Silence please: AMA Hosts uncover tips on how to succeed in the film industry
If you are ready to break into the film biz or if an already burgeoning career in film is becoming your claim to fame, then you know that film is one of the most popular and well-received mediums for storytelling all over the world. Why? Because movies move us. All you need to do is make films, and eventually, someone will find your talent and hire you for it, and that’s it. Just kidding. It isn’t like other professions where you earn a qualification, start at the bottom and work your way to the top. The film industry is notorious for being one of (if not the) most difficult industries to break into. If you’re looking into breaking into the film industry as a concept artist, you’re gonna need one part luck, one part timing, one part good connections, and a whole lotta talent. The industry itself deals in dreams, and the road to success within is paved with the shattered and broken. I’m not gonna lie. This is because the movie making business is a hidden market. Employers and employees rely on reputation, word-of-mouth, and networking as primary tools of communication.
And I get it. You don’t want to be an on-set coffee maker, you’re looking for hands-on experience with teammates that will help you grow professionally. You’re a hard worker; you’ve studied film, editing, sound, and are excited to apply that knowledge in a real-world environment. Your passion is helping people tell their story through film. What you do not know is… where to start and how to do it. You’re not alone. We’re rolling out the red carpet and it’s our pleasure to introduce you to some of our hosts who have held their #AskMeAnything Events on the AMAfeed platform. The film industry has long been a powerful force for probing people ask questions, start discussions, and bring about major changes. And that’s exactly what happened. You asked them, they responded, and we will now roundup some of the best tips we got from them to help you break into the film industry — or at least, to find out what you could expect there.
Find creative inspiration
Having the ability to turn our imagination/ideas into reality is an amazing gift. You’re able to put out into the world what you visualize. And sometimes even getting to the point of formulating an idea to later convert into art can have its difficulties. We’re artists, but we’re also human beings; living in the real world with events, emotions, work and, at times, can get distracted. We’ve all been there. Inspiration is the fuel for an artist/design; it’s what gets our creative juices flowing. It’s natural for that imagination to have its slow days and fizzle out, it doesn’t mean that you’re losing your talent; it just means you need some new material, a new set of eyes, or just to look at another’s artwork. Ideas form from other ideas and experimentation. Professionals are people who can produce high-quality work, regardless of other considerations. It never enters his head that he is just there for the ride, or that it’s enough just to be on the set and experience the so-called glamour of the film world. A professional knows the rules of the game as a matter of course and will seek to achieve the highest quality in his or her work. That means consistently striving to be the best at whatever you do and convincing your employer that it is not only worth it to keep you on this job but also to hire you for the next one.
Who or what inspires you to continue your life within this business? Has that particular thing or person affected your films in any way?
Cameo Wood — a successful writer/producer/director whose short film REAL ARTISTS has played at >100 film festivals
- I’m inspired by how impactful and culture-defining film can be. Right now I’m inspired by the impact Black Panther is having all over the world. Even though the comic has existed since the 1960s, the film will now inspire millions of people and will create a billion dollars in revenue.
- The collaborative nature of this art form. Very few movies are made by just one person. Real Artists has a pretty big crew — from the caterers, the social media people, the camera operators, the accountants, poster designers, gaffers, actors- it’s massive.
- I think in a film. I read stories, hear gossip, and see a beautiful vision and think about how it could be captured in a film. Having the opportunity to capture all these thoughts and ideas and sharing them with others is a joy.
- The magnificence of working with people who say “what if” all day. Filmmakers are dreamers and Imagineers. People that truly make the impossible a 2d/5.1 reality.
- I only had one movie as a babysitter as a kid — Amadeus. I randomly had a vinyl video disk player and only one video disk through most of my life. Watching that movie over and over imprinted upon me.
- Later when I was 11 or so, my family started a video store business, so every day from age 11 to 18 I worked at the store and watched a few movies every day. It was a fantastic education.
- I love teaching what I know to others. My winter interns just left, and it was a true joy sharing my love of film with them.
The importance of good communication
Let’s face it; communication is one of the most important issues in the workplace and that is arguably one of the most important business skills, no matter what your industry. Most of us are terrible listeners. Instead of truly listening to what the person is saying, we interrupt, prepare our response, or think we already know what the speaker is going to say next. It’s impossible to understand what someone needs or wants if we don’t give them our undivided attention. Good communication helps everyone on your team (and you) to feel heard and understood, and as a result, everyone benefits from a positive, encouraging and successful environment. Communication and feedback is the key to a successful working environment, and helps to engage staff and reduce turnovers. When an employee feels happy and satisfied in their job, they are able to to perform their duties in a positive and efficient manner.
During the months of working on your film thesis, what were your learnings, challenges, and struggles?
