It’s Never Too Late To Become A Filmmaker — Interview with Alexis Kirke
I was recently asked to give a top ten list for a book on the topic of advice I would give to myself when I was starting out. Originally a short list, I decided to turn it into something (hopefully) more useful!
Tip 1. Get involved
I started out at Plymouth University with no contacts in the arts or music.
I wanted to introduce myself to the music crowd but how could I do this with no formal background in music? I simply said to my boss (the composer Prof Eduardo Miranda) that I wanted to organise some concerts of contemporary music regularly at the University. He suggested I introduce myself to the Director of Music. I did, and you know what? The director was enthusiastic.
In short: help to organise events of the type you want to be in.
Tip 2. Do it for free
My first formal piece was a short audio-visual collaboration for a music
festival in Portugal, for no commission fee. I was excited to have the piece
accepted. After I¹d organised a few small concerts and marketing the heck
out of them, the Director of Music asked if I would score the classic silent
movie ³South² for a local showing. He said he couldn¹t pay me. I didn¹t even blink I would happily write 1:20 of music for no money for a maximum
audience of 120. Amazingly half way through the process he offered a token
fee, but we wouldn¹t have even got to that point if I hadn¹t taken it on
initially for no money.
In short: don’t expect money until later.
(Read more from this FilmCourage.com post here)
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