We are moving into a very digital era in our time. I remember the buzz when Lucas announced he was going to only “film” on digital because he felt film would be obsolete in ten years. While that was over 14 years ago this statement came out, it seems to be ringing true when a good friend told me that our local place we see films at (AMC Burbank) has gotten rid of all of their film projectors and have now been replaced with digital ones. In a way this made me want to cry, because while digital is a nice feature it still is in no way touch the beauty and depth that is film. I think this is one of the reason why I don’t like watching movies on TV’s (no matter the size, or dpi, or HD quality which I’m sorry I still don’t find is great for films, fine for sports though) because it’s on film and I don’t think a TV can capture what a filmmaker was trying to convey when it’s on a movie screen then a little TV. You loose so much. I know many disagree with me on this, that’s fine. I grew up in theaters. My father and I would always go see two films together and honestly it was because of him and my grandma Eilene who taught me the love of film.
And yet as I write this I’m sitting here staring at a script and thinking to myself how in the world can I afford to put this on film. Film is expensive and while it was nice having the school pay for some of it (with my tuition money) I simply do not have those means anymore. So do I go digital? Ugh.
Dilemma.
This past weekend I was a 1st AD for a short film a friend of mine was directing and they used the 7D by Canon (if you recall this camera was used to shoot the last episode in the Fox show House), which of course was cheaper (just need a hard drive to transfer your footage). So while I sit here and figure out the balance I need (cuz you need a figure in mind when you want to start fundraising) it comes down to money. As much as I don’t want to shoot on digital, the hard fact is to make this film I want to make I may have too. Unless there is some magical fairy out there who can grant me unlimited amount of film and processing?
Yeah didn’t think so.
So I will leave you with a quote I’m stealing from a friend’s facebook that I think rings very true to those who get to play with film (because they have studio backing or a benefactor or well you get the idea).
"Every digital camera is trying hard to emulate 35mm film, and there's a reason for that.-Wally Pfister, ASC
So, so true.
Till Another,
Ne in Hollywood.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Wait a minute, it's July already?
This blog doesn’t have a lot to do with the film industry (or a story that relates to something I’ve done recently, well maybe) more on a personal note for myself. I was walking out of my work last night (I work the late shift at my job) and thought holy cow it’s July, where did the last six months go? Hell the last year? I thought about this as I was walking to my car that I feel like I’ve only really been paying attention to my life since April which makes sense because that is when I got rid of some bad energy in my life. It’s strange how we sometimes latch onto something potentially toxic to us and either a) don’t want to realize it or b) just have no clue how bad that relationship is for you. Doesn’t matter if your friends or family are throwing down the red flag and calling stop! It just happens, even if you are thinking to yourself that you’ve never been there, trust me I’m sure you have, we just like to pretend we were not like that.
The thing with reflecting on this is remembering that a little over a year ago I gradated and got my MFA, big accomplishment that suddenly made me feel like I dropped to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and it was flooded so badly that the tides swept me from here to there, got knocked around a little bit by the rocks and swallowed enough water (bullshit) to last me a lifetime. I can’t say it won’t happen again, life has it’s ups and downs but as a recent film I worked on said – ‘choose your destiny’ and that I am. I sat on the sidelines far to long for my taste and feel myself getting back into the game. This could potentially have something to do with my drive for wanting to direct again. Directing is a beast in itself, it’s like having a child and giving birth and then watching it grow up and either fail in life (festivals) or thrived (winning awards or getting noticed in festivals). After thesis I felt I had just paid for a giant therapy session of my life, I didn’t take the risks that I normally do because frankly I’m a risk taker. Yes there are consequences to taking risks but if you succeed you get so much more reward for it… think Michael Douglas in Wall Street only minus the jail time. Go big or go home.
With that said I’ve decided it’s time to go big. I’m writing a feature and learning about raising money, grants, and all that jazz about it. I’ll blog about it soon but currently elbow deep in research, writing and of course working my normal 9-5 job that actually pays my bills. I hope that because of the subject matter I can raise money and maybe, maybe finally make my first feature. This of course terrifies me greatly, I’ve made shorts nothing more. But at the same time it enthralls me, makes me excited when I get out of bed and my head is bursting with ideas that my friends from all over want to get involved because they believe in me. I think that is what saved me from the depths of the Grand Canyon of despair and made me start climbing back to the surface, my friends and family who have always given me so much support. I tuned that radio out for a while and maybe got a little selfish in my thinking but now I’m back (or I’m working on being back, might still have a bit to climb). Always remember to utilize who is around you, the people you think that might support you and don’t, move on, figure out who they are. Who is your sounding board? That has been one of my biggest struggles but I believe I understand that now and will be sounding a lot more off their boards!
