How To Get a Job in Film

The Best Excuses from New or Underemployed Filmmakers and Freelancers: "You've really really got to stop being lazy and making excuses for not getting what you want," says Creative COW Contributing Editor Kylee Wall. "Seriously. It's sad and it makes me sad for you. So sad in fact, that I've created this BEST OF compilation of stupid excuses. It's perhaps a little more brash than my usual fare. Don't mistake this for arrogance. I'm young and stupid too, but I'm still allowed to almost rant. Pseudo-rant. Pretend I made you cookies and you're eating them as you read this."

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Article Source: Here

This blog post is going to skate really close to rant territory. I'd apologize for that, but I'm actually not sorry. You've been warned.

(I did, however, take out all the swearing that would normally accompany this if we talked in person. That's a premium service. Contact me for an estimate.)

For some reason, I've been asked for my advice about getting started in an editing or filmmaking career or how to find indie films to work on more this week than ever before. I'm not sure why it's all happened at once, maybe I'm giving off a vibe. Or scent. Regardless, it's cool. I love sharing my experiences and opinions. Passing on advice that worked for me is a lot of fun and I'll always do it. Mutual curiosity about career stuff is a fun conversation topic.

But you've really really got to stop being lazy and making excuses for not getting what you want. Seriously. It's sad and it makes me sad for you. So sad in fact, that I've created this BEST OF compilation of stupid excuses. It's perhaps a little more brash than my usual fare. Don't mistake this for arrogance. I'm young and stupid too, but I'm still allowed to almost rant. Pseudo-rant. Pretend I made you cookies and you're eating them as you read this.

"I want to shoot/edit/work on some short films but I don't know anyone."

Okay, two options. Do it all yourself, or meet people who share your ambition. Which one sounds easier? (It's not the first one.)

When people ask me how I meet people in film, they're dismayed when they realize that I actually left my home and talked face to face with other human beings. Yes, it's true! Even here in Indiana we have a great filmmaking group called Indiana Filmmakers Network. They meet once a month, every single month. I always pass along this information to locals that are interested in filmmaking. The general response? Maybe two in ten people actually look into it. Maybe ONE of those two people actually attends and starts and conversation with someone new. Repeat visitors to the group, even less than that. Yes, there are half-people wandering around meetings here. It's grotesque.

There are meet-ups and user groups like this all over the country, why aren't you taking advantage of them?

"I went to a networking event but I didn't meet anyone."

WHY? Networking also isn't a matter of simply showing up. If you go to a meet up with a group of people that know each other, you have to be the one to take initiative because they're all going to be busy catching up with one another. Elbow your way into a conversation, introduce yourself, and be interesting and useful. If you don't get anything out of a networking event, it's nobody's fault but yours.

"I met some people, but they never got in touch with me."

Why didn't YOU get in touch with THEM? You didn't call or email or write or carrier-pigeon them? Why should it be their responsibility to reach out to you? Come on, dude. And once you get in touch, it's also YOUR responsibility to continue to cultivate the relationship by the way. And while I'm on the topic, remember: people are people, not commodities. Treat them as such.

Networking isn't instant gratification, which is maybe the biggest turn off for people. It took me over five years of meeting people and working on their sets before I got to the point where I was even editing. These all started as side projects, purely for enjoyment. And that's how it primarily remains. But I get a lot of really great, professional experience, and I've gotten significant paid work from it too.

"I don't know why I'm not getting any freelance work at all." (My response: how are you looking for work? Their reply: "Online".)

These days, it seems so common to rely completely upon electronic communications. Find a listing or company email, send an application or forward a resume, profit. Except the third one doesn't happen that much, does it? How many frustrated hours do people spend on the Internet, sending bits into the ether, hoping someone they don't know comes along and says why YES, this 40 word email is precisely what was missing in my life!

The best work I've gotten has come from knowing people who know people. I'm not saying the Internet isn't useful for job hunting by any means. Or for making initial contact. Or even for maintaining contact. But when someone is frustrated and lacking in work and they haven't done a single thing beyond sending formal emails to HR accounts, I want to slap them with a hand full of glitter.

