Interview with Mark Crowner

Mark Crowner works in Louisville, Kentucky, where he owns Mark Crowner Productions. He has a lot of experience in field audio and broadcast outlets.

1. How did you get started in the business?

-He said he was an undergrad in Broadcast Journalism and he worked at a local station during school. He took to the audio aspect as well as creating longform pieces.

2. What is it like working for International clients?

-He said he has done a lot of documentary work overseas while on mission trips with his Church. He would do longform documentary work while staying in countries for extended periods of time. He enjoyed getting to travel and seeing different places around the world.

3. Do you have any advice to give a student who might be interested in the business?

- He said he had two pieces of advice. The first is that success is based on relationships. You need to have good communication skills and good people skills, and you need to get them if you don't have them already. He said he still gets business from people he made relationships with back in college. Also patience is necessary when working with people because you will always be working on group projects, where people skills are necessary. Second, he said you should never quit learning. Things in the industry change all the time and very quickly. Always continue to seek out what's new and adapt to these changes to keep up with the rest of the industry.

-Interviewed by Rebecca Farmer

Interview with Dennis Goodman

Dennis Goodman is part of RiverRun Moving Pictures, based in Louisville, Kentucky, where he is a director for clients.

1. How did you get started?

-He said he started out in 1983 as a partner for producing a corporate video. Then he later did work as a director of photography. He had always had an interest in film, even though it wasn't as developed in the 1980's as it is now.

2. What kind of production does your company do?

-He said he mostly directs commercials as well as corporate spots. Even films for corporations. His company has a 35mm camera package and work on Avid to create spots for their clients.

3. What is your favorite job you have ever worked on in the business?

-He said his company once did a longform piece for a woodcutting company, which he enjoyed because they got to do shots in the outdoors rather than on a set, and the woodcutting provided for good footage.

4. Any tips you would give to a student who is interested in the business?

-He said if you care about money, it is difficult to prosper in the smaller markets. If money is important to you then go to the West Coast and California, because there is a lot of work out there.

Interviewed by Rebecca Farmer

Brandy Ludlam-Graphic Designer/Web designer

1. Can you briefly define your job to me?

I own a website design company where I develop custom-made websites and many of the graphics included. I also produce videos for various clients as needed.

2. How did you get started in the business?

I actually got started because I was bored :). I began teaching myself how to write HTML code over a break in high school. I discovered that I actually liked it and things went from there. I began to dabble in graphic design as well as flash and video editing to enhance my web designs. I began editing and producing video my freshman year in college.

3. How do you tell someone over you (your boss) that you can't accomplish an assigned task?

This may sound conceded, but I can't remember a time where I've had to tell someone I can't accomplish a task. It seems like every time I run into something that doesn't "work" the way that it should or I am not getting the outcome desired, I always seem to find a work-around that satisfies my standard of excellence and the one I am working for.

4. Do you have any advice for a media student starting out?

Take your tasks seriously but don't take yourself too seriously. Have fun with what you're doing. Don't ever forget

Interview with Michelle Gold

Where do you work?

Currently, I work in features. I just finished working in editorial on a movie called Unstoppable, but when I worked in trailers I worked at a company called Creative Asylum.

Can you briefly define your job/job title to me?

I was a producer/editor for trailers. We would meet with marketing divisions for studios and pitch concepts, usually starting with scripts and storyboards and offer multiple concepts for the marketing contact at the studio to review and choose from. Upon concept approval we'd usually go through a multi-round process where we'd edit and the submit for review in stages. Theatrical trailers also go through an audience testing focus group process so we'd be up against other trailer houses and whichever trailers the focus group would respond to would make it to the next round until there would be specific trailers chosen for theatres/tv.

How did you get started in the business?

I started out working in special features for DVDs (like behind the scenes pieces) and began working in trailers/promos a little bit later.

What trailers have you personally worked on?