Till Another,
Ne in Hollywood
Monday, June 21, 2010
Making the short film versus the feature film.
I have a dilemma. It’s one that I think a lot of people struggle with when they’ve graduated film school, or maybe it’s just me. The issue is this: Do I write a feature or write the short? Which one will get me where I need it to be? Can I raise the money for a feature or would the short be a better way to go? Can I tell my story effectively enough through a short or will it be too confusing and ergo must do the feature?
These are things that I think about when it comes to writing a script. Currently I’m just seeing where it takes me, feature or short but sometimes it’s a real dilemma because I’m a ‘starting out’ director who is trying to get my foot in the door for that bigger (paid) project. If you watch the Oscars (especially this last year) they did a small segment on the past directors who went on to director features from their shorts, but that’s just five films in the span of how many shorts made over a year? So, while that would be ideal to get in that short program it’s also very unrealistic at times to think you’re film can get in there. I’m not saying I don’t have the ability or the skill or the talent to get there, someday.
But that all begins with the script, it starts with an idea that you shape into that script. I was explaining my issue with another fellow director who said it is a struggle as well to know which direction to take your story. Feature or short. What is considered a ‘legal’ feature would be a film that is over 80 minutes in length (i.e. or you could just do what Jonah Hex did and draw out your credits very slowly to make it the legal limit). But for features in festivals it can range from 59 minutes up to 80 minutes to be considered a feature, so the question is when page count starts to really matter, what’s the right number? That, I wish I knew.
But as I stated before I’m seeing where the story takes me. I have not written a script in over a year at least and so I’m a little rusty in some of the formats but I’m whittling through it. I think I’ve found a story that I enjoy telling: current social issues that threaten what this country is founded on. It takes you a bit to really know what kind of stories you want to tell, sometimes you don’t see it until you start to notice what you drift towards. I collect a lot of newspaper articles, seeing great stories in them and wanting to make them into films. I do this with books as well but I think from my undergrad days taking a class on how to find ideas for stories we focused a lot on newspaper articles, plus they are shorter reads and by the time I’m done reading a book it’s already in production to be made into a movie (not all though thankfully). It is also a question that is asked of you a lot in this business, what kinda story do you want to tell. What kind of movie do you want to make. Or as my master’s program I just finished last year ‘what’s your story’. It all will boil down to that and once you figure out what that is, go with it.
As for me the debate will end when I’m finished telling my character’s story, her journey that she is currently on and then from there I’ll see – feature or short.
Till Another,
Ne in Hollywood.
These are things that I think about when it comes to writing a script. Currently I’m just seeing where it takes me, feature or short but sometimes it’s a real dilemma because I’m a ‘starting out’ director who is trying to get my foot in the door for that bigger (paid) project. If you watch the Oscars (especially this last year) they did a small segment on the past directors who went on to director features from their shorts, but that’s just five films in the span of how many shorts made over a year? So, while that would be ideal to get in that short program it’s also very unrealistic at times to think you’re film can get in there. I’m not saying I don’t have the ability or the skill or the talent to get there, someday.
But that all begins with the script, it starts with an idea that you shape into that script. I was explaining my issue with another fellow director who said it is a struggle as well to know which direction to take your story. Feature or short. What is considered a ‘legal’ feature would be a film that is over 80 minutes in length (i.e. or you could just do what Jonah Hex did and draw out your credits very slowly to make it the legal limit). But for features in festivals it can range from 59 minutes up to 80 minutes to be considered a feature, so the question is when page count starts to really matter, what’s the right number? That, I wish I knew.
But as I stated before I’m seeing where the story takes me. I have not written a script in over a year at least and so I’m a little rusty in some of the formats but I’m whittling through it. I think I’ve found a story that I enjoy telling: current social issues that threaten what this country is founded on. It takes you a bit to really know what kind of stories you want to tell, sometimes you don’t see it until you start to notice what you drift towards. I collect a lot of newspaper articles, seeing great stories in them and wanting to make them into films. I do this with books as well but I think from my undergrad days taking a class on how to find ideas for stories we focused a lot on newspaper articles, plus they are shorter reads and by the time I’m done reading a book it’s already in production to be made into a movie (not all though thankfully). It is also a question that is asked of you a lot in this business, what kinda story do you want to tell. What kind of movie do you want to make. Or as my master’s program I just finished last year ‘what’s your story’. It all will boil down to that and once you figure out what that is, go with it.
