How to Be a...

Giving a guest lecture at New York University some years ago, I stood before a class of 62 people and posited the question, “Who among you wants to begin their film careers as directors?” Sixty people raised their hands. The two that did not raise their hands drew my interest. Upon asking them what they had planned, one said that he wanted to edit films and the other said that he planned on becoming a screenwriter.

Over the last 12 years, Chris Stinson, founder of Live Free or Die Films, has worked his way through several jobs -- assistant director, production coordinator, and line producer on more than 30 feature and independent films -- including The Hammer, directed by Charles Herman Wurmfeld, Harsh Times, starring Stinsontian Bale and Eva Longoria, and Me and You and Everyone We Know, winner of the 2005 Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize, and read more...

He’s been to more than 1,000 MLB games, 500 NHL games and 500 NBA games plus 35 Nascar races.  And he’s never once sat behind a post, in the nosebleed section or next to an obnoxious drunk with BO, cheering for the Yankees.  His name is Michael Porta and he is a camera operator/technician for remote television broadcasts.

After a childhood growing up in Aruba and a political science degree from Cornell University, Thelma Schoonmaker saw herself becoming an international diplomat. But, when she expressed her liberal views during State Department tests, she was informed that she would probably find herself unhappy in a job with the FBI or CIA.

When it comes to celebrities, there is one question that we have all asked ourselves at one point or another and that is, how the heck does her dress stay on? Well, the answer to that question would be that it stays on because it is someone’s job to make sure that it stays on.

Who’s the one who makes sure the actors are in costume?  Who’s the one who gets each scene up and running?  Who’s the one who keeps the director from going crazy?  In many cases, as in the case of the film Mom the Movie, directed by Erin Greenwell and screening at the Boston Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in May, it’s the assistant director (AD). AD Rosalie McManis discussed how to be an assistant director with NewEnglandFilm.

Long before the director utters the first "action" of the day, the Associate Producer has already put in hours, days and even weeks of work. He or she may have secured the location, drawn up the equipment lists, scheduled the cast and crew and arrived first on the set with the Production Assistants and the catering truck. As Will Fraser, an experienced Associate Producer says, "It helps to have a positive attitude."

When Jake Messier talks about his life and career as a Director of Photography (DP), he is quick to point out, "I didn't become a DP in the usual way."  By this he means that he did not go to film school or work his way up from a Production Assistant, instead he joined the Marines. 

Picture it: Slowly we approach a woman standing at the edge of a cliff. We see sweat dripping from her face. We look down at the 500 foot drop toward jagged rocks. We quietly move away and...

The caterers arrive but don’t know where to set up. Production assistants don’t know what their assignments are. The actors are unsure of their call times for the next day’s shooting. Are the necessary permits to film in order? Does the gaffer know where to plug in? There are a million things to know on the set of a film or television production, and it is the job of the production coordinator to know them.

Although they have probably never been thanked at the Academy Awards, storyboard artists provide a vital link in the complex chain of the collaborative creative process. Often referred to as "wrists," they are able to bring a director’s ideas to concrete visual life through a series of drawings. Indicating key elements such as camera angles and lighting, these images provide a clear focus for a project, helping filmmakers visualize how it all fits together. Storyboards can also add clarity to corporate client read more...

On March 8th it was, once again, snowing in Massachusetts. But did that stop the Farrelly Brothers and the cast and crew of their upcoming movie "Stuck On You" from filming their remaining autumn "Vineyard" scenes in Rockport? I think not! In fact, the next day, Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear (who are co-starring in the film together) stood on the sidelines ready for action, while the crew melted inches of snow, so everyone could wrap up and head south to Miami where they are now completing the movie. Ah --the magic of film.

Whether replicating every last detail of the ocean liner in "Titanic"; bringing a fantasy world to life in "The Lord of The Rings"; conveying a mood of drab workplace dreariness in "The Apartment"; or inventing a vision of the future in "2001: A Space Odyssey" all these films share something in common. Each of their distinct looks blossomed forth from inside the mind of a production designer. Do you like spending an entire day wandering through flea markets looking for that perfect read more...

So you think your kid ought to be in pictures. Maybe you dream of raising the next Macaulay Culkin. Or maybe you just think it would be a good experience for your child to model and act.

Find an Agent

Sure, you can do without an agent, but you’ll miss out on a lot of opportunities that never make it to public notice boards.

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Cinematography, like any other creative craft, is a discipline of study, and a discipline of vision, persistence, and openness to experimentation.

