Independant Films...But not really

So I just finished watching "Young Adult" with Charlize Theron. It has left a bad taste in my mouth that seems to be all to familiar. It's not really an independent film it's highly produced and directed by Jason Reitman. My response to this film was not really that I didn't like it it's more like it's not what it could have been so it was more disappointing than "a bad film". Which lead me to the thought of many films that are coming out of late that seem to have a "Indie" vibe to them but are as produced and giant budgeted as the next green lit drama. Melancholia a great film, but had the kind of Indie feel too it. Except you had a bunch of great actors in it a multi-million dollar budget and distribution presale. "Oh but it premiered at Cannes", ok so what? Cannes, Sundance, and even Toronto/NYC film festivals have tons of super-produced films for the "Indie" circuit. Don't get me wrong their will always be some unheard of film that blows everybody away with a tiny budget and maybe a "D" list name attached. This is just how things are, Kevin Smith years ago blew people away with Clerks, which today would not even make it in a film festival let a lone get him any recognition. He's said it himself. If he tried to do now what he did then Clerks would never be able to do what it did in today's Indie film world. Basically the kids with the money and toys figured out a way to use Indie Film to reinvent themselves. Got typecasting problems? No worries, reinvent yourself with a fakie Indie Feature that you through some money at and go act really serious at Sundance and watch the offers pour in.  Hey kid that spent all of his life's savings and borrowed beg and stole to try to make a film. F you, you have to actually compete with the studios! (Oh well, just their renamed indie departments, don't tell anybody!!!)

I am always reminded of Comicon, used to be that it was mostly comics, and the celebrities where people in the industry. Now, it's a huge deal with WarnerBrothers, Disney, and giant corps buying up booth space. It actually gets more than local news coverage every year. Yet somewhere in the back of comicon some vendor sits who scrimped to get a booth to preview an online comic. Which brings me to my final point. The internet has saved us again, it's not there yet but the hope exists for distribution. It will happen in my lifetime, the internet will be the place that a movie/show goes first. The money will eventually be worked out and I hope I can carve a part of it out. If not, I will still be able to get my work out there for everybody to see, one way or the other.

Here I sit on my 33rd Birthday in the production office of the current project that I am working listening to Metallica and looking at two shots. This job is a great one to have on your birthday.  We have a huge show for Nike this weekend and I am sitting in the office with Rothwell and Charles two great production guys who are handling the job of at least 6 people on a normal film set. I hope everybody is having a great August. No worries.

Below the line Fatigue, and moving forward.

Many time in my adventures on various set's in Chicago, LA I have found a PA or AD that is really dissatisfied with their job. The people that are apart of the AD department (AD = Assistant Directors Department) sometimes have been doing the same job for months often years with no sign of change. A friend of mine graduated from a prestigious film school with honors and has worked on more films in the last three years then I have total, almost all of them as a PA. (I am not counting stuff he has shot himself only his body of work that makes it too his resume). The last set he and I worked together he expressed his dissatisfaction with being talked to "like a child" and having to take out trash and clean up the rest of the crew's mess after a 16 hour day and still be upbeat. It's part of the Job of a Production Assistant(PA) to not complain but to simply "Make it happen" as some many PM's and AD's say. Being a PA can often be the place to start to get into another department and start making much better money, respect ect. There of course is a catch, that is if you want to be a director. The path to most of the other "Below the Line" jobs can be started on from a PA if you want it bad enough do a good job as a PA and talk up the department you want to work in. You wont necessarily get into the job you want right away but may have to do more PA work. If you keep your nose clean on set and develop a positive reputation good things usually start to happen. If the job you want is in another department on set and all the set's you have worked on, when some one ask's you "What do you want to do". If your answer is the same every time and you make a point of talking to someone in that department then usually I've seen people get a shot at being a PA for that department and then that begins your upward ascent.


Now back to my friends dilemma. My buddy, lets call him "Ken" not his real name has been doing all of what I said above except that what he wants to do is direct.

Unfortunately their is no direct path to the directors chair. Joining the Director's Guild of America is a great way to learn a lot, get benefits and be a really good Assistant Director. Universal Studios will not hire a Director who used to be an AD to direct a multimillion dollar anything if that person does  not have previous experience directing a big project. And the DGA as far as I've ever heard does not help AD's put together money and distribution to Direct projects to get this experience.

So Ken does not want to be a AD and is worn out, he essentially has spent the last year working on every show he could get his hands on and not had more than a week off in the last two years. While it is great to work, and his reputation is obviously good he at no point has been offered to direct anything.

The answer to this problem is of course to "Do it yourself". Ken has said no to any and all PA work from here on out, saved up some money and started to figure out ways to direct his own projects and every once in awhile get paid for stuff.

It's a leap of faith and is scary, but as far as I can tell the only way to go from a PA to Director.

I love the idea of this shot. I got this from a friend of mine Mike Hauser. Who is a pretty good director. He was a PA on this particular set.

This show was one of the most fun that I have ever worked on. I learned a lot and am now using that knowledge to put together a pilot that I hope to get in front of the Food Network.

KCX studio doing work for Suite Partners

New Studio Space!!!