As for me the debate will end when I’m finished telling my character’s story, her journey that she is currently on and then from there I’ll see – feature or short.
Till Another,
Ne in Hollywood.
Monday, May 24, 2010
The Life and Times of filmmaking for a 1st AD that's a director
The Life and Times of Filmmaking.
When you look at a film and watch it do you ever think to yourself the amount of time it takes to construct a scene? Do you think, I wonder how the 1st AD pulled that off? I do, cuz I enjoy 1sting when I can get the opportunity to do it. 1st ADing is a lot of fun and extremely stressful at times. You are basically commanding a cast and crew sort of like a conductor orchestrates a band. It is why it’s very important I feel to know how being an Assistant Director works.
I think for directors there are two avenues that really help with becoming a great director (well maybe three but it depends on the person). The first is being an editor. I got my undergrad in editing and it really does help you figure out how to cover scenes so that your editor has something to work with, to piece together a film. Inserts really are a lifesaver sometimes (as well as getting thirty seconds of room tone for the room you’re shooting in so that when you find out there’s a lawn mower going in the background you can remove and put that in it’s place). The second is being a 1st AD. Not only do you get to figure out how a crew works, how long things take and the happy accidents or mistakes that occur to help you better prepare for your own shoot. I sometimes feel that filmmaking is like going into battle - you need a plan in order to win. The third one is learning cinematography, you find out how to utilize your camera, what are it’s limitations and how can you make those work for what you’re shooting. I will fully admit it that cinematography is not my strongest avenue of filmmaking. When I shot my thesis I did work on learning more about shutter angles and filters, which I feel, really will help me down the road. School was a very good place to learn these experiments in an environment where we had mentors who could help us (and they did with our questions about it) instead of trial and error while on a film set. These three things really help directors I feel become stronger for their other teams like production design.
That’s kinda of the life of filmmaking for directors however the TIME is really where I feel being a 1st AD comes in handy. Why? Because you understand how long things do take to set up. Recently I was on a film that was shooting with the new 5D HD Camera, which is now the hottest thing to use in creating shorts. It’s awesome because it can save you time and money – as long as you understand how it saves you time and money. I’ve been on a few shoots with this particular camera and I will say this much that I’ve learned about HD shooting – you get slightly faster however, lighting still takes time to set up. HD allows you the latitude to shoot longer, but it doesn’t mean shooting faster. You should not push your crew to shoot nearly 60 shots, on 10 pages, with 4 different locations (even if in the same house or otherwise) in one day. A, it’s just rude to your crew to push them that hard and B, you’re not going to get nearly what you need. This is where being on a few sets as a 1st AD HELPS!
Sometimes as green directors we forget that lights take time to set up and tear down, sets take time to put everything in it’s place with production design, wardrobe changes, make-up, light bulbs breaking and needing to be changed, dolly’s being brought in and practiced on, focus being pulled for a tracking shot, and you see my point. These take time and this is why knowing how to schedule your shoot is crucial. Yes you can sit there and say ‘oh it’s challenge’ but really it’s not. It’s not shooting wisely if you’re shooting a full weekend in one day. You never really get everything you want in filmmaking even on a normal shooting schedule but when you’re cramming SO much into one shoot it’s quite possible you lose the story you’re trying to tell.
Also listen to your AD as well. They have a schedule to adhere to, people to keep in line, money to save the director and/or producer and it is disrespectful to disregard them because they are working for the crew as well, not trying to kill the production. DP’s are not AD’s and I say this because I’ve been working on a lot of shoots lately (outside of my school DP’s) that think they can do the AD job as the DP. “Sure we can get it no problem” when the AD is like “No you can’t” and then side stepping them and working with the director to get what they want. This is just disrespectful to the people who are trying to get everything you want. Because of this shots are cut later down the line and rewriting of script sometimes has to happen on set and this is NOT good for storytelling. So rule of thumb don’t ignore your AD, it only hurts the production of your story in the long run and understand Directors that while you want the moon, you may have to settle to being a little more realistic with Earth instead. Also don’t push your crew to the point where they want to stop working for you, it’s just rude to expect more then one person to do the job of five people (Unless you’re my friend Diego who thrives on it).
