What you didn't know about the industry before you got in...

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IronWilson

Member
What is something you did not know about the video production industry before you got into it?

For me, I would say that I definitely did not know that clients would often expect you to work for free. It happens in other industries, but more so in this one than anyone I have ever seen.

Secondly, I feel that a degree of age discrimination exists in this industry as a whole. In working as a contractor I have found that people love your work and are more than willing to let you work with high profile clients......until they ask you how old you are. Then suddenly they are unsure of your skills. I realize that with age comes experience buy if it's not broke, don't fix it.
 
I was shocked at the hours and the physicality. Specifically how early the calls times are, how long the days are, and how my feet hurt at the end of the day coupled with how much weight I would lose after a lengthy gig.

And the amount of time I put in keeping up on technology.
 
I did not know the massive overhead in gear upkeep. The cost of entry has dropped in the last 15 years but there is more to it than by the latest greatest camera to become a film maker. Gaff tape isn't cheap. This is a medium of collaboration.

I did not know how disposable this industry can be at times. This goes for gear and personnel.

I did not know that you get fed on production shoots. As a starving college kid, I thought that was the bees knees.
 
Paperwork, Planning, Paperwork and more Paperwork.

1 part creative fun and expression, 99 parts disciplined writing, re-writing, scheduling, budgeting, re-writing, re-scheduling, casting, re-writing, rinse and repeat.

Then you actually start pre-prod in ernest... It's like marriage, lots of hard work but the nice bits are REALLY nice! :)
 
The film business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs...
and then there is also the dark side.

I think someone here used to have this as a signature. So true.

Frank
 
But given the fact that equipment costs always seem to outstrip gross invoices by at least 10:1 each year, total income tax due is always near zero. Only gotcha is property tax, which is due even if you lost money!
 
Just like everything else I wanted to do, I did not know (was being wishful) that in the film industry there are professionals trained to methodically tell you you cannot do anything on your own. They're trained to teach that audiences are dumb. They're trained to instill within you a dependence on money. The feeling you get after several, several, seemingly inevitable bouts with these guys, is that you don't want to make films anymore.

They're called producers. I loathe them. Haven't found one I take to be sincere yet.

And if I hear that all I have to do is shut up and be an artist one more time I'll kill someone.

I know it's collaborative, I know it's an industry, but industry is bad for this. At least that's my opinion, not based on any fact really, jsut the way I feel, and it's something I didn't know. Everything I got into I managed to do my way. This is a lot bigger than music, than painting, than making clothes, so I dunno how hard this battle is. I just wanna make movies...
... I had no idea it was this industrialized.
 
I realize of course very shortly after that I may have offended a producer or two. I'm sure if I meet someone off dvx i'll change my mind, and I want to. But all apologies aside, I haven't yet. I don't like the approach of jigsawing a feel together.

I realize I'd be a douche if I were depending on this work for a living. I shoot for a living, but if I make a movie on my own, money has never played into it.

I realize my previous comment may be insensitive, and I apologize.
 
That if you get injured in the film industry then kiss your life goodbye and good luck re-establishing your network when/if you can return. Felt like a piece of chewed up disgarded gum after I was injured.
 
That having a skill set to shoot or edit is simpley not enough. If you run a shop (production company) or wish to work for yourself, you also need to be versed in sales, accounting, insurance requirements, etc. You need to "hustle" on a daily basis to find new clients/projects/opportunities, otherwise you'll be like so many other talented people and end up washed out of an industry they love(d).

Also as mentioned before, the never ending list of items you need/want for shoots. Who doesnt need some more from the Matthews catalog, edit system upgrades, new lights, teleprompter, etc? It never ends.
 
After being washed out of the job market (electronics) in the 1970s, I had no other opportunities but to make my own job, so, spurred by the personal computer revolution, I moved into digital typesetting in 1987, color prepress/graphic design in 1990, and was soon replaced by minimum wage wonks on Macs at the offices of the clients I used to make a fair living from up to 1995. After that, I returned to radio engineering and back to climbing towers in ice storms and trapsing all over the northeast from one transmitter site to another.. then the industry changed and engineers were no longer required, so, spurred by the digital video revolution, I decided to reliven my 1968 dream of cinematography and pick up where my Bolex H8 left off in '68, and do some real spiffy stuff. Four years of volunteering for non profit orgs produced some so-so footage of poorly produced ethnic dance performances with crappy lighting in good old, interlaced NTSC. But I wasn't about to give up. HDV came along, and I moved ahead, but was disappointed in the medium. By 2008, XDCam changed all that, gave me the confidence in my product that it was finally good enough for everyone I'd ever deal with and forged ahead, leaving engineering behind, to work full time in video. But my location, rural and crime-free, lacks any real clients. I have to travel 5-6 hours to find work, which is what I do sometimes. It's not ideal, but it sure beats stuffing tampons into boxes 12 hours a day, which is about the only manufacturing job left in the local area, or.. working in retail or fast food...
 
Everytime I realized how hard I had to work it got 15 times harder. I did that and it got 15 times harder again. Has it been worth it so far? Heck yeah!
 
