Some people read this blog – Shock!
Dear friends, regulars, casual readers and people searching for creepy stuff who just got here by mistake (I’m looking at you, yes you – you know who you are),
This is a quick note to thank you for taking a look at Write What You Don’t Know.com. We have been going for about three months now and I’m pleased to report that our readership has more than doubled each month. Of course we are still a teeny, tiny, micro, compact and bijoux site but our monthly readership now ranks in the thousands. Yes that’s thousand with an ‘s’. Not many thousands to be sure, but more than one.
This blog was never intended to be a mass appeal kind of deal. Its purpose was always to help my students, big up their achievements, allow me to rant occasionally and to publicize my book and other doings. In other words a fairly normal blog. I don’t anticipate we will grow all that much further in terms of readership. Even if the readership levels out, the enterprise feels worthwhile. I am very happy that people are finding valuable content and links here.
So spread the word and feel free to comment and contribute.
And once again, thanks all and keep writing what you don’t know!
Love,
Julian xx
Contribute to Write What You Don’t Know
I am open to pitches for posts on screenwriting, Baby Steps stories, screenwriting events and movie reviews – especially for little indie gems I may have missed and sucky mainstream crap I won’t go and see!
In the first instance send me a brief proposal for what you want to write or information about a new screenwriting product, service or event to hoxter@sfsu.edu, no spam please it’s just not cool.
Baby Steps UK: Sam Follows
[Dear Baby Steps reader. You may not have realized that there are people in the UK who also move from college to the media. Well it's true! I had the pleasure of teaching many of them for over ten years in England before coming out to San Francisco. What follows is the first of an occasional series, documenting their journeys. I hope my American readers will find the stories interesting. I am certain that the lessons my English students learned will resonate with you as well. Without further introduction, here's a story from my friend, the lovely and talented Sam Follows to get us going.]
I’m Sam Follows, originally from London, I went to university at what is now Southampton Solent University in the UK, graduating with a 2:1 in Media with Cultural Studies in 1997. (Editor’s note: For those who don’t know how English degrees work, a 2:1 is an Upper Second Class – i.e. very good – Honors Degree. I think that in America it would be like graduating with a GPA above 3.0 but these things don’t translate exactly.) I now live in Sydney, Australia.
Neil Tennant and myself after an on camera interview at Abbey Road Studios, what a throughly lovely man, super smart and engaging, the perfect interviewee! 27th January 2009
Where I’m at
At the moment I’m having a career break having moved to Sydney from London last year with my husband and toddler, she’s keeping me pretty busy at the moment!
Where DID you want to be?
I envied those who really KNEW what they wanted to do, what craft – be it a Editor, DOP, cameraperson – but I was interested in the whole story, the set up and the way it all weaves together and the techniques used to do that really well to connect. So I figured I’d be the person that can facilitate and enable – producer it was. After two years as a Producer’s Assistant to 3 TV/Film independent Producers and a year travelling and working in Sydney I returned to London and got a job at the BBC.
Has this ambition changed since your college days? If so, how and why?
Working in such a huge organization can be both inspiring and belittling, there were certainly days that I felt like a small cog but a job’s a job, and you just have to stick at it and work towards what you think you can achieve there. I moved around a lot during my time at the beeb (9 years). There were huge technological advancements’ and the BBC had to react and deliver. They were exciting, groundbreaking times. You have to learn fast and simultaneously keep up and drive the changes. After 6 years or so I was a Senior Producer within the Music Division at BBC Worldwide, responsible for producing programming featuring some the best artists around.
Setting up for the Coldplay shoot
What was your first Baby Step?
My first baby step was actually a bit of a side step since I was finding it impossible to get any kind of work experience within the Film & TV industries.
Sometimes the way in isn’t where you think it is!
As a ex-figure/stunt skater I got a call asking whether I could feature in an Evening Standard (Editor’s note: British daily newspaper) piece on inline skating, the journalist Alex Renton was doing a piece on these new off-road skates. When I met Alex I wasn’t really thinking of ‘networking’ but I enjoyed meeting him and asked him for advice, as he seemed like a good guy. I also helped out as much as possible on the day and was just pretty useful to have around.
