Three Survival Tips For Entering The Entertainment Industry

Image of Filming CameraThe business and politics of film industry can be a murky, intimidating world to enter, even for the most passionate and committed artists and potential filmmakers. As in most professional realms, mentorship is absolutely crucial in regards to finding your footing and making the most of every opportunity you are lucky enough to enjoy. The Script Mentor exists to provide support to aspiring and rising screenwriters for just this reason. However, some broader knowledge is widely available online that applies to more than just writers, but to people interesting in filling just about every role in the entertainment industry. Barbara Freedman Doyle, who – in addition to establishing herself as a successful coordinator and production supervisor in television and film – has served in leadership roles of various film departments at the University level, curated a list of things you need to know to make it in the film industry. Although Geno Scala and his presence in the world of arts and entertainment have been most heavily centered around scriptwriting, these general insights serve him (and everyone) well as gentle reminders about the reality of breaking into the film industry and finding success therein.

Reputation Is Everything

In every business where people are wheeling and dealing with any level of frequency, your reputation will make or break you. This is especially true in a relatively close-knit, small, and exclusive industry like film and television. It is an intimate enough industry that many (if not most) negotiating happens verbally. Any established presence can contact just about any other party with just a phone call. Everyone, especially the kinds of people who make the most important sorts of decisions behind the camera, talk all of the time. What all this constant communications means is that there are no secrets. It is one thing for information like your typical job title and pay rate to be public knowledge. In the entertainment business, however, people can and will discuss so much more. This can include how hard you work, if you are honest, and how you treat people.

Therefore, if you nurture a reputation for yourself as reliable, capable, and an overall positive workplace presence, more and more doors will swing open. Again, this may hold true in most industries, but in entertainment this reality is magnified and multiplied many times over. On the other hand, if someone has a negative experience working with you, then your reputation as difficult, high-strung, irrational, or just plain unpleasant will intensify your troubles finding work to an extreme extent relative to what you might experience working in a different field. It is important to realize that this is your employment and nobody is interesting in cutting you slack because you had a long day or were simply in a bad mood for whatever reason. Without a proven track record, your talent simply does not count for much. You have to deliver, and be prepared to follow through and execute every single time. It just takes one slip-up or one bad experience with one person to potentially sink your entire reputation (and career). Rationalizations for why you came up short once or twice just do not count and extenuating circumstances do not matter. Recognize that every decision you make and action you take is feeding into your reputation and take ownership of how people will describe you when, eventually, your name comes up on future projects.

History Trumps Friendship Every Time

An incredibly dangerous combination is for a word to be both overused and misused, which is exactly the case when it comes to the term, “relationship.” That is especially true in film and television. One of the most common anecdotes you will hear is that some person in a position of authority gave a lesser known individual a shot because they had “a relationship.” Another frequent scenario people in the entertainment business often quote is two people who always work together because they “have a relationship.” Sometimes producers won’t interfere or otherwise decline to argue with a director’s first choice for talent (behind or in front of the camera) because, although the producer might have a different preference, the director and the person in question “have a relationship.”

When it comes to the working world, relationships have little to absolutely nothing to do with friendship. If you are serious about breaking into film or television in any capacity, you need to be able to sever and separate your understanding of relationships in your personal sphere and what they are in the professional one. Working relationships are all about history. In the entertainment industry, turnover is incredibly high. Everyone is ambitious and has a dream, yet people who are here today will undoubtedly be gone tomorrow. This extreme degree of volatility is very deeply rooted into the very soul of the industry. As such, history – having worked or even just studied together in the past – can be a protection against the certainty that every production or project will be battling uncertainty at some point in the future. Shared goals, loyalty, and the all-around comfort of a “known quantity,” so to speak, can be an enormous source of strength in what is a very challenging and demanding line of work. Successful working relationships can sometimes involved a genuine friendship, but they are built and exist for so much more. Frankly, people will almost always choose working with someone who was unpleasant in a partnership that has previously produced success over someone who they sincerely like but with whom they have no working history at all.

The Decision Makers Play The Odds

Think about the view from the top of the proverbial food chain. The individuals who call the shots in film and television very much interact with projects that come across their desks as educated gamblers would. There is certainly a large amount of anxiety involved, given the amount of financial resource which can be on the line. Major decisions are nearly never spontaneous. In truth, even the smallest of details is often a carefully considered choice. This extends from the inception (which script they choose and who they choose to re-work any aspect of it) through production (every single tiny aspect of the filming and editing process) to its conclusion (marketing can be the difference between a box office bomb and blockbuster hit). As someone looking to break into the industry, this means everything you do needs to be crafted towards the purpose of minimizing risk. When considering who to hire, you want the person making the call to look at you and see that not only are you more talented, positive, and passionate – the most important thing you can be as a candidate is the safest choice. If these movers and shakers in the entertainment business are looking to stack the deck in their favor so that the project at hand is most likely to be a success, be sure you are doing everything in your party to make yourself an obvious asset. This harkens back to history as the basis of every working relationship. Thriving as an intern can be a struggle, especially since starting at the lowest possible rung on the latter is not necessarily going to be compensated immediately with the most inspiring financial incentives. However, your motivation should be the knowledge that one great reference can have the power to get someone to roll the dice and choose you. Once you have a foot in the door, the opportunities to work your way up are much more immediate and real. You need to do more than just tell people you have potential – if they are going to bet on you via the hiring process, you need to be sure your experience shows them that potential beyond any shadow of a doubt.