Besides the networking events and meet ups, you should be doing everything you possibly can to make connections. Call a company directly (unless they say not to -- follow instructions for the love of *%&^). Make contact with individuals and ask for informational interviews or tours. Invite someone to coffee. Send mini muffins. Whatever! It takes up a lot of your time and it's a lot of effort, but the return on your time investment is going to be much higher than sitting in a dark room sending 1's and 0's to already-stuffed-full inboxes.

(But you do have a website, right? Okay, good. Oh wait, it's grammatically correct and stuff too? Okay, just checking.)

"But I'm an introvert, I don't like asking for things."

So am I and neither do I. Bummer. Do it or change careers, man.

"I did work for someone but they never contacted me with more."

Did you do good work for them? If not, then you're screwed. If you did good work, did you stay in touch with them and follow up about more opportunities? If not, do it now. I'll wait. Because you might not be screwed. But ya know, they may just not have any work or money. It shouldn't matter to you, you should be working on other connections. Don't take it personally. Just keep checking, move on, and have another plan.

"I'm too busy to look for work."

This makes no sense. If you're too busy to look for work, how are you not too busy to do work? This is a time management issue that should be figured out before you take on clients.


The part where this becomes a rant is not the questions I'm being asked. It's the response I get. Physical effort? Feh, I can't deal with that. I'm skilled, people should be knocking down MY door to hire me.

That's not the world we live in. No one owes you anything, especially not if you put in the minimal effort of getting a college degree or doing an online course. I don't have an easy solution. I'm not luckier than you. While there is a big element of being in the right place at the right time, you don't magically find yourself in that right place. Most often, the right place is a consequence of forging a new relationship and working really hard. And not being a poopy person. The time is what you have less control over, so you can pray to the leprechaun in the sky or the holy unicorn for help there.

So stop making stupid excuses and get out there. Yes, put on your shoes. Socks go on first. Good! Here's a cookie. Now go out the door. You might need a coat, it's been pretty cold lately. Go find someone, shake their hand, and talk about stuff. It's flu season, so maybe take this hand sanitizer. Look both ways before you cross the road, call if you need anything. Good luck!

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Article Source: Here

Praying, Then Producing a Hit

Article from the New York Times. Click Here to read the full article.

Many directors think of their work as a kind of religion, but few actually refer to their production company as “a moviemaking ministry” — unless of course they are the people behind Sherwood Pictures. The Georgia-based Sherwood Baptist Church has released four films, and its latest, “Courageous,” has shown once again that it has a way with Christian audiences.

“Fireproof,” Sherwood’s 2008 film about marriage, which starred the “Growing Pains” alumnus Kirk Cameron, grossed more than $33.4 million, and “Courageous,” its latest film, is poised to be even bigger — it opened at No. 5 at the box office last weekend. The film tells the story of four law enforcement officers and the challenges of fatherhood. “With God’s help, they struggle to be able to find a way to serve and protect those that are most dear to them,” a press release says. It also incorporates higher production values than any of Sherwood’s previous projects and, for the first time, a cast of professional actors.

We talked to the director and associate pastor Alex Kendrick about “Courageous,” his ministry’s growth and movies. Here are excerpts from the conversation:

Q. Why did you want to make “Courageous”?

A. Well it’s important to keep in mind we’re not Hollywood, we’re not trying to be Hollywood. We’re first a ministry. So before each movie that we do, we commit time to pray and say, “God, what movie do you want us to do next?” So we felt like me, my brother, that fatherhood was where our heart was turning. Given that, we started researching fatherhood, the national fatherhood initiative, Washington organizations, just pulling stats, and we noted that part of a dad’s job is to protect and serve his family and law enforcement is known for protecting and serving, so we put it in the context of a law enforcement story.

Q. Were you excited by the success of your previous films?

....Click Here to read the full article.

Highly recommended for filmmakers!

What to Look for in a Video-style Tripod

Scott and Rich discuss video style tripods (which are helpful for both Timelapse and DSLR video). Many traditional photography shooters are switching styles and trying them out too as they are easy to quickly recompose a shot then lock it down solid for HDR too. Learn about Miller tripods and what features matter (and which are overkill).

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Marking Batteries and Cards

I ran across this clever tip and thought it might be helpful to a few others!