Long story short, he passed on a Film Producer contact, I met him, he passed on another contact and I got a break at an Independent TV & Film company who needed some support right away and I ended up with that company for two years.
You have to work ALL your contacts, everyone you know to reach the people THEY know. I do wonder how Facebook & Twitter could work against students these days, when you see pictures and status updates of continued drunken exploits there could be a prospective employer out there so be smart about your social media presence.
Coldplay
How, if at all, did that first step lead to the next… and the next?
That was my first solo baby step but shortly before that first appointment, I was invited by Julian Hoxter, my then university course leader, to crew for him on location in the UK for the documentary, Imagine a School… Summerhill. We had a pretty amazing time as a small crew, learning the best way to manage the subjects (young children, teachers, staff that didn’t want us there) setting up quickly and unobtrusively.
That shoot gave me a confidence boost at an important time at the beginning of my career as we WERE just doing it and getting great results, to see and feel that revealing itself on film at that point was a great motivation and gave me something compelling to discuss when I did meet those industry professionals for the first time.
If someone asks you what you have been doing, you need to speak with passion. That’s really inspiring to be around and you can’t fake it.
What lessons did you learn from your ‘baby steps’?
People like to work with good decent people. By that I mean hard grafters who show respect and make themselves useful. There’s no shame in making tea! Whether I’ve been the runner or the Senior Producer in an edit I’ve always been happy to do the tea run.
I also learned how hard working in the TV/Film industries can be on parents and wondered how I could make this work, I haven’t quite figured this one out given I’m on a career break, but I’m full of ideas and am so inspired by the world around me that I hope I’ll be able to make the contribution I want to when the time’s right for me again.
How do you keep your foot in the door?
It’s all about the relationships you cultivate and having conviction about what you want to do. Get a good friend who understands you in the workplace to tell you what you’re really, really good at and also be aware of where you need to develop.
Baby Steps: Alex Fu
My name is Alex Fu and I am a graduate of San Francisco State University, class of 2009. I’ve managed to stay and work in San Francisco since, though I’m planning on making the big move to LA very soon.
Where I’m at
I’m the lead editor and occasional camera operator for MakingOf.com, a sort of “online film school” co-founded by Natalie Portman (who I still haven’t met). Most of what I do is cut together in-depth interviews with filmmakers and create behind-the-scenes featurettes for upcoming films. I’m also in charge of programming a MakingOf Channel for Virgin America, and have had the tremendous opportunity of covering both the Toronto International Film Festival and the Sundance Film Festival as part of the camera crew and as the on-site editor.
Where I want to be in the future
You don’t go and get a BA in cinema without a teeny bit of arrogance telling you that one day you’ll be a filmmaker yourself. Walk in on any lecture hall across the country and ask: “how many of you want to be writers or directors?” then watch almost every hand shoot up. Looking down from the stage, I’d imagine a feeling of worry or repulsion at such confident naiveté. “Don’t they know the odds?” But if you’re in the crowd, it’s important to protect and be precious with that confidence. Because looking around at all the hands raised, you know only a tiny percentage are getting out alive—and it better be you.
My fragile ego has remained on life support in part due to the moderate success of my thesis film, Paul Bergman’s Revenge. The film was first selected to the SFSU Film Finals, then went on to a couple film festivals and eventually an “Audience Award” at another. Small validation that there might be some potential lurking in me after all, but honestly I’m running on fumes.
And so the goal remains to write and direct films and/or be a part of this “renaissance” in television as a show runner.
In the meantime, editing is a job that allows me to hone my storytelling instincts, while paying the bills.
My First Baby Step
I was drunk.
It was New Years Eve. I had just finished an unfulfilling internship at a Public Access Television station and I was already convinced that I had failed at life. At that point I was almost a year out of college and had zero to show for it. I was approaching my mid-twenties, which to me may as well have been my thirties—where I saw myself broke and alone, living off my baby brother who probably became a doctor or something.
