How to Make it Big in Hollywood Baby!

Last week a reader asked me what the best route is to jump-starting a career in the industry. It’s not an easy question to answer because this business is like no other. There is no clear path, no degree that promises an income, no steps that guarantee success. But there are tons of opportunities and if you’re open enough, creative enough and resilient enough you should be able to make them work for you.

I think the first step is making sure that what you’re aiming for is indeed what you want. Lots of people start in the industry thinking they want to act or direct. But frequently it’s the image of acting and directing that they’re drawn to, not the actual work of actors and directors. Many people don’t truly enjoy or aren’t suited to the nuts and bolts of those professions. There are lots of great careers within this industry and if you can focus in on what you want to do early, you’ll have that much more of a head start on everyone else. This website could be a great resource in helping make that decision.

OK. So you want to direct. You’re sure? OK. You’re sure. Well, then you have to ask yourself what kind of director you want to be. What kind of material do you most want to do. If you want to direct tv or indie film or commercials or studio pictures you will make different decisions as you build your career. And if you think you don’t need to be decisive, think again. There are way too many people in Hollywood for the available jobs so that results in a highly compartmentalized and seriously competitive industry. Commercials directors find it hard to make movies, television directors rarely direct music videos, etc. Pretty much the only people that can move effortlessly are feature directors and it can take a lifetime to get to that point. Don’t waste time thinking you’ll be one type of director so you can move later to what you really want. Go after what you really want starting now.

Once you have a clear and specific vision of what you want to do here are some ways to get started.

• Make movies! It doesn’t matter where you are or how much money you have you must make movies. Do it with a pinhole camera, do it with a 35mm camera, do it with a pencil, paper and stills camera. The only way to develop your voice and to get better is to practice. Make movies, show your movies, make more movies. I saw an amazing film at Tribeca a few years ago that was made on a cell phone. So poor filmmakers beware, that little voice is an excuse!
• Submit your good movies to film festivals. Realistically. In the beginning, the goal is to get screened so you can see your film play to strangers, it is not to get into Sundance, so focus your applications appropriately - they’re expensive. Withoutabox and Reelport are the best resources for festival applications.
• Put your work out there and get feedback. Put it on the web, have a screening, send out dvd’s. (And when getting feedback, keep your mouth shut. Just trust me on this one. I personally like to write everything down and then think about it later.)
• Use the feedback to get better. A rule of thumb I like to use is that if three totally unrelated people give me the same note - I better take a look at it because it’s there whether I can see it or not. But I also weight opinions more heavily based on who they come from. If I know and respect a person and know he has similar tastes as I do I will pay more attention to that person’s feedback than someone who I do not know.
• Network - put yourself out there, meet people, learn about the industry, join a group, start a group.
• Read the trades - Hollywood Reporter and Variety. It’s really boring shit in the beginning, but when you start putting the pieces all together and learning who’s who it begins to read more like a high school newsletter than anything. Gossip & all! Cynopsis is a great site that summaries the daily tv news.
• Go to film school. I’m becoming less convinced of this route, but ask me again in ten years and I might come back around. What you get from film school is time to make and watch movies, contacts and club membership. What you might also get is enormous student loan debt that is a real life hindrance when you graduate. And since more and more film schools are going digital why not just buy a camera and have some self-discipline? You can make the same contacts by volunteering on these student’s films. If you’ve got money film school rocks. If not, it’s a much less clear option.
• Apply to grants and programs. There’s tons of great stuff out there. Get online and do some research.
• Work your contacts. Your Aunt Buffy once dated a guy who directs Sesame Street? Call her, ask her to make the connection. Meet him, learn from him, see if you can shadow him and ask if he has anyone else he thinks you could meet. Don’t be annoying, creepy or psycho about it, but work your contacts.
• Get an internship.
• Get a job. You’ve got a local tv station? Sounds better than the DQ to me.
• Don’t worry about representation. They will find you when it’s in your interest. That’s their job. I know this sounds crazy, but trust me - even if you do get signed early they can’t really do that much for you. Wait until your hand is stronger and you’ll get a better result all around.
• Write. This option annoys me because I believe writing and directing are two different skills that should be perfected separately but Hollywood does not give a crap about what I think. The truth of the matter is that many directors get their first shots because they wrote an amazing script that they refuse to allow anyone else to direct. If someone wants your script it may be your best opportunity to direct. But you better be right, because it may also kill your project entirely.
• See movies. Get a netflix account, go to festivals, see the big budget blockbusters and the video art at the museum. Watch it all. You will learn about filmmaking, about the industry, and about your own personal tastes.
• Most importantly, have a life. If you don’t have real life experiences, your work will be shallow and vapid. Movies are about life, not about lighting, shots or actors.

There are many different routes to directing, none of them are a sure thing and you can’t do it all. Some things you can control and some you cannot. But like when you make a movie and every decision is about reinforcing the theme, so is building a career. Every choice every day is an opportunity to get closer.

Lastly, I think the best thing you can do is relax. Give yourself time to accomplish your career. It’s the best way to rid yourself of that horrible stench of desperation that clings to many people in La-la-land. Be patient with yourself, be realistic, work hard and don’t forget to enjoy what you’re doing. If you’re not happy it just doesn’t make sense, there any many other easier ways to suffer in this world than torturing yourself in the film industry.

Here’s the thing, it is statistically impossible that you, me or anyone else is going to make it big this year or ever so sit back, relax, plan a long career and if uber-success does come knocking, consider it a bonus.

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Extra bonus wonderfulness (added 8/22)… Coincidentally, Norman Hollyn has a great blog about a similar topic this week.   Check it out - “Go West, Young Man” - Getting Work in Editing.