Do you have an efficient way of keeping track of which batteries or memory cards are fresh and ready to use? Flickr user Damon Hair uses Post-it Flags to tag charged batteries and formatted memory cards, letting him quickly swap out used ones when shooting without having to check them one at a time. For an even cheaper solution, you can try wrapping a small rubber band around them instead.

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Should I Use an Editor?

A Message to Directors

Written by Peter John Ross

Should you edit your own movie? This is a question I think needs to be asked more often. Some of the great directors never edit their own films and others do. Kevin Smith and Robert Rodriguez famously edit their own material, as does James Cameron, but he usually is on a team of editors with him. Steven Spielberg never edits his own films and relies on Michael Kahn as he has for 35 years with only 2 exceptions in his feature film career. Why would you want to work with an editor?

I cite as an example a single scene from Star Wars A New Hope from 1977. The scene where Luke and the droids are sitting with Ben Kenobi in his house. In the script and in the shoot, the scene started with R2D2 showing off the hologram of Princess Leia saying “Help Me Obi Wan Kenobi” and then they talk about the Clone Wars. Do you remember this scene? During post production, editor Paul Hirsch looked at this and told George “I don’t think this is right. You have the princess begging for help and saying her ship was under attack, and THEN you have Ben and Luke talking casually about his father and going on about historical things. I think we need to reverse this because once you see this hologram, they need to be in a hurry and get on with the story…” and George agreed.

As a writer/director, sometimes you are so close to the material you lose sight of how the audience will view it. Simple mistakes like this might slip past the goalie if you are creating in a vacuum. Paul Hirsch won an Oscar ™ for Star Wars by the way…Editing is the process of possibly fixing mistakes and re-motivating characters. It’s a 3rd chance, after the script (1st) and the shoot (2nd).

They call editing the Final Re-Write for a reason.
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Article Source
Article by Peter John Ross

Learning the Basics - Pt. 3

Several years ago Digital Juice produced several training series for the web called DJTV. It covered topics ranging from Audio, Tech Info, and Filmmaking Basics. One of the shows I enjoyed the most was "Cutting Class" by Chris Gates.

Cutting Class

More often than not, the edits in your sequences need to seamlessly flow, and not distract from the big picture. In this episode, Chris "Ace" Gates, looks at the decision making process and covers some basic training for camouflaging your cuts.

Topics range from Color Correction, Scene Transitions, ADR, Blending Modes,Tips for Text, Green Screen, and more! Chris "Ace" Gates shares some simple but effective editing tips and techniques for utilizing mattes and masks to build multi-layered composites.

Here is a link to watch all the Cutting Class videos, be sure to start with the first video on page 1, for some reason it has all the episodes listed with the last one first.

WATCH CUTTING CLASS

Learning the Basics - Pt. 2

Several years ago Digital Juice produced several training series for the web called DJTV. It covered topics ranging from Audio, Tech Info, and Filmmaking Basics. One of my favorite "shows" was Field of View, where they covered what I call "Film Theory." In FOV the main focus (no pun intended) was to discuss how to communicate your message to the right audience.

Field of View

Chuck Peters reflects on what makes a pro a pro and challenges producers to shift the focus of their minds to think less like technicians and more like artists and to invest in their talent, not just their equipment. 

Most of the emotion in your videos is generated with music and images. It's nonverbal. You can take your edits to a higher level of professionalism by letting your shots do the talking.

Here is a link to watch all the FOV videos, be sure to start with the first video on page 1, for some reason it has all the episodes listed with the last one first.

WATCH FIELD OF VIEW

Learning the Basics - Pt. 1

"Vimeo Video School is a fun place for anyone to learn how to make better videos. Start by browsing our Vimeo Lessons, or find specific video tutorials created by other members."

If you are new to video and need a beginners course in the basics of picking a camera, shooting, and editing, this a video series for you.

Their are also a couple videos that cover the basics of editing with iMovie and Windows Movie Maker.

When it comes to the DSLR series they cover topics such as setting up your DSLR, lenses, timelapse, recording sound, and lots lots more!

Get started at the Vimeo Video School HERE!