So that night, I reached out to a former classmate, who was already in the thick of things, helping to launch a website with Natalie Portman (he got to meet her).
I e-mailed him about an internship.
How, if at all, did that first step lead to the next…and the next?
MakingOf developed a sort of reputation as a revolving door for interns. Being a start-up, the company wasn’t really in a position to be hiring, and the best I hoped for was a better-looking resume.
But, as an intern, I worked hard to stand out. Before I came to the company, the site was strictly interviews. We had access to Electronic Press Kits, but never really made use of them other than for trailers or movie clips. On a slow day I was asked to “just do something” with all the assets. So I created a little behind-the-scenes featurette modeled after those obnoxious commercials that play twenty minutes before a movie starts.
From that day on, the featurettes became a staple of what the website does. Feedback from the studios was positive and I continued to evolve what the featurettes could be. Some fortunate timing that saw a couple employees move on to other things left an opening for me. Since I stuck it out the longest and created a whole new aspect for the site, I was shortly offered a position.
Since, I’ve taken on more responsibility and ended up Where I’m At.
What lessons did you learn from your ‘baby steps’?
1) The people you went to school with will save your life. As much as you think it’s a competition when you’re seated in that packed classroom (see above)—afterwards, it no longer becomes a zero sum game. I cannot tell you the generosity and sense of solidarity I’ve experienced with former classmates. These are people who will always be rooting for you and will do their best to help you out if they can.
2) Start early and get the right internship(s). Modern corporate America has found a pool of eager labor power, willing to work for free. While they’re certainly all exploitative and most of them dead ends, some are worth sticking out and paying your dues. Develop a nose for this and then…
3) Do something that separates you from others. For me, it was the featurettes. For others, a good, friendly personality. Whatever is required.
4) Don’t jump off the ledge. But if you do, make sure you have a support group waiting to catch you. It’s hard to maintain the requisite self-esteem to persevere in the film business. Cling to the positive and the passion that brought you here and keep close those who will encourage you and who you trust.
Interview with Alex about his filmmaking
How do you keep your foot in the door?
I have no idea. I guess we’ll see. At this point, I’ve been lucky to find a job “in the business” that has its home base in the Bay Area. But with where I want to go, it’s only delaying the inevitable move to LA. Hopefully I’ll have an update as I take my place back at the bottom and see if I find my way out.
Baby Steps: Guillermo A. Vazquez
My name is Guillermo A. Vazquez. I am the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Puerto Rico Film Society (PRFS). I graduated with a BFA from Tufts University and currently am Cinema MFA candidate at San Francisco State University. I am living in San Juan, Puerto Rico and also work as a film teacher in The School of Fine Arts of Puerto Rico.
Where I’m at
Just starting out. I love teaching and expect to keep doing it for the rest of my life in different areas of the arts. I’m also obsessed with film in all its aspects. In Puerto Rico there isn’t that much of a film scene. So in order for me to work in P.R. I had to invent a career. If I wanted to direct Puerto Rican films I need an audience. That’s were the idea for the PRFS started. It was a way for local filmmakers to have a cultivated audience for their films. I’m also on the verge of directing my thesis film and feel incredibly insecure about it- mostly because I want it to be an honest film about local youth. To a certain point I feel my filmmaking career depends on being satisfied with my thesis; yet at the same time I want every aspect of this film to be laid back and relaxed.
Where I want to be in the future
I want to keep teaching and directing local films. I want to represent my country in film festivals and expose our local reality to the world while evolving into a great cineast.
Has this ambition changed since your college days? If so, how and why?
This ambition has been the same since college. Unfortunately it is very hard to dedicate myself full time to being a filmmaker for I have to make a living. That is where the PRFS comes in. Both careers complement each other wonderfully. Through the PRFS I have seen a lot of amazing films as well as meet great filmmakers, distributors and executives. Networking is a big part of what I do and a big part of a filmmaking career as well.
My first Baby Step
I will say my first step was showcasing the Global Lens 2010 in Puerto Rico. I started working on this project while I was in SF. I had the honored of meeting with the Global Film Initiative and pitching the PRFS idea to them. We also met with the San Francisco Film Society. They where very insightful and believed in the project. They opened doors for us that we never dreamed of.
