It’s been almost thirty years since the Zuckers made Airplane. It was released in 1980, shortly after I first moved to Hollywood, and I’d say it qualified as one of the early big summer blockbusters. I remember the headline in Variety a few weeks after it’s release, or was it a full-page ad run by Paramount, Airplane hits 80 million at the box office! Fast forward. That was then, and today things have changed. Or have they? It’s over a decade and a half since the famous Katzenberg memo about cost cutting at Disney and yet the big budget tentpole picture still seems to be the only way the Studios know how to do business. The current talk of the town is on the demise of the Indie Film Business. Mark Gill of The Film Department, formerly of Warner Independent and Miramax, started his keynote speech at the LA Film Festival a few weeks ago with The Sky is Falling and went on to “dump” a lot of “unvarnished bad news” about the business of making Indie films. He stated that fifteen years ago, the Sundance Film Festival got 500 submissions. This year, they received 5,000 … His point was that most of them were crap. Yes, the film business is getting tougher and consequently, producers or filmmakers should be making fewer films, better. Do things ever change?

Of course they do. It’s quite astounding really that in 15 years the number of films being submitted to Sundance has grown from 500 to 5,000. These are, for the most part, lower budget, independently financed films. Is it just that more films are being submitted, or is it safe to say there is a much larger number of films being made today. And although how does one make a better movie is a very good question to ask, let’s start at the beginning and explore how you can get into the game in the first place.

The movie business has always been a pretty closed shop. A few moguls appear to have cornered the market in the early days and it has remained rather insular ever since. That’s quite a sweeping statement that I’m sure leaves out quite a lot of history. Fortunately, there are tomes that fill libraries, bookshops, and the Internet fully covering everything you want to know about the early days of cinema. In fact, covering every aspect of movies and movie making. This is something that’s changed; now you can click on to Amazon.com and readily find how-to guides like Breaking Into Film, which is written for the absolute beginner.

There are a few other obvious reasons why it is difficult to get into the film business. Perhaps at the top of the list is because it’s so darn expensive to make a film. However, with digital cameras, 2 gig computers, and FCP quickly filling the landscape across the globe, just about anyone can make films if they really want to. This is certainly a contributing factor to the higher number of Sundance submissions. Then there’s the competition consideration. There are thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of applicants for a few hundred jobs. With cable channels increasing exponentially since the early days of HBO, where is all the demand for original programming that was anticipated? Unfortunately, it is easier and cheaper to fill the airwaves with reality TV and it will remain so as long as the public keeps watching.

OK. So we all know that it’s not easy to get into the film business. Am I telling you to think twice, smarten up and walk away? Well, no, although that may make better odds for the rest of us. If you think it sounds like a lot of work with no guarantees … and you’re not comfortable with that … then maybe yes. Making movies may not be for you. But if you burn with passion for your art … to act … to write … direct … or you just have an unquenchable lust for money and stardom … why not go for it.

The first step is to decide what you’d like to do. You may not know. You may simply like the idea of working in the film industry.

The best way to learn how to make films is by working on films. I know that sounds painfully self-evident, but due to the varied nature of film making it lends itself to an apprenticeship approach. There are three distinctly different paths that might be taken; go to film school, go to work in the industry, or go to Circuit city and buy a camera. All of them, in a loose manner of speaking, involve a kind of apprenticeship, or empirical approach to learning the craft.

UCLA and USC have strong film, television and theatre programs, and benefit from their proximity to Hollywood offering many classes taught by working professionals with impressive credits. But you can also take courses and have access to equipment at UC Northridge and numerous other academic institutions that offer media, film and television courses in and around Los Angeles. And, there’s also the LA Film School, “where creative minds with a passion for entertainment learn to bring their ideas to life,” relatively new on the scene, started by and also offering classes taught by film industry professionals and located in the heart of Hollywood. If you are interested, Google them and check them out. But if you’re in a hurry to get on with your career, don’t worry, jump into the fast lane with Dov Simens’ 2 Day Film School, http://dovsimensfilmschool.com. Or if you want a true crash course, try the 1 Day Film School, www.1dayfilmschool.com, where Bobby Logan will teach you how to make and market the feature film you always wanted to make … in one day and for only $99!

Prefer to go straight to work? There are entry-level positions that can be attained in the film industry. Want to produce big studio pictures? Look for those coveted jobs as a producer’s assistant, the mail-room or an assistant in a talent agency, a script reader, or any job that will get you on a lot. Failing that, some talented producers and actors did start off in Hollywood giving guided tours at Universal. Longing to be on the set and see more action? Then search for work as a production assistant on any film or TV show you hear about. The Internet provides a great resource for film jobs – first stop www.mandy.com.

Variety and the Hollywood Reporter both have classified ad sections – occasionally you’ll see production jobs listed. They both can be accessed online and Variety has a special new online career and networking service called the Biz which allows you to post your resume, search for work and connect with your Linked In and Facebook account.

So perhaps it’s a brave new world after all. Other than hot topic doomsday talk about the Internet crashing for good with the exponential rise of users and data transfer – both upstream and downstream with the popularity of You Tube and with more and more music and movies available for download – whew! But that just opens up a whole other area to pursue in terms of buying a camera, making your own films, and getting them distributed. Yes, another viable way to break into the film business. We’ll talk about it next blog, as I endeavor to narrow the conversation and start passing on more ideas on how to pursue your career in the digital age of movie making.
 

Peter Haig can be contacted here.

Read Part I

Copyright July 2008 Peter Haig.  All rights reserved.