Ok I’m done with my rant for the day. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy and love being on set. It’s one of the greatest times I ever have and did have this weekend. I met some incredible people that I would in a heartbeat work with again because they were so damn good. What I’m more or less talking about is just some general common sense rules that, as filmmakers, should know.
That is all for today!
Till Another,
Ne in Hollywood
When you look at a film and watch it do you ever think to yourself the amount of time it takes to construct a scene? Do you think, I wonder how the 1st AD pulled that off? I do, cuz I enjoy 1sting when I can get the opportunity to do it. 1st ADing is a lot of fun and extremely stressful at times. You are basically commanding a cast and crew sort of like a conductor orchestrates a band. It is why it’s very important I feel to know how being an Assistant Director works.
I think for directors there are two avenues that really help with becoming a great director (well maybe three but it depends on the person). The first is being an editor. I got my undergrad in editing and it really does help you figure out how to cover scenes so that your editor has something to work with, to piece together a film. Inserts really are a lifesaver sometimes (as well as getting thirty seconds of room tone for the room you’re shooting in so that when you find out there’s a lawn mower going in the background you can remove and put that in it’s place). The second is being a 1st AD. Not only do you get to figure out how a crew works, how long things take and the happy accidents or mistakes that occur to help you better prepare for your own shoot. I sometimes feel that filmmaking is like going into battle - you need a plan in order to win. The third one is learning cinematography, you find out how to utilize your camera, what are it’s limitations and how can you make those work for what you’re shooting. I will fully admit it that cinematography is not my strongest avenue of filmmaking. When I shot my thesis I did work on learning more about shutter angles and filters, which I feel, really will help me down the road. School was a very good place to learn these experiments in an environment where we had mentors who could help us (and they did with our questions about it) instead of trial and error while on a film set. These three things really help directors I feel become stronger for their other teams like production design.
That’s kinda of the life of filmmaking for directors however the TIME is really where I feel being a 1st AD comes in handy. Why? Because you understand how long things do take to set up. Recently I was on a film that was shooting with the new 5D HD Camera, which is now the hottest thing to use in creating shorts. It’s awesome because it can save you time and money – as long as you understand how it saves you time and money. I’ve been on a few shoots with this particular camera and I will say this much that I’ve learned about HD shooting – you get slightly faster however, lighting still takes time to set up. HD allows you the latitude to shoot longer, but it doesn’t mean shooting faster. You should not push your crew to shoot nearly 60 shots, on 10 pages, with 4 different locations (even if in the same house or otherwise) in one day. A, it’s just rude to your crew to push them that hard and B, you’re not going to get nearly what you need. This is where being on a few sets as a 1st AD HELPS!
Sometimes as green directors we forget that lights take time to set up and tear down, sets take time to put everything in it’s place with production design, wardrobe changes, make-up, light bulbs breaking and needing to be changed, dolly’s being brought in and practiced on, focus being pulled for a tracking shot, and you see my point. These take time and this is why knowing how to schedule your shoot is crucial. Yes you can sit there and say ‘oh it’s challenge’ but really it’s not. It’s not shooting wisely if you’re shooting a full weekend in one day. You never really get everything you want in filmmaking even on a normal shooting schedule but when you’re cramming SO much into one shoot it’s quite possible you lose the story you’re trying to tell.
Also listen to your AD as well. They have a schedule to adhere to, people to keep in line, money to save the director and/or producer and it is disrespectful to disregard them because they are working for the crew as well, not trying to kill the production. DP’s are not AD’s and I say this because I’ve been working on a lot of shoots lately (outside of my school DP’s) that think they can do the AD job as the DP. “Sure we can get it no problem” when the AD is like “No you can’t” and then side stepping them and working with the director to get what they want. This is just disrespectful to the people who are trying to get everything you want. Because of this shots are cut later down the line and rewriting of script sometimes has to happen on set and this is NOT good for storytelling. So rule of thumb don’t ignore your AD, it only hurts the production of your story in the long run and understand Directors that while you want the moon, you may have to settle to being a little more realistic with Earth instead. Also don’t push your crew to the point where they want to stop working for you, it’s just rude to expect more then one person to do the job of five people (Unless you’re my friend Diego who thrives on it).
Ok I’m done with my rant for the day. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy and love being on set. It’s one of the greatest times I ever have and did have this weekend. I met some incredible people that I would in a heartbeat work with again because they were so damn good. What I’m more or less talking about is just some general common sense rules that, as filmmakers, should know.