How did that first step lead to the next… and the next?
After having the endorsement of the GFI it was a matter of having the local film community support us. We put so much guts into to PRFS that the local support happened organically. You could tell we were doing things from the heart yet in a sophisticated matter. In two years we have reach more than 8,000 audience members and work with the most prestigious film entities in the world including the Sundance Institute.
What lessons did you learn from your Baby Steps’?
Never underestimate the power of a small act. Now that I think about it the first action we took was sending an email to a classmate that did an internship with the Global Film Initiative.
How do you keep your foot in the door?
Believe in yourself and implement tactics and strategies to get where you want to be. Be persistent and do not hesitate to network.
Baby Steps: Charles Yi (Part Two)
Charles was kind enough to send some more examples of his editing work. Rather than juggling with the previous post I thought we should make a second one to share the goodness. All three of the trailers below have personal significance for him and show the breadth and quality of the work he has been doing. Enjoy.
This is the first trailer Charles cut professionally:
Michael Buble
The Town
Muse
Baby Steps: Charles Yi
My name is Charles Yi and I am a graduate of San Francisco State University, class of 2004. Wow that was a while ago! I live in Downtown Los Angeles, and I work in Beverly Hills.
Where I’m at
I am a filmmaker and a movie trailer editor. I currently edit movie trailers and TV spots for an advertising company. That’s my day job. I gotta pay the bills somehow! I’m also writing my first feature script and plan on shooting it as soon as I am done.
Where I want to be in the future
As much fun as it is editing movie trailers, I see myself directing movies.
Has this ambition changed since your college days? If so, how and why?
Definitely. In college, all I thought about was making movies and how great that would be. I felt I had all the time in the world. But once I graduated, reality hit, and I was introduced to obstacles I had never anticipated. When my mom lost her job, and my dad’s hours were cut, I had to help financially. So I had to find a job. Any job. Having a day job and trying to make movies is a difficult balancing act. I have been told many times how impossible this will be, that eventually I will be worn down and forget about making movies. It’s hard and I have to get up every day and have faith everything will work out. I am still fighting and still trying to make my first feature. It may take a little longer than I had anticipated, but I know I’ll get there.
My First Baby Step
I’ve had many first “baby steps”. Long story short, I was an intern at Maverick, PA on a horror film, an editor for a hip hop online/mobile channel, made a short film that played at a few film festivals then was bought by a Japanese film company, won the grand prize for Stranglehold’s True To John Woo short film contest (chosen by John Woo himself). Then I got a job as a runner at an Advertising company, where I am now an editor.
Champion trailer
How did that first step lead to the next… and the next?
The runner position (getting coffee, lunch, etc) at the Advertising company lead to an editing position a lot sooner than expected. That doesn’t happen to everyone, but I worked my ass off. Every night I stayed until midnight trying to learn how to edit trailers and TV spots. I watched as many Trailers and TV Spots as my brain could contain. I didn’t have a life, but it paid off. After a month, I showed a TV spot I cut to my boss and he loved it! Immediately, he threw me in the mix and I was editing TV spots and working on big Hollywood movies. I was really lucky because my boss saw potential in me and believed I could excel. It’s also a very cool, surreal feeling to see your work play on TV and in the movie theaters.
What lessons did you learn from your ‘baby steps’?
As for the trailer world, I learned so much and I continue to learn. On occasion, I get the opportunity to see the dailies from upcoming films, which educates me on how directors direct, actors act, and how scenes are put together. Feels like film school. It’s something I will take with me when I make my own movie. Even though I thought editing trailers would be a big road block from my filmmaking, I try to see the positive side. I kept asking myself: “How will this job help me be a better filmmaker?” Besides watching the dailies and learning how directors shoot their movies, I understand the business and creative side to advertising your movie. I know that when it comes to making trailers for my own films, I can do it myself! Haha.
