Website Review: Film Industry Bloggers

Website Review: Film Industry Bloggers

http://filmindustrybloggers.com/

I learned all about readers and feeds last month in my Media Literacy and Research Methodologies class at Full Sail University in the Entertainment Business Masters Program. At first I was thinking, "I'm never going to use this." However, I had no choice based on the assignments. I was really surprised that I actually liked the sites that I subscribed to. My favorite site that I subscribed to using Google Reader is Film Industry Bloggers. I ran across this site while trying to find articles that were relevant to my carreer interests. 

Let me explain exactly what the site is. Film Industry Bloggers has a variety of Bloggers whose blogs are about their current job position. Their position is also listed in the title of every post on the homepage. Some examples are, The Standby Painter - A Miraculous Return, A Future Film and The Hollywood Career Coach - WHAT’S YOUR CAREER OBJECTIVE? I really like that you are able to choose a blogger, such as The Manager, and review his posts. Based on my interests, I may choose to read posts by The Director or The Screenwriter.  If someone has a Google Reader account, or any other reader account, they may want to subscribe via RSS to one of these bloggers. I prefer, however, to subscribe to the homepage where I can see every new post that is published by the site. 

Film Industry Bloggers isn't a blogger site like www.blogger.com, where anyone can join. It seems to be a group of professionals that must qualify to blog on this site. There is a contact page with a 'request to blog' option. I doubt anyone who is not 'among the elite' will be granted this privilege. Overall, I would rate this site 9 out of 10 as far as information and examples are concerned. I would encourage aspiring filmmakers to check this site out and tap into information from real professionals. 

Article Review 1: Creative Executive

Review of the post: The Manager- What’s a creative executive to Do in Hollywood these Days? on Film Industry Bloggers website.

http://filmindustrybloggers.com/blog/2010/10/04/the-manager-what’s-a-creative-executive-to-do-in-hollywood-these-days/

            This article discusses what a Creative Executive (CE) should do to find scripts that can be potential motion pictures. A CE (especially in the context of this article) is someone who has to find scripts and other material that can be turned into motion pictures. They are also responsible for establishing relationships with producers, scriptwriters, and directors in some cases.

            As an aspiring successful screenwriter, I need to know how to get the most money for my scripts. What could be better than understanding the position of the person looking for the script? Based on the information in this article, CE’s shouldn’t just sit around waiting for scripts to come to their offices. They are encouraged to go out and hustle. It may be wise for a screenwriter to get an agent that they can trust so they wont get "hustled." Agents are often targeted by CE’s, and they have knowledge on the legal aspects of this business.

            If a screenwriter is going around showing their spec to CE’s and other’s interested in it, there is a possibility that their idea will be stolen. It happens too often. The idea is taken and turned into a successful movie and the author doesn’t see a penny. The worst part about it is that in some cases there isn’t a thing they can do about it legally. Often times the screenwriter is too intimated to take legal action because of threats to be blackballed from the market.

            Although it can be dangerous, a screenwriter can’t be too cautious or their script will go to waste altogether. The author of this article encourages CE’s to meet writers in the beginning stages of their career. This way, the CE’s can see the script before anyone else. As a new writer I would take advantage of this. I would go to a CE with my copyrighted script before putting it on the open market. This way he may feel more compelled to take advantage of the opportunity. Then everyone would get paid!

            The author of this article gives some general advice to CE’s, writers, managers, and agents, “Go out and start meeting people! Create your own destiny; don’t let it pass you by” (Miller, 2010). These are words that we should all take heed to.

References 

Miller, R. (2010, October 4).   What’s a Creative Executive to Do in Hollywood These Days? : The Manager.  Film Industry Bloggers. Retrieved October 10, 2010, from http://filmindustrybloggers.com/themanager/2010/10/04/whats-a-creative-executive-to-do-in-hollywood-these-days/

Interview with Carla Alleyne

Carla Debbie Alleyne is a talented screenwriter and director. She wrote the original draft for the movie Honey, which was released in 2003 by Universal Studios. She also directed and produced a public access show called Keep It Real where she conducted the first interview ever with NOTORIOUS B.I.G. I had the pleasure of meeting her at Oral Roberts University. We became friends and she was able to tell me several things about the industry during our time together. These are the interview questions that I emailed to her and her responses.

1. Who are some of the most prominent people that you’ve worked with, and what was your position when working with them?

Debbie Allen, Damon Dash/JZ and Jermaine Dupree.  I worked for them as a screenwriter.

2. What are some of the challenges to being a director and/or scriptwriter?

You have to continually encourage yourself through rejection.... and keep pressing because it is a process.

3. What other advice would you give to aspiring directors/scriptwriters?

Don't stop training and practicing your craft daily.  You will get better and better, until you are great!

4. What are some steps that I should take professionally in order to become a successful director? How should I begin my climb to the top?

Find people you like to work with.  Build a team.  Be a loyal team member.  Learn how to serve each other.  Eliminate competition and jealousy.  Work on projects that will touch the world.

5. What are you doing now in the industry?

I am still writing screenplays.

6. Anything else you would like to add…

Never, ever, ever, ever, give up.... William Churchill

Those who are new to the film industry, especially screenwriters, can learn a lot from Carla. Although she has been successful through her own hard work, she knows the importance of teamwork. Production is always a team effort; No one can complete any type of professional film production alone. Therefore, it is imperative that you surround yourself with people you enjoy being around and that you work well with. 

Job Interest

My name is Alexandria Reynolds. I am new to the film industry. I am interested in a job in post production. My skills are editing with avid and graphics with After Effects. I have done several projects using these two programs. I am a quick learner and can learn other programs quickly. I understand how certain visual elements psychologically affect viewers. I would be a great asset to any production team.