Louisiana Makes Headlines with Cap on Film Tax Credits

Geno ScalaIt is no secret that major productions can bolster economies, revitalize neighborhoods, and transform communities. Different parts of the country often compete to attract major film and television players, and the tax credit is one of the most critical tools in a government’s arsenal to attract businesses. Louisiana recently made news by imposing an annual $180 million cap. This number is significantly lower than what Louisiana (sometimes called “Hollywood South”) usually certifies. Previously, the state annually allowed for $250-270 million. Louisiana’s Film Entertainment Association is considering legal action as a result.

The film industry’s presence in places like North Carolina and Michigan clearly indicate that when tax credits are diminished, jobs tend to follow as filmmakers flock to other locations that eagerly offer greater opportunities for cost abatements. As State Representative Henry Burns of Shreveport told local media, ““There are other states out there stretching their arms, wanting to welcome our film industry in there. And just that uncertainty sometimes will cause people to leave.” The state of Georgia, in particular, has long been a competitor who will likely see an increase in film-related activity as a result.

Movie makers and lawmakers alike are hoping to revisit the film credits debate next January with a new governor. Until that time, the greatest concern is that film credits already in the system may not be redeemable under the cap. Should that the case, then the cap might well be unlawful. That issue will be also be subject to further legislation.

Until these issues are more fully explored, all the remains to be seen is if the state can retain its proud tradition as a regional powerhouse when it comes to film production.

Digital Streaming Services Continue Meteoric Rise

Geno ScalaAccording to a report released by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, the electronic home video sector remains very much on track to overtake traditional US Cinema as early as 2018.This would establish the market segment as the lead revenue generator in film. This news may be stunning to some, but both savvy consumers and industry experts have anticipated the intensification of the this upwards trend for in online entertainment for quite some time.

The Global Entertainment and Media Outlook report for 2015 to 2019 posited a number of major changes in the industry which may be well on their way to fruition. Altogether, PricewaterhouseCoopers anticipates that, in just three years time, electronic home video will generate $13.8 billion dollars in the US alone.

For the first time ever, this figure exceeds predictions for the domestic film revenue for the cinema industry, which current calculations suggest will follow at $13.1 billion. Electronic home video service very well could double in revenue. The report quotes the figure of $8.4 billion in 2014 rising as high as $16.54 billion in 2019, hitting an impressive annual growth rate of 14.6%. Over that same time, cinema revenue is expected to grow at a more modest rate of 3.9%, from $11.2 billion in 2014 to $13.5 billion in 2019.

Electronic home video is comprised of on-demand programming, streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, and similar ventures by premium-cable channels like HBO and Starz. Electronic home video revenue therefore includes both rental and subscriptions to streaming platforms. Cinema revenue, on the other hand, depends on the box office and advertising.

Business Insider quoted Todd Supplee, the Senior Director with PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Entertainment, Media & Communications practices, as saying:

“[Traditional cinema’s] status as the prime storytelling medium in pop culture is still acknowledged but, in an era of Netflix, HBO and Showtime, high-end TV drama is making inroads into cinema’s dominance, and many OTT services (services that provide content through the internet) have announced they will start making films.”

His understanding of the trend touched upon the fact that these platforms, especially those that are subscription-based, cater to clients that have largely already committed to continued payment. Because the revenue structure is therefore much more stable relative to cinema, which can often be a gamble in terms of the returns on investment, the streaming services’ productions are experiencing a creative high-point well beyond what is usually happening on the silver screen.

Horror Film “Debris” Locked!

Geno Scala

Hey guys! So it’s official – we’ve locked picture on DEBRIS! Woo-hoo! There’s still a lot of work to do, but it’s a major milestone.

Yesterday, we had our ADR session with the actors. They all did an amazing job. We were very fortunate to have veteran actor Yuki Matsuzaki (you’ve seen him in PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN:ON STRANGER TIDES and THE LAST SAMURAI) provide the voice of the mad swordsmith… and the cursed sword itself! Hearing the sword whisper “I’m thirsty…” in Japanese literally gave me chills. Now it’s up to our talented sound design team to bring it all to life!

Speaking of sound design – huge congrats to our sound supervisor Lisa K. Fowle (she worked on LORD OF THE RINGS and CHRONICLES OF NARNIA) for winning Best Sound Design at this weekend’s Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. In 31 years, they’ve never given an award for Sound Design, but Lisa’s work was so amazing, they made an exception just for her. Can’t wait to hear what she comes up with for DEBRIS!

Later this week, we’ll be checking in with our legendary composer, Harry Manfredini, and our visual effects artist, Daniel DelPurgatorio.

It’s all starting to come together, folks… Stay tuned for more updates!

 

Nicole & the rest of Team DEBRIS
Geno Scala, Shark-Eating Man Productions; Executive Producer.