As for directing… Everyone has their own journey. I used to be very disappointed in myself because I haven’t made a feature film by the age of 21! That still bothers me to this day. But I have to understand as much as I wanted to have the careers of PTA, Scorsese, Spielberg, Fincher, Nichols, Kubrick, Nolan - all these directors I admire – I am my own person. I have my own journey. And I have to be patient and not worry so much of how I am perceived especially from my family and friends. And making two short films that were successful really gave me the confidence to make a feature film. And that’s what I am doing right now and I can’t wait to just… do it. Even if it doesn’t turn out well, the fact I am moving a step forward in what I truly love is a success.
House of the Rising Sun trailer
How do you keep your foot in the door?
If you know what you want to do before you graduate: direct, DP, editor, sound editor, or a writer, get a job in that field as soon as you can so you can get a head start. Grow a thick skin. Protect that pure joy you have for movies. The older you get, that joy starts to fade either from people you work with, the business, situation, it can be anything. And it’s important to have a group of filmmaker friends that you can truly trust. I’ve met so many people who backstab you or use you for their own personal gain.
As to keep your foot in the door? Work hard. Show you’re serious about what you do. No one is going to hand you a job or an opportunity. Create. Stay hungry. Stay positive. Do not burn bridges. And really learn your craft. Study! Always be open to learn. You can never stop learning.
April Chase Live Performance
KTown Cowboys, web series co-edited by Charles. The feature version won Best First Feature at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival last year
Baby Steps: Amanda Avanzino
My name is Amanda Lynn Avanzino. I graduated from San Francisco State University in 2009 and I currently reside in Studio City, CA – a 10-minute walk to Universal Studios which is good given that I hope to someday work (and/or rule) there.
Where I’m at
The bottom haha. No but seriously, I am a Set PA working my way up the very thorny, obstacle-ridden, seemingly endless ladder of this business. As far as pecking orders go, I am certainly not green yet still on the bottom rung. Though I’m higher on the food chain than the average intern or office PA.
Where I want to be in the future
I love this question because it seems that very few people living in La La Land are where they hope to be. Most have delusions of grandeur, fame and fortune. “I’m a waitress but I really want to act, I’m a barista but I really want to write, I’m a stripper but I can really sing,” – you hear this a lot in just about every restaurant, coffee shop, or nightclub in town. Frankly I am really no different though I’d like to think I’ve mapped out a somewhat attainable goal with a somewhat realistic route to achieve such recognition.
I am where I am at in my career for several reasons. The first is that I wish someday to write and direct (I know, I know, delusions of grandeur but hear me out) and I feel that a responsible writer/director knows the set very well. He/she knows what they are asking for from a crew with each scene they write, how much time and money and labor and creativity they are extracting from experienced DPs, and Gaffers, and Key Grips, and Prop Masters, Make-up Artists, Hair Stylists, Sound Mixers, etc.
And so I fight in the trenches day after day, ever observing what it takes to transform the written word into a visual story. I am always absorbing as much information as I can about every department, every intricate piece that goes into the creation of a film or television show, in the hopes that one day I will be a respected, responsible and informed writer/director, (don’t say it, it’s just too easy and you’re better than that). Needless to say, there’s no better department to be in to really get up close and personal with it all quite like the AD department.
Has this ambition changed since your college days? If so, how and why?
Not even close. If anything it’s made me hungrier, more passionate about film and what I hope to do in the medium someday – hopefully sooner rather than later.
My first Baby Step
I have to say this is probably one of the most unexciting, just a case of dumb luck stories that may ever be written on this blog so I’ll attempt to make it intriguing. It was a year after I graduated and my boyfriend (now fiancé) and I were visiting my mother and stepfather in Oahu when I saw the Black Pearl from the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise just sitting in the harbor. After a little investigating I discovered that they were renovating it for filming to commence that summer. I returned to San Francisco dreaming of what it would be like to work on a film of that magnitude and couldn’t shake the feeling.
It didn’t occur to me that it was even remotely possible ‘til my mother sent me a news clipping of how many jobs Pirates would create for the Hawaiian film community. So I mustered some courage and applied with an ever depressing, and paltry resume and waited with baited breath to hear that I’d gotten the job.
