I wanted this blog to be helpful for film students, aspiring filmmakers or anyone currently working in film wanting to learn more about the industry. This is the first part of my “10 TIPS TO WORKING IN THE FILM INDUSTRY”. I hope these tips help you distinguish yourself from other filmmakers and also be a better professional in general. Part 2 will be out next week.

 

If you want to work in film you need to watch films. And TV shows. Sounds obvious, right? But you have no idea how many wannabe filmmakers have a poor background on film culture or history. If you are an aspiring filmmaker you need to know the work that has been done. You have to know how certain pieces speak to you, and from there, you might know how you want to speak to others through your art. Do your research and catch up on your classics. Don’t know where to start? I love checking Criterion’s Top 10 lists for inspiration, where people in the industry chose their favorite films.

 

Do make an effort to watch a bit of everything. Don’t be that pinky-raising elitist while watching films. Watch the latest indie film, because it will probably be a refreshing point of view. However, watch that upcoming romcom if you feel like it. Myself, I love Apichatpong Weerasethakul. His films are mesmerising and a hypnotic experience I carry with me always. At the same time, however, I am patiently waiting for part 2 of “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” to come out. I do not discriminate.

 

Here’s the catch, though: watching films does not equal Netflix and chill. As a filmmaker, when you watch a film, you need to study it, analyse it. With this, I don’t mean you need to be interrupting your film viewing experience by maniacally taking notes. However, unlike the general public, aspiring filmmakers do need to be curious about why films work or don’t work. We need to watch films with a critical eye. My suggestion is that, when watching a film, you make a mental note of 2 or 3 things you liked or didn’t like in a film. For example, if you are a writer, maybe you were impressed by that great story arch or that particular character’s development. If you are a director of photography you might note the great/not so great lighting in 2-3 scenes or wonder about how they did that transition. If you are a director, you might be fascinated by that 10 minute single take or that shot that reminded you of that other film. 

 

Whatever it is, write it down, talk to your friends about it, journal about why a film has touched you. Write an essay about what makes that film great. Every film can be a new learning experience. 

 

As you can imagine, however, watching films is not enough. It’s even more important to actually DO THE WORK. This is a phrase I have learned from the brilliant Being Boss podcast: and it’s just true. If you want to direct, get that camera and start filming. Can’t afford a camera? Use your phone! If you want to write, write. Whatever it is you want to do, make time to practice it. I’ll talk more about making time to do stuff in future posts. I’m a sucker for productivity.

 

If you currently have a job working in something else, that is great. However, if your dream is to end up working in the film industry, you need to make it a priority to work on your passion. So make sure you make some time in your day to practice what it is you want to do. Maybe this means watching less films for a while while you work on a couple of short films during the weekend. Maybe It means waking up early and working on that script you’ve been saying for so long you were going to write. This one goes for me especially. Actually, I’ll be using the month of November to try and finish a script I’ve been putting off writing for a while now. #Nanowrimo is where I’ll find my motivation.  

 

If I can do it, so can you. Whatever it is. Make time, do the work.

 

I cannot stress this enough. The film industry is churning out projects left and right and we need to keep up with what is going on as much as we can. Obviously, you can’t know every single movie that is currently being released, however, if there is a festival going on, check what films are being released there, what is being said about them, which titles are creating a buzz, etc. 

 

Additionally, the film industry is constantly evolving due to technology advances and changes in the way people consume films. For example, I found it very interesting to read about the huge conversation that went on recently regarding the possibility to sell your second hand digital files. You can read about it here.

 

This debate is new and that has come up due to the evolution of film consumption technologies, so it is important to be aware of the consequences these have. Right now, everyone is talking about the “streaming wars”, but who knows what we will be talking about in 5–10 years? Will SVOD still be as popular? Will “choose your own adventure” films be a common thing? Keeping up with how the industry is evolving will help you be aware of what is going on and know what role you can take in this ever-evolving industry.

 

Again, this doesn’t mean that you need to watch every single film that is out. I know that is impossible. Or maybe not impossible, but I do believe in having a healthy social and professional life, so there is no need for that. 

 

What is useful is keeping up with what is currently out in theatres. Check the new releases every week and make sure to check how much money each movie makes. 

 

This helps you keep up with the fads, know what is working, what is not. It is also fun and interesting seeing distribution strategies. You can see how much money a film is making with how many copies. You can also check how much a film makes internationally. A good resource for this is Box Office Mojo. More on this in a separate post. We filmmakers think as filmmaking as mostly an art, however, at the end of the day, filmmaking is not cheap and it needs to bring in the money. It is important to have a general idea of what films are working and why: are they currently socially relevant? Are they huge blockbusters? Was this film released with no direct competition?

 

At the same time, this will help you not to screw up in certain opportunities. I don’t care how much you liked “John Carter”, if you are pitching your new script as the new “John Carter” to producers, I doubt they’ll be interested. 

 

 

Now some of you might come at me and say “Freedom of speech, blah blah…” and sure, there is that and feel free to do whatever you want. This is just a suggestion. Use your time talking about what you like, sharing it with your friends, making that thing you like, bigger. If you don’t like something, feel free to say why in 3-4 lines and then move on. That’s what I do. I’ll be honest with you guys and tell you if I didn’t like a film and I’ll briefly tell you why. However, I won’t over-indulge myself in hating. Life’s too short to waste my (and your) time on hating things.