Allen, Jenn, and Prinn — AMA about our animated short film, “Magical Mom”
We have learned quite a bit! Some significant challenges were making an anime story read to the general public. Some tropes don’t communicate well, so we had to figure out what elements to include and what to leave out. The main takeaway for us though is that even if people don’t understand anime tropes, they will understand conflicts in a mother-son relationship. So we always made sure to keep the focus of our story on how Magical Mom’s magical girl antics affect her son, Daiki. We also learned to simplify. We also had to study a lot of anime techniques to make sure our film felt like our reference. Translating an anime style into 3D was difficult to figure out. The timing, shapes, poses, and camera shots they use are very different from western films, so that took some adjusting to get used to. Lastly, a lot of our ideas were very complicated at first, so we had to streamline the story. Giving up ideas hurt, but it made the overall experience much more concise and entertaining.
How do you encourage people and processes to achieve the best?
J.Y. Chun — Actor-Filmmaker Crowdfunding for a Film about Music, Identity, Wigs
Hi Charles, that’s a hard question. As a leader or a committed team member, you have a responsibility to encourage or motivate your peers. Everyone has their own style of leading and doing. And it can help to actively become more familiar with your style and recognize your areas for improvement. Personally, I think I might lead by example and hold others to those standards to achieve “the best”. Or maybe their own “best”.
Look behind any creative success story and you’ll usually find a great team
Why would a sound designer, a composer, an audio engineer, a video editor, a graphic artist or an animator need to know how to collaborate with others when he or she can simply do the work alone? Would it not be simpler for them to do what they are trained to do without having to share their ideas, without having to agree to a compromise that satisfies someone else’s taste, without feeling obligated to give up ideas in order to incorporate the thinking of others into the work? One secret weapon you have is to appreciate the psychological factors that turn a group of individuals into a cohesive team unit. Collaborating with creatives who have a similar mindset but different skills or experience can directly benefit you. A team member with more in-depth knowledge, previous experience with a specific task, another perspective on a situation requiring problem-solving, or even just a new shortcut in your favorite software, can teach you new information in practice, while you and others are applying it together in real time.
How do you usually meet the members of your team?
A variety of ways. Some through working together in production companies, some through casting and some through friends of friends. I’m lucky because I’ve built a fantastic team of remarkably talented individuals around me. I’d give you three tips on how to build your team. 1. Never turn down a helping hand. Especially, at an independent level. We’re all trying to prove what we’re capable of and giving someone a chance might lead you to the better result than what you were even hoping for when you began. 2. Learn how to assess and recognize talent. It’s easy to spot someone remarkably talented. It’s a little harder to recognize someone with talent and skills, but they do not have them fully honed. You might be able to help that person reach their full potential and in the process, they might help you reach your full potential. 3. Make friends not connections. Be interested in whoever you meet as a person. Don’t look at people as ways to progress your career. People want to help each other, but not if they feel like they are being used. So make friends, not connections.
Your creativity is active even when your brain is resting.
Ever wonder why, when grappling with a difficult problem, the solution seems to pop up, almost like magic, just after a walk or some other kind of relaxing activity? Success is found in being rested physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, and it is a quality to be sought on a daily basis. When you don’t take time for yourself, your business suffers, but when you take care of yourself, your business can thrive. Shut down all devices and gadgets before you sleep, and thank me later.
When inspiration is waning, when you feel creatively sapped, what do you do? How do you stay fresh?
Malcolm D. Carter — an American Actor, Writer, Filmmaker and Director from Texas.
If this ever happens, I call up my friends and go out for the day. I need to literally have my mind focused on something else in order to gain inspiration. I will either go out to eat or an entertainment place with a lot of individuals. In public, you encounter so much, creatively should hit you in the face. I stay fresh by living my everyday life. Working at a movie theater, let’s just say I have enough situations to work with.
Unlike film festivals, a film market is not a place to go looking for a job, so it’s not for actors and directors looking to get work, although they can certainly go to the market to sell their packages. Obviously, it isn’t for the general public either as it is an expensive proposition for someone who is simply there to rub elbows with the folks in the trenches of the movie industry.
Which film markets do you believe you will have the most success? eg Korean?
Dos Ocampo — a filmmaker based in the Philippines
This is a tricky question as success is a little bit complicated to define. But I’ll try my best. I am more familiar with the Asian market so I’ll focus on it.
China is now a rapidly growing film market. They have a lot of money now due to the recent slew of domestic box office hits as well as a tight control by the government in terms of foreign films’ screen quota. Korea is rapidly growing, too, thanks to a strong domestic market and the popularity of Korean culture worldwide that demand Korean films and dramas.
As for my projects, I think that in terms of box office success, I can find success in the Philippines as I am very familiar with the audience.
Written by our genius blogger Tina based on advice from our great Hosts in www.MovieAMA.com and originally published on www.AMAfeed.com