Meanwhile, circumstances amassed on the home front which forced us to make a decision, move to Hawaii where the chances of breaking in grew as overall competition diminishes, or move to Los Angeles where I may as well be eaten alive by the overwhelming amount of people (broke and starving hence the cannibalism) trying to get their foot in the door. We chose the former and a month later we were in Oahu and I was still waiting for that call from Pirates.
Unfortunately, it never came and I sunk into a serious funk of depression and regret for a couple weeks until rumors spread that several productions were moving into town, one of which was Universal Pictures’ Battleship. I combed the local internet listings in search of any contact info for the production office and when I finally found it, I applied for nearly every PA position I could think of.
A week passed and, yet again, nothing until I was on Craigslist and saw an ad for an unlisted company seeking an assistant to start immediately through October with a pay of $650 a week plus lunches. I put two and two together that it had to be Battleship given the rate, and the duration of time and I applied within fifteen minutes of the posting .
Forty minutes later I received the call that changed my life. I was interviewed by the Extras Casting Associate and hired by the Extras Casting Director within minutes. These two amazing women took care of me and taught me so much in my first month with them. It was a huge film with upwards of 500 extras some days and the experience was incredible.
I learned how to find and book the background to fit the scripts needs and I learned the types of problems and circumstances that arise while having that many background on set. It was invaluable experience but still I didn’t want to be in the office anymore and when I confessed my desire to go to set and join the AD department they offered me solid advice, “Don’t do it!” They gave it to me straight and told me how difficult and brutal it would be but nonetheless they helped me transition from the office to the set.
My first week was far more chaotic, exciting, deeply depressing, emotionally damaging, and educationally challenging than I ever anticipated. Nothing could have properly prepared me for any of it. I was the newest member of the crew and while some embraced me, others made damn sure that I felt the sting and alienation of being a fish out of water. So, long story short, my baby step was more of a leap from recent graduate, Border’s bookseller to a production assistant on a multi million dollar tentpole with a major studio.
How, if at all, did that first step lead to the next… and the next?
My answer offers further evidence to the saying, “it’s all about who you know in this town.” For example, as Battleship came to a close in Hawaii, much of first unit was gearing up to move the production to Louisiana so I started to look at the other productions moving into town. When First Unit left I was moved to Second Unit and met a 2nd 2nd AD by the name of Nate and we quickly became friends.
He mentioned that he was starting on a new film, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island the week after 2nd unit wrapped and asked if I was available. I leapt at the opportunity. When all was said and done I needed to find work once more. By that point I was confident enough to make the move to Los Angeles so we packed up once again and moved that November.
What lessons did you learn from your ‘baby steps’?
Too many! But I won’t bore you with all of them as I hope to let whoever reads this learn ‘em themselves 
, however I will share a few. Always pay attention and learn quickly – you have to learn quickly in this business because second chances are not easily afforded to those of us lesser-known creatures and you must be ever vigilant because every experience is an opportunity to learn more about this business and the more you know, the more likely you’ll appear confident and capable.
Also, check your ego at the door – there are too many egos already in this town (some more deserved than others) and when you’re small potatoes, you’ll be shown the door real fast with a bad attitude. Be humble, be grateful, and be respectful. Never disrespect another’s work because someday, they may be your boss – it’s a small town and everyone knows everyone.
How do you keep your foot in the door?
See the aforementioned lessens learned. As far as keeping your foot in the door? Hell, I can barely keep my own foot in the door, I’m hanging on by a pinkytoe, but if I had to offer any advice I’d say networking is the absolute best bet. Keep in touch with those who’ve helped you along the way.
The latter was a rather sticky step for me as I consider myself an introvert, a nerd, a perpetual homebody who’s idea of a good time on a Friday night is curling up with a good book or playing Mario Kart with my fiancé (and no, before you ask, I don’t have cats). But it’s unavoidable. You must learn to be social to stay relevant. Say yes to new people and industry events and stay connected because when you’re looking for work, you’ll be glad you can count on your new-found friends to give you a job.
