A SnagFilms company
Trending: The Indiewire Influencers
Celebrating 16 Years of Film.Biz.Fans.
more
Filmmaker Toolkit
by Barbara Freedman Doyle
April 4, 2012 12:48 PM
23 Comments
  • |

The Six Things You Must Know to Make it in the Film Industry

CAUTIONARY TALE #2: Just Because It’s in Your Head, It Doesn’t Have to Come Out Your Mouth. This is a sad one. Danny idolized a certain big-name director. Danny was charming, personable, and very smart. He spent a year digging up anyone who had a connection to his director hero. He wanted to “shadow” this director, to watch him work and to learn. 

Many beginning filmmakers make the mistake of thinking that Industry people are casual about behavior. They are not.
Someone who knew someone and was sympathetic to the cause arranged for Dan to meet the director. The director liked him, and finally after a prolonged process involving reference checks, phone calls, and emails that went unreturned, finally Dan was given the go-ahead. He was told when and where to show up on the first day of shooting a major film. He arrived on set early. So far, so good. As instructed, he found the director’s assistant, who promptly sent him to the catering truck to get the director his espresso. He was a little surprised that he was being told what to do by an assistant, but he did it. He got the coffee and handed the cup to the director. The director took it and continued his conversation with the cinematographer. The director handed his empty cup to Dan, who returned to the catering truck, got another, and handed the full cup to the director. Over the course of the morning, this was repeated several times. It was the only interaction Dan had with the director. Towards lunch, Dan’s girlfriend called him on his cell to ask how it was going. He told her, “OK, I guess. I’m the director’s coffee whore.”

This was overheard by the makeup person who told the director’s assistant who told the director, who fired his unpaid “shadow” at the end of his first day. The director had enough to deal with. He didn’t want anyone working close to him who was resentful and indiscreet. If Danny wanted to voice his opinion to his girlfriend, he could have waited until he was home and in private to do it. Danny thought he was being hip and funny, but the director’s assistant and the director felt he was being negative and rude.

What’s the point here? Neither Will or Danny did anything truly awful, they just didn’t understand the politics. The hesitation before you agree, the rolling of your eyes, what you say over your cell phone, even if you whisper, is noticed. What you post is PUBLIC. You are trying to convince people to invest in your talent, your skills, AND your ability to navigate the often treacherous waters of the business. They must trust in you personally.

You may say to yourself, “I hate politics, I can’t deal with this kind of BS.” But you have to learn. Some of it is common sense, some of it is courtesy, and some of it is BS, but it’s all part of the business. You may think, there are lots of jerks out there—I’ve read about their bad behavior, and they succeeded. True. But usually the bad behavior didn’t begin until after they were successful. And these bad guys or girls get work and are able to get their films financed because they bring in the big bucks. The minute a film is less than hot at the box office, they find that their calls are not returned as quickly, their scripts are not read as eagerly, and their green lights come more slowly, if they come at all. When people behave badly there is a crowd of people sitting back gleefully awaiting their failure. Human nature is such that payback often tastes sweet. Why go there at all?

Many beginning filmmakers make the mistake of thinking that Industry people are casual about behavior. They are not. Most people with the power to help you make your film are sharp observers, with acute instincts. They are constantly checking you out, consciously and unconsciously. Are you a good risk? Do they believe you? Do they believe in you? Perhaps because so much money and ego is tied up in the decisions they make, they feel betrayed if you prove their initial impression of you was incorrect. No one expects you to be perfect, but you are expected to be credible, and they remember when you’re not. Picture a neighborhood in a very small town, all the residents sitting out on the front porch, watching, noticing, and commenting. That’s the film business.

Filmmaker Toolkit
get email updates on Filmmaker Toolkit
  • |
You might also like:

23 Comments

  • MOHAMAD HAMMOUD | May 6, 2013 5:18 PMReply

    Hi i got a dream i pray every day and night for ... need help & a guide please let me know that i found a way that can help my dreams come true

  • shubham mishra | April 20, 2013 7:03 AMReply

    i want to join in film indurstry

  • chandra prakash kedia | April 15, 2013 1:33 PMReply

    helloo...


    sir i want to be an actor.. its my passion to get into bollywood soo plz guide me how to get into film industry..

  • Michael Medeiros | January 3, 2013 5:10 PMReply

    Now that we're finishing post, I think I need to read this twice a day. Promo for Tiger Lily Road http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvxPy1ksQ-M

  • Andrew Kaplan - Accidental Actor | August 9, 2012 1:25 PMReply

    This advice is well taken. I fetched coffee for my bosses at a major entertainment company during my college internship. I remember actually using that time to meet others and observe. I would say the best advice for someone new is to use the ability to network and observe. On film sets I make it my job to learn about what all the different people do and build relationships. Just the simple task of saying thank you will get you far. The real advice is to be "appreciative" of the opportunity and remember you learn more from failure than success, so rather than criticize, use that time to learn. In the other part of my life I teach entrepreneurs about starting a business...the smart "owner" will want to surround himself with hardworking, supportive people, who are not afraid to get their hands dirty and can handle multiple tasks. . A film set is a startup.

  • Mike Akers | August 9, 2012 11:51 AMReply

    awesome article and 100% true!

