By John Gaskin
Article #1. MAKING IT in Film Production! ©2005 John Gaskin Doyou, or do you want to, work on film productions? If you want toexpand in your career in film, this article will help you makeit!
Why aren't there more Film Directors making films. PropsMasters, Sound Mixers, Costume Supervisors, Key Grips, etc.becoming Line Producers, Producers-For-Hire or UPM's? Why aren'tmore crew reaching the level of Department Head? Why aren't morefilm school students finding work? I'm sure there are lots ofreasons, but take a quiet moment to really look. Let's see....It's not competence - most crew disappear pretty quickly ifthey're slow witted and incompetent. Film students who graduatehave shown they're pretty smart. It's not a lack of drive -again, for the same reasons. Wouldn't you agree that the biggesthurdle is getting the opportunity? Well, that's true and nottrue.
The biggest hurdle is MAKING the opportunity.
How do you increase the odds of landing a contract as a FilmDirector, Line Producer, a Department Head (if you're not onealready), or even a UPM on a small independent production? Lotsof film school graduates are ready to burst with ideas to gettheir scripts into production; how do they get to produce theirscripts? First you need to get the confidence of the person infront of you. That single person in front of you needs tobelieve that you can control your sphere of work so effectivelythat he/she can get on with creating their vision.
If you're already a working professional in film, you can easilyconvince someone that you can control the heck out of your areaof expertise. But, if you want to upgrade, what do you knowabout the relationship of your department to all other facets offilm production? You need to be able to convince others that youunderstand the common denominator of all filmmaking. Nobodydenies that you need to have a creative bent in filmproductions. But let's lay it on the table - THE DRIVING FORCEBEHIND FILM PROUCTION IS MONEY!
By the time we, as working crew, start working on a filmproduction, our creative bent is totally bent by the amount ofMONEY available to us. We want to get the best product we canout of every buck. Like it or not, your performance in filmproduction is measured, to some degree, by how well you controlthe money. It's like 'Directing', only you're 'Directing theMoney'.
Do you want to get that upgrade? Then, learn the language ofthose who 'Direct the Money'. To my way of thinking, that's theonly way to be taken seriously.
Here's the deal - you need to show them, with attitude, that youwill provide them with a controlled environment from which theycan create their vision. The only way I know of to do that is tograduate to a 'Director of Money'. From that position you can bethe go-to Line Producer, Producer-For-Hire, Department Head,UPM, etc.
Let's pretend for a moment that you've met a hot new Producer,Director, Actor or Executive Producer, etc. with a script.Whoever you meet, they'll be very excited to talk with you aboutit. After the first ½ hour or less, how do you segue into beingtheir Line Producer, Producer or UPM?
Well you ask them some real questions that would knock theirsocks off and show that you're the one to 'Direct the Money' forthem - but those questions are beyond the scope of this article.
You get the idea. You need to know the 'lingo' of budgets andyou need to understand that those budgeted numbers need to bedirected. You'll also need to inspire confidence in theFinanciers, or the Bonding Company, that you know what theweekly financial report card is all about (that is, theuniversally standard Weekly Cost Report).
Most of those questions, with a little imagination, can alsoapply to anyone who wants to upgrade to a Department Head. AProduction Manager would be completely blown away!
So how does a director or crew member get familiar with Budgetsand Cost Reports? I've been a Production Auditor for 20 yearsand I've NEVER shown a crewmember a Final Budget or a WeeklyCost Report (the universally standard financial report cardissued to the Financiers and Producers every week) in thatentire time. They are considered sacrosanct by StudioExecutives, Financiers and Bonding Companies everywhere.
Well, I'm about to tease you with some relevant articles thatwill open the door enough to let you walk through. They'rewritten for the complete novice, so be patient if you've alreadybeen exposed to budgets and cost reports. Remember, the articlesare techniques on being FAMILIAR enough with budgets and costreports to be able to 'Direct the Money'.
John Gaskin opens the door to a closed topic in the filmindustry -MONEY! Learn the inside tips from a 20 year pro ofover 40 film projects all over the world. To receive a series of7 free artilces visit: http://www.talkfilm.bi
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