I have worked on smaller ones mostly - The Ruins, Starship Troopers 3, this Val Kilmer movie Felon, a movie called Ping Pong Playa, Nobel Son, a lot of specialty division and indie films.

What kinds of computer programs do you use?

Final Cut Pro, Adobe After Effects, most of the Adobe Creative Suite and Cinema 4D.
What is your favorite thing about your job?

What do you find most difficult about your job?

The reason I ultimately left trailers was because I felt that often marketing departments were so concerned about doing the wrong thing that they'd settle on a middle of the road approach which was an overall mediocre campaign because they would worry about doing something risky. It was frustrating from a creative standpoint and it wouldn't make the trailer feel like it was anything special. Trailers like The Social Network are great because it had such a different approach and grabs people, the same with Christopher Nolan's earlier Inception trailers.

How do you tell someone over you (i.e your boss) that you can't
accomplish an assigned task?

You make sure you've exhausted every possibility first. If you really can't accomplish it, rather than bring it to your boss in those terms, figure out multiple possible alternative solutions and start the conversation by suggesting those. It shows that you are actively trying to positively resolve the issue rather than just saying "I can't." Bosses don't like hearing that.

Do you have any advice for a media/journalism student like me starting
out?

Look for work in the field you really want to work in. Since you're just starting out, don't worry about the salary so much as long as it's enough to live on or you have an alternative (like interning during the day and waiting tables/cocktailing at night). It's important though to do what you love so try to get a job in that field from the start because if you do, you'll move forward quickly because that enthusiasm shows in your work and creativity. For example, if you want to edit, edit. Sometimes it's better to take a job like PA or reception that will allow you to explore the various areas at a shop if you aren't certain yet without having to
commit to one path early on. Also, keep developing your skills on your own. If you have friends that like to direct and you want to edit for instance take on those projects for free and work just hard on them on your own time and that way you build up a body of work to show the people you work with and they see you can do that and you're serious about it. Also spend time asking questions when it's not busy. It's always good to get into a mentor type of relationship if the opportunity presents itself.

Is there anything else you can tell me about the trailer production
business?

Right now, it's a business where the budgets are shrinking. Due to
this, the platform is changing a bit for it with the advance of so much
online and broadband. It used to be that theatrical and tv were the
only way to sell films coming out, but now there are so much more
platforms that it is in some ways an uncertain business at the moment
with the technology advancements happening.

Interviewed by: Amanda Smith

Interview with David A. Taylor

David Taylor is a screenwriter in the Washington D.C. Area. Look for his Documentary, Soul of A People

1. Can you briefly define your job to me?

I'm mainly a writer of documentary film scripts, books and articles. Usually I do preliminary research for a story that seems interesting to test whether it really is strong enough for a magazine, book or tv program. If it is, I propose it to an editor or production company, and take it through the scriptwriting phase, sometimes as co-producer: identifying interview sources, shaping the narrative for dramatic scenes and turns, and writing the script to get the story across clearly and compellingly. That can include post-production, working in the edit suite with the film editor and director to make sure characters' stories are built with the right pacing and context. So part of my time is spent marketing my ideas, and most of my time (usually) is spent developing them for the right format.

2. How did you get started in the business?

I started first by writing for magazines, sending query letters proposing story ideas to editors and wading through many rejections before receiving a 'yes'. My published magazine articles helped me to find a literary agent for my book proposals, and also to get into the documentary production scene in Washington, DC.

3. How do you tell someone over you (your boss) that you can't accomplish an assigned task?

I haven't been in that situation in a long time, but what I'd do is tell them what I'm focusing on and ask what priorities need to shift (or what extra skills I'd need) to do the assigned task.

4. Do you have any advice for a media student starting out?

Learn the technical side but also develop the creative side of storytelling, practicing in different formats that can help you get your work in front of producers: youtube videos, webcasts, published work, and screenplays.