I find that there is a lot of secrecy going on. No one talks about their next gig, or how they got the job. Most people are only looking out for number one. Understandably so. If you're part of the regular crew of 20 guys, and the next gig only needs 5. You're going to keep that stuff to yourself until you're locked in. Then, you share the info with your best friends. By the time the outside guys get wind of it, it's probably too late. One day, if you're good, and you've got some experience, people start calling you. AND More seasoned and more legit people won't be this way because they're not worried about their next gig. They know that it's going to happen because their already on everyone's list.

I've had to decipher a lot of cryptic facebook posts in order to figure out which production is hiring, what's on the horizon, etc. Related that point, the way I got my 1st gig was ridiculous. I got onto the production late in the game, and it worked to my benefit, because I got to finish it out. But, this is probably also one of the reasons that I'm not in the "cool kids club" (my nickname for all the PA's who essentially work together / live together/ and party together on a regular basis). Bums me out a bit. But it's all good. I'm still grateful for the ridiculously awesome summer I had.

Also, everything is a hustle. You have to hustle your way into every single job you get. Constantly selling yourself, your product, your website, your skill, etc. Every time I've gotten a job, a shoot, a location, I've had to hustle for it. At no point have I applied for an industry job or sent a resume, and I've worked on some of the biggest stuff Chicago had to offer last summer... And it's not just independent stuff that is a hustle. You should see the locations manager on studio productions. Ringing doorbells, walking into shops, wheeling and dealing to get permission to shoot, trying to get favors, greasing the palms of truck drivers to wait an extra 15mins to make their delivery so they can get the shot. Just like us indy guys, except with a larger bankroll.

IMDB Pro cannot help you get a job. The number and other contact info they post is total BS. I called the production company (info posted on IMDBPro) for Contagion once a week, asking for the contact info for their local production office for the specific film. Every single time I called, they said it didn't exist yet, but I should try back in a month or two. Lo and behold, by the first time I called it already existed and was starting the hiring process. Instead, call your local film office. They want you to work. They have no reason to give you misinformation. They will help you if they can.
 
djbobbyrhodes said:
. But, this is probably also one of the reasons that I'm not in the "cool kids club" (my nickname for all the PA's who essentially work together / live together/ and party together on a regular basis). Bums me out a bit. But it's all good. I'm still grateful for the ridiculously awesome summer I had.
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Interesting, I thought I was the only one to see this. Went through the same exact thing, glad I'm not alone. I think for me it was because I came into the business from retail after working a pretty good position for a certain lifestyle brand where people assume everyone who works there is a shirtless idiot. If anything it's kept me from getting too complacent, I've learned from it that I don't care about partying or living with someone else but it's made me think screw it, I'm doing this myself, no distractions.
 
Deniz Coker said:
Interesting, I thought I was the only one to see this. Went through the same exact thing, glad I'm not alone. I think for me it was because I came into the business from retail after working a pretty good position for a certain lifestyle brand where people assume everyone who works there is a shirtless idiot. If anything it's kept me from getting too complacent, I've learned from it that I don't care about partying or living with someone else but it's made me think screw it, I'm doing this myself, no distractions.
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Yup. I'm in the exact same place. I'm the one whose got to make it happen. It sure wouldn't hurt if I was roomies with the PA Coordinator of every big show in the city. But, I'm not. So I've got to do the absolute best job I can do on everything I work on. I've got to expand my contacts. And I've got to work on my own stuff as well. I mean, I've got a ton of respect for the few remaining old timers in Chicago. But, who wants to be a PA forever?
 
Biggest thing I learned is that the business is much bigger than you think. Many people go in with a fixed idea of what they want to do. But if you keep your eyes open and your ear to the ground, opportunities abound.

Also, even though I know many people in this thread are doing it, more and more I think physical services are a losing game. I think your best bet is to offer something very very unique. Some people have been carving out very nice positions for themselves not by just offering whatever the client will pay for, but by offering something no one else can. See Bloom, Barry Green, Vincent what's-his-name, Timur, MacGregor, these guys all offer something you cannot get anywhere else. So their competition is much lower. I'm doing it myself in a different area. I think I am a pretty decent director for my experience level. But now I'm starting to see the genuinely unique things I can offer in the business. They will involve my directing skill, but in ways I never imagined.

So I guess that is another thing I've learned. Do something no one else can do.

Oh one more thing I've learned: CONSTANTLY innovate. Everything moves too fast now to sit back and wait for people to call you to rent your whatever camera. Constantly be looking at what's next, and if you can, get in on MAKING what's next. Again, I see guys like Barry and Timur doing this. I know they are involved in helping shape some products you now use every day. I'm doing the same thing now. Be that person who's known for making things happen.

The web offers so much opportunity now too. You still have to have something to say, but if you do...everyone on Earth can see/hear it. See again: Bloom.
 
Mark Harris said:
So I guess that is another thing I've learned. Do something no one else can do.

.
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Yeah. Epic point!

Rarity determines value.
Thus Diamond is worth more than stone.

You need a USP (Unique Selling Point) to set you apart as a Rottweiler amongst the Chihuahuas!
 
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