First, let’s discuss what a cinematographer does. Obviously, a cinematographer operates a motion picture camera to capture moving images. That is only part of what they do, but it is a cinematographer’s most fundamental task. Most anyone with a few hours of training can produce motion picture images that are reasonably well-focused and satisfactory in exposure.

It’s finally done--you’re sure of it. Your first screenplay.

Now what?

You’ve got 110 freshly printed pages, stacked neatly on your desk and ready to go...where? To a studio? An agent? A writing competition? Being a screenwriter is only partly about finishing a screenplay. The next step is getting it read by someone who can make something of it, or who can put you in front of the people who can.

First, hone your writing skills. Then, hone your business and promotional skills.

You see the title "producer" in every main title sequence and listed several times in the credits, but do you really know what it means to be a producer? Jon Palfreman, founder of The Palfreman Film Group and Richard Moos founder of Cathartic Filmworks are here to explain the role of a producer, how to become a producer, and how a producer gets the job done.

If you love to use Photoshop, Illustrator and other graphic design software, but you’re bored with seeing your creations on paper, you might want to consider gearing your work toward film, video, or the Internet. NewEnglandFilm.com spoke with three graphics designers who create graphics for these outlets, Joel Markus of M, Inc., Kingpin Interactive designer Frank Capria, and freelancer Joanne Kaliontzis.

So you're passionate about making music and love spending Friday nights at the movies. Did you ever wonder what would happen if you blended the two?

As we all know, no movie is complete without a great soundtrack. And one of the ways to get that is by hiring a composer who can create a soundtrack that compliments every moment of a film or video production. Hence, you music-making movie-lover -- here’s your new job.

If veteran production engineer, David Donlin, were to place an ad for the ideal PE, it would probably read something like: "Searching for Type-A knowledge-hound to coordinate amicably with producers and DPs. Must be proficient with state-of-the-art film/video equipment on location and in the studio. Position requires lighting experience, a passion for problem-solving, the ability to work under pressure, and the chutzpah to take creative chances." Aside from paying a lot for that ad's word count, Donlin would read more...

Picture yourself sitting in a movie theater with the lights dimmed low. The scene filling the movie screen is that of a crowded New England beach. Children are playing, people are swimming, and the lifeguards on duty are carefully scanning the horizon for signs of trouble. The camera cuts back and forth through the water hinting that something is lurking just below the surface, ready to strike. Suddenly, a mammoth-sized shark rises from the ocean and grasps an unsuspecting swimmer between its razor-sharp jaws, pulling the swimmer down to the ocean floor.

If you like exploring new territory, research may be just the job for you. A good researcher is an integral part of any production team. Yet, when was the last time you watched an outstanding film and said to yourself afterwards, "That was an incredible piece of work -- I wonder who researched it"? I would venture to guess that for most people this is not the first question that comes to mind. It is obvious that a producer, director, and editor play significant roles in shaping a film, which is why they tend to read more...

With hundreds of cable channels and an ever-growing number of independent films, regional and community theater productions, commercials and industrials, there are more acting opportunities today than you could snap a clapboard at. But don’t forget, acting is a tough business. It may take years of perseverance and sacrifice to become a "stah" in your own right. But if you love acting and you’re willing, you can be part of a tight-knit community, find fulfillment, and earn a living as an actor.

A casting director (CD) casts a practiced eye over a pool of prospective actors to find the right one for a job, whether a feature film, commercial or corporate video. Carolyn Pickman, C.S.A* of Collinge/Pickman Casting, Inc. (C.P. Casting) is one such fisher-of-men. C.P. Casting, a 3-person studio, has feature film credits that include "A Civil Action" and "Mystic Pizza" (one of my favorites), among others. I’d need a few more pages to list their television, commercial and corporate video credits.

What do you do when you want to create a grungy apartment setting for your short film but your girlfriend won’t let destroy her furniture? Or you need to turn a modern office suite into a detective’s squad room yet you have no idea where to begin? Get thee to an art director.

Remember that scene in "Mrs. Doubtfire" where Robin Williams shows up at his brother’s door ready to be transformed into a woman? This is the power that makeup artist Joe Rossi wields so keep reading because so can you.

Getting Started

Recently, I caught up with Mr. Ohanian, Director of Product Design and Corporate Fellow at Avid Technology. This was no mean feat, since he divides his time between many roles, including award-winning designer, product evangelist, digital post-production supervisor, educator, editor, mentor, author and inventor.