Baby Steps: Barret Hacia
My name is Barret Hacia. I graduated from SFSU this Spring (2011). I live in San Francisco and work all over the greater Bay Area.
Where I’m at
I am currently wrapping post on my first feature film, Falling Uphill, which I produced and am gearing up for the festival route. Beyond my feature, I am a full time freelance commercial producer.
Where I want to be in the future
In the future I plan to work strictly on feature films as a producer and director. The idea is to oversee multiple films as a producer and direct my own personal projects.
Has this ambition changed since your college days? If so, how and why?
Yes, without a doubt. A few years ago I would have never dreamed that I would be a producer. I guess it changed when I was a Set PA on a feature and I just excelled in the production department and I truly enjoyed the problem solving aspects of it. The thing that turned me on most about production was taking an abstract and creative vision and making it tangible.
Originally, I wanted only to direct – to create my vision – but I soon realized no matter how great my vision was I had to somehow logistically create these characters and settings within the constraints of a schedule and budget. And that is where a good producer comes in and helps enable the vision of the director. I find this work extremely rewarding. I know a lot of people would rather do anything else, but I believe it is an ideal position for someone who enjoys creative problem solving and all aspects of filmmaking, and that is why I pursued producing.
My first Baby Step
On my first baby step into the industry, I was as an unpaid Set PA on a low-budget feature film. It was an extremely ambitious production which had very long hours and demanded a lot of work. When I first showed up to set I was immediately asked to grab an apple box and a couple of stingers. I said “sure thing” – I had no idea what they were talking about.
That production was an enormous learning curve, but from it I learned proper set and radio etiquette, terminology, and overall how a production works. Most importantly I learned the right mentality to have on a production. If you screw up don’t waste time explaining why it wasn’t you fault instead take responsibility and fix it. Everyone makes mistakes, but it’s how you handle them that counts.
Moreover, just because you’re not being paid doesn’t mean you can work any less hard because once you’ve agreed to do something it means you are on a hundred percent. Being unreliable or unmotivated on a set is far worse for your career than turning down the job initially. Basically, my first production, though it was unpaid, was an enormously beneficial experience that I gained tremendously from.
How, if at all, did that first step lead to the next… and the next?
Honestly, I feel everything I’ve done came from my first production. That is where my networking pool started and everything else has spawned from there. Though my first gig was unpaid, I was hired soon after to work on corporate shoots where I met more people, which brought on new work. After your name gets out there and you are known as a strong and reliable worker things begin to get rolling.
What lessons did you learn from your ‘baby steps’?
I think the most important thing I learned was to not underappreciate my value to a production. Meaning, you should make it so that you are invaluable to the people you work for and the thought of your absence should be unthinkable. Once you’ve gotten yourself into this position, respectfully request a more desirable position within reasonable means (i.e. obviously don’t ask to go from a PA to a DP). People normally respect the courage it takes to ask for a promotion and if it’s deserved they will likely grant it.
I think a big turning point for myself (and a lot of people) was being a Key Set PA for the first time. It was for another feature film and I had worked with this particular Assistant Director several times prior and I asked if I could be the Key Set PA which he agreed. I took the slight promotion extremely seriously to reassure everyone they had made the right decision, and from that the doors started to open.
How do you keep your foot in the door?
I think the most important thing is to start as soon as possible. If you want to work on features – intern on a feature. If you want to make documentaries – intern on a documentary. Networking, Craigslist, Mandy, whatever it takes to get on one. The likelihood is that you’re going to have to do a few free gigs first, but that’s just how it works. Everyone has done it at some point and think of it as paying your dues. You might as well start while you’re still in school, so that when you get out you can go straight into working full time.
I can’t stress enough how valuable it is to be a PA when first starting out. You are working around all the departments and get a chance to truly figure out where your strengths and interests are on an actual production. You will often excel in one area and a department head might recognize your value and pull you on board for the next project. That’s what happened to me. As far as keeping your foot in the door, networking and remaining in touch with contacts is the best way to insure you will stay in work and hopefully get pulled onto larger projects.
