Biting the Hand

Ah, film students. Like any college kid - ahem - "young adult," they know it all. They've spent a semester or two under the skillful tutelage of a sage-but-untenured professor and now are ready to show the world they're in charge.
     Snark is often the first skill we'll see leveraged by these lovely young up-and-coming film moguls. First, they will troll social media and fire off shots at everyone who expresses anything to which they do not agree with sniper-like accuracy. Seriously, didn't you know that those 524 Twitter followers, 387 of which are spam accounts, and that project film they shot in six weeks qualify them as experts? Second, they will blog, expounding at length why the producer with thirty years of experience working with big Hollywood studios is completely clueless when it comes to modern filmmaking. Oh, and those well-known but sketchily documented industry standards mean nothing since our young upstart has plans to prove them irrelevant.
     Tsk-tsk, sweet babies, did no one tell you in your six months of collegiate enlightenment that the use of snark is a privilege earned through vast experience and a proven track record of success? Unless you need only be mentioned by one name for the A-listers to jump onto your latest project, you should probably leave the snark buried in the bottom of your sock drawer.
     I'll probably never fully understand why the current generation thinks being cocky and obnoxious will get them anywhere. Although I guess one could say they're right: it will get you to the exit door faster than a pair of well-greased roller skates and a turbo jet strapped to your butt. Somewhere along the line most of the people currently under the age of thirty got brainwashed into thinking that being disrespectful will gain them respect. (I suspect this has a lot to do with the continued over-indulgence and current cultural wave of demanding everyone bend to children's every whim, but who am I to say?) Here's a fine example for you:
     I recently forwarded a tweet recommending an article describing how one well-experienced filmmaker applied the first 10-minute rule to his own personal viewing of films released in the past year. (If you're not familiar, this rule is commonly applied by readers in evaluating new screenplays, but is also commonly used in evaluating film festival submissions as well.) "Get an attention span," another user replied, as if this 10-minute thing was my idea. (Should I have been flattered that he thought it was?) He doesn't know me. He obviously doesn't know the industry well enough to realize that understanding this little rule will be critical to his future success. I hovered over his name to find the title "Film Student." Ah. I was no longer surprised. Film school may teach you processes and technique but only experience or a really well-aged mentor will enlighten you to the realities of the film industry. This young man probably thought that his snarky response would catch my attention and convince me to change my stance.
     Sadly, what really ends up happening in these situations is that those of us who have tread the long hard road before the cocky film student (or recent grad) smile quietly and nod our heads while the youngster in front of us lambasts everything we learned and accomplished before him. We listen politely as he insults the rules we all must play by and the methodology we all know works, having already tried and proven lacking many other ways of getting things done. If he shows promise, we MIGHT feel compelled to take him aside and guide him to try a different approach when speaking to people he may not know well but who likely can make or break his film career before it has even started. Given the number of hateful know-it-all twenty-somethings out there today, that's rarely going to happen. Instead, the group of older, more experienced filmmakers will shake their heads after he walks away and make a mental note to avoid hiring his obnoxious ass in the future.
     So, listen up film school kid! If you want to make it in film, the first thing you need to accept is that you don't know jack, and won't for many more years. Whether you like it or not, there are people out there who have forgotten more about making films than you will ever learn, no matter how pioneering your professors proclaim you to be. Your best bet is to learn to replace that cocky attitude with a whole lot of humility, a healthy dose of respect and just the right amount of confidence. You will get much further by listening and asking questions than by flatly rejecting the advice of your predecessors. Watch what you post, tweet, pin or whatever. When your name appears on a producer's desk for a critical position on a project, rest assured that producer will search the Twitter-verse and all related digital entities before he or she waists their limited budget on you. That blogger you slammed on Facebook just might turn out to be the producer's favorite niece.
     Now, zip it and go share this advice with your friends before they accidentally bite the hands that may soon be feeding them, too.

4 Ways Social Media is Changing Independent Filmmaking

About two years ago there was a rush by independent filmmakers to jump on the social media bandwagon for low cost film promotion. (Just search "social media independent film" for a rash of blogs, how-to's, etc., generally circa 2013.) Today, it's almost impossible to get your film seen without "posting" incessantly about it across a range of social media outlets, and it works.


There are more ways to leverage the power of social media to improve your success as an independent filmmaker than simply promoting your finished product. Here are some of the coolest/most creative uses of our social world I've seen recently (in no particular order):

1. Group story-building: As modern creative geniuses like Joseph Gordon-Levitt have proven, your followers on social media are a great source of creative, collaborative story-building. Check out his #MonthlyScriptWorkshop on Twitter. From developing an idea to finalizing a screenplay, there are hundreds of talented writers out there willing to contribute their time and energy if you just ask.
2. Fund your project: Crowd-funding is definitely the word of the day not only for independent filmmakers, but for many industries. Sites like Indiegogo and Kickstarter are excellent sources of funds for those with a project that's ready to go but needs a little extra kick to get started. (Most crowd-funding sites have rules around setting and making goals, so plan your campaign carefully.)
3. Meet your cast & crew: Creative independent filmmakers are expanding their reach to find locals who are willing to help make their dream a reality. I'm personally part of two Meet-up groups specifically targeting the local film community - one a general film-making group, the other targeting actors to cast current and future projects. (Make your group successful by including an educational element for newbies and networking with agencies, studios, etc.) The usual "casting" methods can be pretty difficult to navigate, and even harder to leverage effectively, when the pay for your stars is publicity (maybe) and peanuts. The promise of residuals will draw un-carded, experienced help, but we all know that's more a hope than a guarantee with most indies.
4. Test screening safely: With the increased focus on privacy, security and data protection, filmmakers now have several options to share their projects without losing their rights to them in the process. (Beware of user-agreements that hand your film over to the host. The most popular video-sharing service, to remain unnamed, is of particular concern if not used properly.) I personally like services like SmugMug and OneDrive to set up private shares that prevent download and duplication while providing support for comments and that social media feel. Instead of waiting to test the whole finished project, take advantage of social media and your circle of trusted friends to test specific scenes, different endings, even costumes, make-up, effects...you get the idea.

The digital age is a great thing for independent filmmakers. Take advantage of it!