That is all for today!
Till Another,
Ne in Hollywood
Friday, May 14, 2010
Directors are not allowed to miss anything!
I recently had a discussion with someone about how directors could possibly miss things in movies that are so obvious to the viewer. I tried to explain how it’s not like the director purposely misses those things but it can happen. I know people look at the director and the sole responsibility lies on their shoulders but it would be nice to know that it’s a team that the director works with in getting the movie out. Yes, it’s ‘our’ vision in the public eye but it’s a team effort and not a sole effort to accomplish a film.
The best way I can explain it is that a director has two jobs, one as parent and two a marionette orchestra. Yes there is other stuff, creative director and etc but when you’re directing it feels like those are your two jobs on set. You have to make sure you spend time with your actors, get them where they need to be. You have to make sure your DP and you are on the same page. You have to make sure your 1st AD and you are in good communication. You need to be friendly and talk to your crew (when sometimes you are so lost in your own thoughts about how to tell the story effectively it is easy to not notice other people) cuz these people are working their ass off for you. There’s just a lot going on and plus you have to make sure your mom or dad aka the Producer is happy as well. There’s a lot on the shoulder of the director so it’s not like they sit there and let things slide they just have a lot going through their head. I honestly would like people who are very critical of directors to do it once and than see if they as directors miss stuff (even Spielberg misses stuff). It is not an easy job and there are few who can do it and truthfully I feel every time you make a movie you seem to learn something new. New technology, new people, new stories being told, there’s just a lot. So, while something that you catch as the viewer seems so obvious know that it’s not always to the script sup who’s watching the monitor while the director stays behind the camera (without a monitor) and watches the action that way. In a crowd of 100 extras plus your actors you tell me if you will see everything while standing by the camera.
Ok mini-rant over with. My transcriber job has been going well. I watch A LOT of reality TV that for me is a bit strange since I only watched the Food Network Channel. I also worked on the Sy-Fy Mr. Impossible for a day, which was a lot of fun, and I got to have a ‘sorta’ conversation with Sarah Brightman and she was very lovely with her British accent and friendly manner. I really hope this show gets picked up cuz it’s just fun. However I wish it were a little more organized. My 1st ADness (First Assistant Director) kicked in and I felt myself kind of trying to help them as best I can. But overall it was fun because I was able to roll b-roll camera stuff which I NEVER get to do. I really hope the series is picked up cuz they are just a lot of fun people to hang out with and the crew is a lot of fun as well.
Well I’m off…
Till Another,
Ne In Hollywood!
The best way I can explain it is that a director has two jobs, one as parent and two a marionette orchestra. Yes there is other stuff, creative director and etc but when you’re directing it feels like those are your two jobs on set. You have to make sure you spend time with your actors, get them where they need to be. You have to make sure your DP and you are on the same page. You have to make sure your 1st AD and you are in good communication. You need to be friendly and talk to your crew (when sometimes you are so lost in your own thoughts about how to tell the story effectively it is easy to not notice other people) cuz these people are working their ass off for you. There’s just a lot going on and plus you have to make sure your mom or dad aka the Producer is happy as well. There’s a lot on the shoulder of the director so it’s not like they sit there and let things slide they just have a lot going through their head. I honestly would like people who are very critical of directors to do it once and than see if they as directors miss stuff (even Spielberg misses stuff). It is not an easy job and there are few who can do it and truthfully I feel every time you make a movie you seem to learn something new. New technology, new people, new stories being told, there’s just a lot. So, while something that you catch as the viewer seems so obvious know that it’s not always to the script sup who’s watching the monitor while the director stays behind the camera (without a monitor) and watches the action that way. In a crowd of 100 extras plus your actors you tell me if you will see everything while standing by the camera.
Ok mini-rant over with. My transcriber job has been going well. I watch A LOT of reality TV that for me is a bit strange since I only watched the Food Network Channel. I also worked on the Sy-Fy Mr. Impossible for a day, which was a lot of fun, and I got to have a ‘sorta’ conversation with Sarah Brightman and she was very lovely with her British accent and friendly manner. I really hope this show gets picked up cuz it’s just fun. However I wish it were a little more organized. My 1st ADness (First Assistant Director) kicked in and I felt myself kind of trying to help them as best I can. But overall it was fun because I was able to roll b-roll camera stuff which I NEVER get to do. I really hope the series is picked up cuz they are just a lot of fun people to hang out with and the crew is a lot of fun as well.