Once again, I think it does take a certain sense of audacity to work in this industry and you should never be afraid of rejection. Put yourself in the mindset that you are an unstoppable force and no matter what challenges arise you will be able to overcome them. It’s a tough industry, but people defy the odds every year – so why not you?
Behind the scenes video on Falling Uphill: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/901647388/falling-uphill-a-feature-film/widget/video.html
Baby Steps: Mallary Abel
My name is Mallary Abel and I am a graduate from the San Francisco State University class of 2008. I’m a film programmer and filmmaker, and I live in Oakland.
Where I’m at
I am the co-director, along with Brenda Contreras, of an annual traveling film festival called Cut and Run. I still have a lot of goals to accomplish, so I feel it’s pretty early in my career.
Where I want to be in the future
There are a few different things I’d like to be doing. I’d like to be teaching Cinema, or something similar to that, at a University level. Ideally I would run or help organize a microcinema so I could be programming film all the time. Cut and Run is seemingly already a full-time job, but I also want Cut and Run to be very present in my future too.
Lastly, I also want be a successful filmmaker.
Has this ambition changed since your college days? If so, how and why?
No, not really. I feel like I’ve known since the day I left college what I wanted to do and manifest for myself, it was just a question of how and when to go about doing it. The more I learn about how to do it, the bigger my ambition gets, the more ideas and places I want to explore.
How I made my Baby Steps
There were one or two baby steps that I think got me started. One was my internship at Other Cinema with Sylvia Schedelbauer and Craig Baldwin for the 2008 spring programming season there. That was my first time seeing how a microcinema works. During that semester at school I also organized the SFSU MFA thesis screening, which was my first ever experience with curating and programming.
The internship at Other Cinema basically put me in contact with people who were interested in the same thing as me, or working in the field that I wanted to work within. I met so many people that kept introducing me to new things, and new people who wanted to collaborate. I also saw some of the first real experimental films that opened me up to experimental filmmaking ideas and processes.
Since then I’ve worked at a microcinema in Brooklyn where I was the associate programmer. We had a ton of artists and programmers coming through there who have become very constant in my life right now, and have opened me up to more great opportunities.
As far as the MFA thesis screening goes, that was a fun process and I really enjoyed the whole thing. I met Brenda in the same class that had assigned me the project, and she was doing a similar thing at the ATA putting shows together, so we decided to team up and form Cut and Run that way. 
We visit so many different venues and cities that exhibit experimental film, so we’ve been exposed to a lot through Cut and Run’s traveling nature.
It seems like with every step I take, there is definitely another one coming.
What lessons did you learn from your ‘baby steps’?
I learned that it’s really important to initiate things for yourself and just do it. There are so many possibilities, and there isn’t much to lose by just trying something out. My curiosity never ceases.
How do you keep your foot in the door?
I would tell people that if they have an idea, simply begin. I really think that if you have the passion and the desire – then you should explore it. Make the time for it. You have to live it to be it. And it’s really not that hard to just live it.
Also, do your research, but also get as much tactile experience as possible. My Dad always tells me the best way to learn something is to teach it.
Cut and Run keeps my foot in the door since it’s always happening every year. It’s a current thing – we get submissions all the time, invitations to come do screenings, incentives, etc. so it keeps activity happening year round.
It’s hard for me to sit still sometimes, I always want to be doing something exciting and new, so keeping my options open keeps my foot in the door too. Most of the people in my life have that same drive so they keep me inspired too.
And of course, networking keeps me in the loop.
[Follow the link to Tango Echo for an interview with Mallary and Brenda that goes into more detail about Cut and Run itself.]
Baby Steps: getting an agent (TV Writers)
Here’s a link to a useful little piece from Script Magazine on how to get an agent if you want to be a TV Writer. Nothing new exactly but it’s pretty straightforward and gives basic hints and tips. I’m including it in the Baby Steps section because its all part of the wild and wooly experience of getting feet stuck in doors. There are lots more home grown Baby Steps posts in the works from lots of lovely alumni so keep watching this space. Until then, here’s some ground level info:
