate Golem. Production sense is the most important skill to develop in production and it only comes from experience and being a genius. If you're not a genius, then you need to get more experience to compensate; and
(c) Your reel. If you're creative crew (vfx, dop, art direction, those kinds of things), then your reel matters. People judge you on it. The only way you get a reel that is kickass is experience.
Moral of the story
Yes, there are many many people who want to break into the film industry. Doesn't mean that there's more talented people trying to break in. How do you feign talent? Experience and working your ass off. Be willing to become a lowly production assistant and thrive at it.
If you're a director, then you're probably not reading this site, so you can ignore all my advice (but please send me some :)!)****
Footnotes:
[* As a compete aside, the CEO I now work for isn't much older than me, so there are exceptions - the guy is a genius with experience!]**
[** As another aside, I once read a business card which read 'Freelance DJ/Promoter/CEO' which I found very very amusing... 'Hi, I'll be your CEO for today']
[*** I think running a business well, or developing a good business model, could approach art in an artisan/craftsman way)
[**** How's that for coming back to life? Huh? Huh?!]
[!The article then goes on to talk about Final Cut Pro and how there's this perception that "noone gets paid as a FCP Editor" which is bullshit, as its how I made my living for 3 years! Not that I was cutting features or anything. Nor did I expect to HAVING JUST FUCKING GRADUATED ! HI!]
Wow. I swear a lot. I just hope its artful :)
posted by stu willis at
12:51 am
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