San Antonio Independent Christian Film Academy (SAICFA)

Wow, what an incredibly encouraging week! I've attended every SAICFA-Festival event since 2005 and I've enjoyed it every time! Just a quick note here for those unfamiliar with all this...you can register for the Academy and Festival seperately if you wish to attend only one event but they have always been held during the same week so it just kinda makes sense to go to both. (Academy is held the first half of the week, and the Festival is held the last half)

Highlights for me at this years Academy were the lectures by Kirk Cameron "Acting" - Steven Kendrick "Directing Actors" and "Behind the Scenes of Courageous" - Geoff Botkin "Story Structure" - Isaac Botkin "Christopher Nolan vs. Steven Speilberg" -  Doug Phillips "Radioactive" where he critiques Food, Inc., Avatar, The Cove, 2012, the Al Gore documentary, and more.

"[the Academy] included messages on Epistemology for Filmmakers, comparison of the acting styles of Marlon Brando with Jimmy Stewart, an amazing Christ-exalting dialogue with Kirk Cameron that ranks as one of the most inspirational messages in the history of any Vision Forum event, discussions on managing sets, unions, and a rousing, hilarious and very practical session on screen tests and acting."

-Doug Phillips

KIRK CAMERON

STEVEN KENDRICK

"Stephen took us on a first look at his latest film “Courageous,” but the substance was a no-holds bar homage to absolute duty of the Christian filmmaker to make hard choices that honor Christ, and the blessings which come from it...The maturity and excellence of the story-line, production values, acting and structure of “Courageous” was so significant, that those of us who had the privilege to be present knew we were watching the birth of something that promises to make headline news as it blazes across the nation blessing millions and changing lives for Christ."

-Doug Phillips

At the 2010 Christian Filmmaker's Academy, Stephen Kendrick (the Producer of "Flywheel", "Facing the Giants", and "Fireproof") presented a keynote message entitled " 'Courageous'-The Vision, The Story, The Lessons." Here's a snippet.

We also got to see several rough clips from their upcoming film Courageous. Let me tell ya...it's going to be REALLY good!! - Movie Website

GEOFF BOTKIN

"Geoff Botkin Wows Us With a Brilliant Discussion on Structure, Story Arc and Beats of a Well-Drafted Script."

DOUG PHILLIPS

"[Avatar] is definitely anti-coporate...it's a very personal film in the sense that when I was a kid...in high school it was the start of the environmental movement, and I made a film in high school about pollution...In the years since, trying to get documentaries funded about the environment - you can't raise any money to do that. Nobody wants to buy that stuff. So I thought if i make a big, spectacular ation science fiction film, I can embed these themes in a movie that people are going to see for other reasons. It's absolutely subversive."

-James Cameron interview on "The View", Feb. 17, 2010

"...the effectiveness of Hollywood pantheists and environmentalists to subvert culture through media, and, second, the absence of a thoughtful response in film from the Christian community because we have abandoned the dominion mandate, and failed to mount an army to take the field." Watch the clips.

I found this bag sitting on a table, and in light of the "Radioactive" lecture...I took a picture of it ;) Now don't get me wrong, I do believe it is important to take of this wonderful world God has given us, but I also believe that there is balance. Taking care of the earth shouldn't be more important than people.

OTHER LECTURES

Isaac Botkin gave a very interesting lecture comparing two very successful directors!

"The Art of Scoring Films," with Oscar-winning composer Bruce Broughton.

A lecture by the young men behind the new EffectsForge company.

David Cook talks about his new film Seven Days In Utopia starring Robert Duvall. Movie Website

- stay tuned for a review of this year's festival!

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Lots of pictures and video used from "Doug's Blog"

Christian Visual FX Company

Some friends of mine have started a new company that provides visual effects for Christian media. They specialize in greenscreen replacement, motion graphics, CGi and more!

OVERVIEW:

The Effects Forge is a visual effects company that offers a comprehensive pipeline for creating graphics and integrating digital effects into motion pictures and visual media.

MISSION:

It is our mission to provide groundbreaking digital effects for the independent Christian film industry. We seek to promote Christ honoring messages that will impact our culture more effectively when they are visually more compelling.

We also desire to see the Christian media industry reach a level of professionalism and technical quality that rivals the best in the current entertainment field.

- Be sure to check out their website to watch the demo reel, read more about the company, and to see a list of "team members." Here are a few still images from the demo reel.

www.effectsforge.com