Well I’m off…
Till Another,
Ne In Hollywood!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
These are a few of my favorite things...
There are several benefits to being a freelance Production Assistant; one of them is getting to meet new and exciting people. This week I worked a few days at the “Dirty Jobs” gig and than I switched gears and worked with a company based out of DC. It was interesting because they are building a pilot ‘docu-series’ as it was being called but lets face facts folks - it’s a reality show. So, I spent the last two days hanging out with a guy who is a rocket scientist with a need for speed. Thankfully he was not full of himself and extremely friendly.
We started the day at his place which was super nice in Venice Beach and ended up in my hometown Van Nuys at night. The pilot is based on watching him build things with all his rocket science friends. It was fun seeing all his fast cars, and inventions in his house. The series is pretty much already on the fall list called “Mr. Impossible” but they were creating a 15 minute ‘taster reel’ for the network to showcase. I hope they pull it off.
There is also the small world factor in the film world. The girl who is the show runner, she went to school at AFI with all my teachers at Chapman, so we discussed that quite a bit. She went to school for film directing but has done what most do out here - find work in other ways. You see here’s how it works when living in LA and chasing the ‘dream’. You come to LA thinking, “I want to be a director, producer, writer.” Those are the big three right? But than reality kind of sets in and you start finding whatever you can just to live out here (because let’s face it, even though we are in a recession California is a pricey place to live). So you do PA’ing or something in the art department (anything to pay rent) and than you ‘fall in’ as the phrase goes, into that area. It can be hard for some to break free of that once they’re very deeply rooted in this. I believe if you keep striving for your ultimate goal, fighting the good fight and remembering the reasons you came out here, you might have a fighting chance against this pigeon holding that tends to happen.
In many ways I’d like to keep freelancing in stuff, because you network like crazy with people and producers. I’ve already really enjoyed one of the producers at my other place and I’m hoping she’ll let me on her show in May to PA or whatever cuz it sounds like a lot of fun. However I know I need a steady job even though there really isn’t something like that out here. There is no real thing such as job security because you wear so many different hats. On one show you may PA, on another you are a script sup. But I think in many ways our world is also changing into this mentality as well. Jobs are no longer secure and you sometimes don’t know where you’re next paycheck is coming. In the less than a year I’ve worked for 4 different companies (paying gigs) but it was all freelance stuff.
On the plus side though, the place I have been a PA at has hired me on to be a transcriber now. Basically I take the interviews they do with the guests on the shows and write them out for the producers. It’s in the post department and after my shift I can ‘shadow’ some of the assistant editors there for an hour (my shift is from 6 PM to 2 AM and theirs ends at 3 AM). Again it’s all about networking and showing you can handle the work.
I will admit I miss directing. After my thesis I think I swore it off, I was burnt out from just the whole school experience. Cranking out 5 short films over 3 years may seem like nothing but it was more than I’d done in a long time. However, I feel the bug hitting me again. I’m writing more, I’m thinking about stuff in how I want to shoot, locations, stuff that makes me get excited about wanting to direct again. So maybe if I can save some money I can shoot something this summer. Something small, but it would be fun to do it again.
Till Another,
Ne in Hollywood!
We started the day at his place which was super nice in Venice Beach and ended up in my hometown Van Nuys at night. The pilot is based on watching him build things with all his rocket science friends. It was fun seeing all his fast cars, and inventions in his house. The series is pretty much already on the fall list called “Mr. Impossible” but they were creating a 15 minute ‘taster reel’ for the network to showcase. I hope they pull it off.
There is also the small world factor in the film world. The girl who is the show runner, she went to school at AFI with all my teachers at Chapman, so we discussed that quite a bit. She went to school for film directing but has done what most do out here - find work in other ways. You see here’s how it works when living in LA and chasing the ‘dream’. You come to LA thinking, “I want to be a director, producer, writer.” Those are the big three right? But than reality kind of sets in and you start finding whatever you can just to live out here (because let’s face it, even though we are in a recession California is a pricey place to live). So you do PA’ing or something in the art department (anything to pay rent) and than you ‘fall in’ as the phrase goes, into that area. It can be hard for some to break free of that once they’re very deeply rooted in this. I believe if you keep striving for your ultimate goal, fighting the good fight and remembering the reasons you came out here, you might have a fighting chance against this pigeon holding that tends to happen.
In many ways I’d like to keep freelancing in stuff, because you network like crazy with people and producers. I’ve already really enjoyed one of the producers at my other place and I’m hoping she’ll let me on her show in May to PA or whatever cuz it sounds like a lot of fun. However I know I need a steady job even though there really isn’t something like that out here. There is no real thing such as job security because you wear so many different hats. On one show you may PA, on another you are a script sup. But I think in many ways our world is also changing into this mentality as well. Jobs are no longer secure and you sometimes don’t know where you’re next paycheck is coming. In the less than a year I’ve worked for 4 different companies (paying gigs) but it was all freelance stuff.
On the plus side though, the place I have been a PA at has hired me on to be a transcriber now. Basically I take the interviews they do with the guests on the shows and write them out for the producers. It’s in the post department and after my shift I can ‘shadow’ some of the assistant editors there for an hour (my shift is from 6 PM to 2 AM and theirs ends at 3 AM). Again it’s all about networking and showing you can handle the work.
I will admit I miss directing. After my thesis I think I swore it off, I was burnt out from just the whole school experience. Cranking out 5 short films over 3 years may seem like nothing but it was more than I’d done in a long time. However, I feel the bug hitting me again. I’m writing more, I’m thinking about stuff in how I want to shoot, locations, stuff that makes me get excited about wanting to direct again. So maybe if I can save some money I can shoot something this summer. Something small, but it would be fun to do it again.
Till Another,
Ne in Hollywood!
Friday, April 9, 2010
Why the hell not?
I figured it was time to share my thoughts in how I've been doing since I've graduated the wonderful world of graduate school. I get a lot of questions on how this end of the business works and figured it was high time I lay it down for all of those who are not aware of how the industry' works.
Currently I've been temping at a reality TV Company for a few weeks and have learned a lot (and may have strained my back a little too) as a production assistant. If you are not sure what that is, basically we do all the grunt work. We go on set runs (taking equipment, people, scripts), or do office daily stuff (restock paper, go and get paper, etc) and of course make A LOT of coffee. It's been nice to do something in this business. Though reality TV is not where I want to end up, but if it pays my rent I'm down for it right now.
Recently I had an argument with a former friend of mine about applying for jobs in Hollywood. They were very insistent that I apply for the new Godzilla movie that's been in the works (which btw is in what is called development hell because it's been talked about for a VERY long time). At first, I thought they were joking. But than came to realize they were being serious about what they were suggesting. They felt they were giving me legitimate jobs (major blockbuster films) to apply for and felt I was being negative about it (when trying to explain that I couldn’t apply for these jobs off the street). They even went so far to insult my creativity, my motivation and devotion to my art. Well, that was crossing a HUGE line for me and I’ve since ended the friendship with such an idiotic person. Now, had this conversation happen to me before I came back from my last trip in Chicago in many ways I would have agreed whole heartily with that statement. But since my return I've been applying, networking, and doing all that I can to get a job out here (I've applied for about 12 jobs in directing which is a lot since they are hard to find) and landed a job (after applying for over 500 jobs) that my friend Mary recommended me for (the job I didn’t apply for and got).
I bring up this conversation because he is not the first one to suggest I go for the big Hollywood movies and have struggled in understanding why I can't apply for them (however have clearly had more logic when I’ve explained to them why you can’t just apply for this kind of gigs). So, I thought maybe this blog can help you guys understand how it works a little out here as I fumble my way through job hunts, resumes and smooth talking my way into the 'industry' as it's called out here. Maybe I’ll throw in a few movie reviews when I can afford to go to the theater too!
Truth be told this town is built on who you know, nepotism, and favoritism. Having a degree does not really help you out, in fact it may actually hinder you in some aspects. People that are much younger than me, who just packed up their car are working the same job I am for the same pay. As my friend Nick tells me, 'I can't just walk into Warner Brothers HR department and apply for a job.'
I'm not saying it's all like that this, but a good 75% of the business is done this way. It sucks, but I've always known that it would not be easy.
Now let’s take a job like Godzilla, that will be a multi-million dollar film, with tons of CGI, as well an A-list cast, will not just hand it over to someone who has not really proven themselves either. You have to win awards, make movies on your own dime and get noticed if you aren't related to someone in this business. Hell Spielberg (who has directed films like ET, Saving Private Ryan, Jaws) actually struggled in getting a film of his produced as well. Spielberg! Times are tough and film companies are dwindling down how many movies they make (quality over quantity but I haven’t seen it in the releases so far). Disney announced last year they will cut their films down to 10 (before they made about 20-25 films) and other companies are doing the same thing.
