Location: ask or don't ask ?

[Randall_Oelerich]

Thanks Frisco. Yeah my local insurance guy has done good for me for 20+ years, I have known him personally from way back then in a church we went to (no more, now I am an atheist, go figure). I know at some point if I do longer more involved films, I would need strict film production company insurance, but for now I am comfortable with personal liability (including an umbrella policy, and perhaps a rider for the filmmaking); my prodco right now is me and my camera, my scripts, my PCs for post, a friend to hold a boompole; seems like overkill to go with professional film production insurance right now.

 

[Capt Quirk]

You sound like me Randall, only I don't shoot scripted stuff, and my PC is dead... and I don't have a friend to hold the boom pole.

 

[JonathanLB]

Wow...I would have assumed the opposite, but it makes sense when you explain it. Is there anything easy about filmmaking?!!

Hmmm, not really, no! haha.

I believe that also there is an element of competition with your friends when you're in the same industry that makes things a little bit awkward. Of course, yes, we all root for each other to succeed and that could help us all, but I always get the feeling there is a bit of jealousy / envy, whatever, between friends sometimes. I mean, I can tell you I have one friend who is a great guy, he has helped me out lately and given me good connections, but at times in the past every time he called me, it was asking to borrow something, or asking me to do work for no pay that wouldn't help me at all, but he acted like it would be great experience for me. In other words, I call myself a director/producer, but in his mind since I don't have as much experience as him, I should somehow jump at the opportunity to hold a camera during auditions, for instance. I think everyone wants a give-and-take with a relationship, where you both help one another out, and I feel right now that's more the case with me and my friends than in the past, where I felt there was a bit more of a take. But honestly if that happens you should call the person on it right away, not wait and just take it like I did. That's not healthy. Sometimes people don't realize they are acting that way, either, they don't mean to do that.

I have noticed one thing about Hollywood and that's that it often makes you into a person you should avoid becoming. I'm very much focused on my own success and driven to get there, but not at the expense of using other people unfairly. I think people get down here, they realize how tough the competition is, how bad the odds are stacked against them, and they change. They become more resourceful, yes, but they lose sight of treating other people like human beings and start treating them like a means to an end. It's dangerous if you don't catch yourself early and realize that your goals, however great they may be, cannot let you dehumanize people and look at everyone as someone who can help you or someone who can't. People can be just people, too, with their own goals, and their own desires, they don't have to be "useful" for them to be good people to know. But if you lack the resources, and you desperately are trying to get your dream project off the ground, it's probably easy to think everyone cares about what you're doing as much as you do, and that they should be willing to sacrifice to help your dreams. That's a mistake.

Best bet is to treat people like individuals with their own goals and desires, so that means not thinking how they can help you, but how you can help them first. If someone comes to me and says, "Hey, you know, I am shooting this short film and I have little money for renting equipment, but could I perhaps help you out in some ways, donate some of my time on your shoots, or help in another way, that maybe you would be willing to lend me some of your equipment for my shoot?" I appreciate that approach because we all know what it's like to work with a low budget and need to ask for favors, but that approach acknowledges that I'm a person, not a non-profit corporation setup to give you equipment, and that I have my own projects and goals, too. So even if I ultimately say no, I will not think less of this person who asked me because they took my goals and desires into account, too. But if you just call up, "Hey, dude, I really need some equipment for this weekend, could I borrow X, Y, Z, etc.?" It just makes me feel like I'm nothing to that person but equipment, like I'm a good friend only because of what I own rather than who I am.

My very first thought when I am asking someone for help or to do me a favor is what can I offer them? Sometimes it may not be a lot, but if they need additional credits for their resume, for instance, at least I can offer them that and make some sort of effort to figure out how I can help them out. It's the same as if you call a business and say, "Hey, I really need money, I'm trying to keep my business afloat, and I do really good work that I think you'd like, but can you pay me fairly and I can make you some good work?" That just comes across as strange and somewhat desperate, calling to tell someone what you need rather than discussing what they need. That's why it's much more effective, if you are good at it especially, to call and say, "I think you're running a great business, but I think your Website needs updating and that if you were to add video content to your Website, not only would you get a competitive edge over other companies in your industry, but you would directly profit by higher conversions from people visiting your site." That is something that interests any business. Sure, they can say no and hang up, but you just put a thought in their head that, dang, maybe our Website does need work. If they already had that thought, you just re-enforced it. Maybe they had no idea who to call about getting help doing that, so you just gave them information and did them a favor. It's about what YOU can do for THEM, not what they can do for you. The same is true with friends and favors. If I want a friend or business to do me a favor for a short film let's say, the first thing I'm going to do is figure out if I can somehow help them or do them a favor. Could I help promote this business and give them free publicity? Could I convince this business that if they give me a break now, I will be loyal to them in the future when I'm a paying customer for their services? If it's a friend, I should ask what they are doing first, see what they have going on and if there's some way I can help. That way, when I need their help, I've already given them my help as well. It's about building goodwill, I think.

 

[Movie_Dude_3]

This thread might be one of the scariest I've ever read. I'm only 20 and about to buy my first prosumer camera, and it looks like I have a long, long way to go.