Where's the real money at?

[Scott F]

Money and professional advancement don't always go hand-in-hand. There have been occasions on which I've accepted a substantial cut in earnings, in order to get into a position that will pay off and much more than make up for it, later. If I chose projects based solely upon the paycheck I wouldn't have an Art Director's card.

Sad Max resurfaces.....welcome back!

 

[Sad Max]

Hi Scott!

 

[Batutta]

Yeah, where you been Max? Getting lost in Pandora for the next decade or so I presume.

 

[Sad Max]

In Atlanta on Mockingjay for another couple months, then (hopefully) back to Los Angeles. Or Baton Rouge. We'll see.

Ran into a bunch of Avatar alumns at the lot where we were doing 'The Last Ship' (there's a Lightstorm office there) but I don't know if -any- work on those projects will stay in the US. It's looking as though the whole shebang will be in NZ.

 

[egproductions]

Being young and inexperienced is all the more reason not to get sarcastic and indignant when specifically asking more experienced people for advice.

Maybe I'm missing something, I didn't pickup any sarcasm from this post...just sounds like he wants to work. If he was wrong with an assumption he made then correct him politely but I don't understand the harsh reaction he got.

 

[Paul F]

I agree. Alex's first post jumped all over the OP. The OPs subject is a reasonable question. If your are young, have many talents, and not sure which discipline is your favorite, I see nothing wrong with asking where the money is. I found many of the responses forbearing, pompous, or sarcastic. So much for a nurturing forum.

Maybe he didn't come across suitably respectul and endearing in his first post. That is no reason to respond in kind. A more welcoming response might have made a more productive thread.

[edit] But this is the pot calling the kettle black. I'm certainly not immune to providing sarcastic responses on this forum.

 

[dillont]

Filmmaking is not a career that most people get into because they want to make a lot of money.

I believe that most filmmakers have an unrelenting passion for the craft and for telling story. I do. Most of us slave away at this for years and years and some of us wind up making a career out of it. And few of us make a lot of money doing it. After years of toiling and working hard.

We're not in it for the money, I believe. I think most of us are in it because we love it.

That's my 2cent.

 

[Sad Max]

You'll come for the love of Art, you'll stay for the money.

 

[Scott F]

Maybe I'm missing something, I didn't pickup any sarcasm from this post

Did you miss this?

I wouldn't expect someone in Tennessee to know anything about the market in Toronto so if you don't know then keep the BS to a minimum.

How about this?

This has been super enlightening. Thanks for the sage advice. :undecided

It begs the question, why be a nurturing forum when a thread takes this turn 6 posts in?

 

[Andrius Simutis]

For the most part this forum has been especially nurturing, but there was some things in the OP's post and follow ups that just rubbed people the wrong way starting with the title "Where's the real money at?". "Hey Insiders, Here's your chance…" pffft. If you look around the forums, you'll see professionals take time to answer some really basic questions when the poster asks them politely. There's also a lot of posts scribbled out with no regard to punctuation, grammar, or even manners that get ignored even when the answer is simple. The point? Well I guess it's about attitude and how you project yourself. I know, just the fact that I'm pointing this out automatically makes me a d***, but it's a really important thing to learn in life. I know it took me some time and I've suffered for it, but you have to know when to be humble, when to brag, and when to fight. Going in as an ahole from the opening isn't likely to get people to help you. It might get a laugh from your bros, but in an industry that lives and dies by collaboration it's not a winning approach. I wish the OP luck, but the advice I'd give is to seriously reevaluate how you come off to people. Check that attitude and try to see it from the other side. A little adjustment now can make a huge difference no matter which specialty you choose.

 

[starcentral]

Weddings.

 

[heri]

Rentals (such as drones, Red, slow-motion cameras, 3-axis gimball stabilizer, rigs etc.)

 

[Stuart Keasley]

If I'm asking an immature question then you're giving an equally immature response. I never said I want to get rich, or that I want to get rich now. People spend years of time, energy and personal cost going freelance and wind up collecting unemployment cheques simply because the demand isn't there. I wouldn't expect someone in Tennessee to know anything about the market in Toronto so if you don't know then keep the BS to a minimum. I'm asking where the money is, period. Whether it's something lucrative a year from now or five years from now, that's what I'm asking. Assuming right out of the gate that I am not willing to work hard is presumptive and frankly insulting. Not asking for insider advice is extremely stupid in my opinion when there's people with real world experience who can tell you "don't go down that path, try this path instead" which is valuable in making educated decisions. If that's immature to you then I don't know what to say.

It's a very small industry, forget six degrees of seperation, it's more like two or three... having a pop on an open forum to an experienced industry professional who's given you a bit of a wake up call is not going to do you any favours (if he misunderstood what you said, then perhaps what you said was open to misunderstanding). Before you make any worthwhile money you need to become accepted, recognised and established in the industry as a worthwhile, skillfull, adaptable and motivated resource in your chosen area.... and as somebody that's easy to get on with.

There's no easy ins, As others have said, work out what you think you want to do and then get yourself out there and offer the service, network, make friends (avoid making enemies), make yourself useful, buckle down, learn and work your fingers to the bone even when sometimes all you'll get back in return is boney fingers.

Don't be too tied to your chosen path, keep an open mind to opportunities as they arise, but understand that each time you make a change (e.g assitant camera to main shooter, camera to director) you will probably need to start all over again, building your client base and revenue stream up from scratch.

And did I mention not making enemies? I'll mention it again, just in case...

 

[-Tom-]

I'm surprised nobody actually answered your question. Maybe people don't want to share this one weird secret I'm about to tell you. The film industry hates me. But the secret, where the real money's at?



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