  • CafeGirlsPress | August 7, 2012 3:49 PMReply

    I am making an effort to commit every word to memory, and to encourage the young people I mentor to do the same as well. Lovely article. Right on the money. Thank you.

  • Bradd Hopkins | April 16, 2012 8:44 AMReply

    If you're interested in filmmaking, read this article like gospel. There are too many other mistakes you can make to risk shooting yourself in the foot by violating its simple precepts. I have a few cautionary tales of my own, and learned from every one. They can make your phone not ring.

  • NADIM BADDOUR | April 9, 2012 4:40 PMReply

    a beautiful & true article ... very true

  • iain campbell | April 9, 2012 2:54 PMReply

    Thank you - "Truth well told" - even though its tough to swallow.. Too late to change career now..

  • Smiley | April 9, 2012 11:37 AMReply

    Articles like this should not bring out anyones defensive side... and if it does... a great book for you to read is "YOUR ATTITUDE IS SHOWING"...
    Anyone in the industry will tell you.... YOUR attitude will either get you fired or hired. Period end of story. Skills and experience will come when the attitude is aligned. ;-)

  • Lenry | April 8, 2012 10:11 PMReply

    Anything you say can be used against you. Give yourself the opportunity to turn down the next job by not losing the one you have. Do the best job you can and let the water roll of your back.

  • Joe Bessette | April 7, 2012 7:45 AMReply

    Great article thanks for posting it!!

  • Kevin Harty | April 6, 2012 7:58 PMReply

    Excellent stuff. Well structured common sense. Unfortunately that kind of sense isn't that common. I'm the oldest "new-kid-on-the-block" with no formal education in what I now do (I'm an actor and therefore on the other side of the camera) and I think the information applies right across the board. Good comments too.

  • star jonestown | April 5, 2012 7:43 PMReply

    Hate to break into the INFOMERCIAL here, but Barbara Freedman Doyle's credits are Dreck.

    I'm so sick of these f*cking books written by people who couldn't walk the walk. There they are, though, still talking that f*cking talk. It's all bullsh*t.

    HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: 'Believe in yourself. Behave yourself. Practice Practice Practice and Never Give Up.' That is all.

  • star jonestown | April 5, 2012 8:06 PM

    ... On second thought, I'd like to apologize to Barbara. This is why I've practically quit reading anything close to this sort of post... I'm sure she's a perfectly nice person, and the anecdotes & excerpts were well-written. I don't think that the business of teaching those who are interested in the biz is inherently awful. I once read a few of these myself. Do I think there are too many of these books? Sure. But knowledge has to be passed on from generation to generation. So mea culpa. I really don't like infomercials, but people gotta eat.

  • David | April 5, 2012 4:46 PMReply

    Don't ever work with people you don't know for free. If someone who is not your friend needs you to do something, that something has value; and as you make clear in this piece, nobody's your friend, right?

  • Amanda | April 5, 2012 3:25 PMReply

    Well written, tight, concise, and incredibly TRUE article, but if it reads as anything other than common sense to someone who wants "in" on the industry, it's time to rethink the industry you're best suited for.

  • Jason Smith | April 4, 2012 9:30 PMReply

    Just so happens I have 3 family members I will be getting this for! Thanks to cameraman Christopher Lockett and high recommendation of this book!

  • cf | April 4, 2012 5:15 PMReply

    ...MOST professions actually. My highly qualified fiancé started in science doing cancer research in a horrible lab that made him do the shitty jobs–measuring tumors on mice. He was better qualified than a bunch in the lab, but he had to suck it up until he got did enough to get med school. Problem with film is it really doesn't appreciate qualifications at all- the industry HATES film grads because they have ideals above their 'expresso whore' stations. It sucks. It's not nice. You have to suck c••k basically, especially if you don't have any prior contacts in the industry.

  • Jay | April 4, 2012 3:41 PMReply

    Applied to any procession? No it can't. With all due respect, I don't think someone in the fields of product design, cancer research or quantitative analysis sucks it up and smiles gleefully to be a chief scientist or innovator's coffee whore, because, frankly, those industries actually rely on formal pedigree and intellect -- i.e., brain power if you will. Neither does someone who works for NSA or clerks for a judge on the court of appeals.

    But of course, entertainment trumps all that because it's the only industry that thinks of itself way higher than it should. And why shouldn't it. It's a factory of delusion-inducing dreams.

  • Nathania | April 12, 2012 1:52 PM

    A product designer was once an assistant in a design office. A cancer researcher or qualitative analyst was once a graduate assistant. A clerk for a judge was once an intern at a law office. Everyone starts at the bottom. Office politics exist in every industry. But the term office politics is a cynical one. Having a good attitude and doing what it takes to get the job done - that's a positive way to think about it, and this article does a good job of it. Took me a long time to learn this, but better late than never.

  • Roger | April 4, 2012 1:39 PMReply

    I learned a lot from this article that can be applied to any profession.

fresh from the blogs

browse the blog network »
Skinny Matthew McConaughey Talks New Approach to Roles: 'Mud,' 'Dallas Buyer's Club,' 'Magic Mike' [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO]'

the network

indiewire

categories