What I’m currently doing is looking for something steady and work on my scripts. I’ve got a few ideas and I’m really trying to put my ideas to paper instead of dreaming about the ideas, but doing something about it. I need to network and prove my worth. Now that I’ve gotten a little bit of money I can start submit my films to festivals again, and hopefully get noticed that way.
It’s not an easy life I’ve chosen to chase after. There is a lot of rejection and it can feel a little overwhelming when you’re applying for over 500 jobs and maybe get one call. Honestly it can really hurt your soul in a way. But I keep trying. I’ve just been taken it day by day and seeing how the road lays out before me. I’ve been reading a lot about Taoism, and learning to accept what I can control, rather than what I cannot.
That is all for now. Stay Tuned!
Till Another,
Ne
Currently I've been temping at a reality TV Company for a few weeks and have learned a lot (and may have strained my back a little too) as a production assistant. If you are not sure what that is, basically we do all the grunt work. We go on set runs (taking equipment, people, scripts), or do office daily stuff (restock paper, go and get paper, etc) and of course make A LOT of coffee. It's been nice to do something in this business. Though reality TV is not where I want to end up, but if it pays my rent I'm down for it right now.
Recently I had an argument with a former friend of mine about applying for jobs in Hollywood. They were very insistent that I apply for the new Godzilla movie that's been in the works (which btw is in what is called development hell because it's been talked about for a VERY long time). At first, I thought they were joking. But than came to realize they were being serious about what they were suggesting. They felt they were giving me legitimate jobs (major blockbuster films) to apply for and felt I was being negative about it (when trying to explain that I couldn’t apply for these jobs off the street). They even went so far to insult my creativity, my motivation and devotion to my art. Well, that was crossing a HUGE line for me and I’ve since ended the friendship with such an idiotic person. Now, had this conversation happen to me before I came back from my last trip in Chicago in many ways I would have agreed whole heartily with that statement. But since my return I've been applying, networking, and doing all that I can to get a job out here (I've applied for about 12 jobs in directing which is a lot since they are hard to find) and landed a job (after applying for over 500 jobs) that my friend Mary recommended me for (the job I didn’t apply for and got).
I bring up this conversation because he is not the first one to suggest I go for the big Hollywood movies and have struggled in understanding why I can't apply for them (however have clearly had more logic when I’ve explained to them why you can’t just apply for this kind of gigs). So, I thought maybe this blog can help you guys understand how it works a little out here as I fumble my way through job hunts, resumes and smooth talking my way into the 'industry' as it's called out here. Maybe I’ll throw in a few movie reviews when I can afford to go to the theater too!
Truth be told this town is built on who you know, nepotism, and favoritism. Having a degree does not really help you out, in fact it may actually hinder you in some aspects. People that are much younger than me, who just packed up their car are working the same job I am for the same pay. As my friend Nick tells me, 'I can't just walk into Warner Brothers HR department and apply for a job.'
I'm not saying it's all like that this, but a good 75% of the business is done this way. It sucks, but I've always known that it would not be easy.
Now let’s take a job like Godzilla, that will be a multi-million dollar film, with tons of CGI, as well an A-list cast, will not just hand it over to someone who has not really proven themselves either. You have to win awards, make movies on your own dime and get noticed if you aren't related to someone in this business. Hell Spielberg (who has directed films like ET, Saving Private Ryan, Jaws) actually struggled in getting a film of his produced as well. Spielberg! Times are tough and film companies are dwindling down how many movies they make (quality over quantity but I haven’t seen it in the releases so far). Disney announced last year they will cut their films down to 10 (before they made about 20-25 films) and other companies are doing the same thing.
What I’m currently doing is looking for something steady and work on my scripts. I’ve got a few ideas and I’m really trying to put my ideas to paper instead of dreaming about the ideas, but doing something about it. I need to network and prove my worth. Now that I’ve gotten a little bit of money I can start submit my films to festivals again, and hopefully get noticed that way.
It’s not an easy life I’ve chosen to chase after. There is a lot of rejection and it can feel a little overwhelming when you’re applying for over 500 jobs and maybe get one call. Honestly it can really hurt your soul in a way. But I keep trying. I’ve just been taken it day by day and seeing how the road lays out before me. I’ve been reading a lot about Taoism, and learning to accept what I can control, rather than what I cannot.
That is all for now. Stay Tuned!
Till Another,
Ne
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