Jason Porter-Broadcast and Motion Graphics Designer

1. Can you briefly define your job to me?
Jason Porter is a motion graphics/animator for Mad Monkey, a boutique media production firm in Columbia, S.C. that specializes in commerical and interactive media. Right now he finished working on a commercial starring Lebron James. Since he works for a small agency he considers himself as a generalist--In the advertising world these are people who are multi-talented almost like the "Renaissance Man." In smaller boutiques they may have a title as motion graphics designer but they do multiple things such as video editing or art direction for a film project.
2. How did you get started in the business?
Porter watched animations and cartoons growing up,specifically Disney movies. He considers the Golden of Disney Animation(Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Lion King etc..) inspired him to pursue a career in Animation. Porter pursued a Bachelor in Science and Arts in Animation at the Art Institute at California-San Francisco. Afterwards, he entered into the entertainment industry as a video game animator. Then once his wife entered into the University of South Carolina Medical School, he took his present job at Mad Monkey as a motion graphic designer. He said that working in a large corporation, people assigned to do one thing and that only, now that he is living in Columbia, he works for a smaller company where his title encompasses multiple skills.
3. How do you tell someone over you (your boss) that you can't accomplish an assigned task?
Porter said that sometimes you need to be good with everyone because you never when you are going to need help with something. For accomplishing a task porter said that it's okay to ask for help and to understand that everything is a learning experience.
4. Do you have any advice for a media student starting out?
Go to a school with a strong program that you are specifically interested in because some programs might have job connections for when you graduate. Be good to everyone because some of them might end up being your co-workers or your interviewers. As an animator he said he always tried to keep his personality in all his projects even if it was the director's vision. He said to have certain personality in all of your worker even if its for another person's vision. Also Porter said to a have a thick skin--know that your work is going to be critiqued. He also said that if a person wants to really get there foot into the film and media arts industry that they might have to go to a place that where the industry exists and is still growing, specifically--Get out of South Carolina.

Simon Tarr-media arts professor

1. Can you briefly define your job to me?
I make independent experimental/animation films and artworks, and I sell them/perform them all over the world.
2. How did you get started in the business?
I am not in "the business." I am a business. That's why I'm an independent artist. My job is to translate my visions in a way that compels people. That's art. I left the industry of being a cog in someone else's machine long ago, but when I entered it, I did so by starting to work for free. Then people realized that they could not get their work done without me, so they started to pay me.
3. How do you tell someone over you (your boss) that you can't accomplish an assigned task?This does not happen. I am the boss. I only turn down a gig or a commission if I a.) am too busy with other gigs, b.) wouldn't get paid enough, or c.) don't like the parameters of the commission.
4. Do you have any advice for a media student starting out?
Don't fall into the trap of thinking that there is this Big Media Industry, and one prescribed best way to be successful.

Ryan Bailey Interview with Ryan Bailey

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpMueYSgD8c

Scott Fowler interview - John Reynolds - Gaffer

1. The gaffer is the chief lighting technician on a TV, FIlm or commercial set. His tasks range from master electrician to lighting director. He works with the director of photography to achieve a lighting look and desired F-Stop.

2. I got started in the business by going to Trident Technical College for a certificate in film production. I struggled to find work and ended up at the College of Charleston where I got a Poli Sci Degree. I decided to give film a 18 month chance with my sites on law school if it did not work out. I never made it to law school. What I always tell students is be patient usually right when you are ready to give up thing start happening for you.

3. Most tasks in lighting are accomplish able, however they may not be the best approach to the desired effect. Ideally on a film set you have a cooperative relationship with a DP. If he presents me with something that I don't feel will give him the required result I tell him my concerns and work with him to find the appropriate solution.

4. Be diligent, work hard. Try to impress with your desire to do a good job and your a dedication to the craft. Use actions and not words. Often after college we have learned a lot and we are anxious to demonstrate the knowledge we have. But as in all aspects of filmmaking it is better to show then to tell. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Work hard, go the extra mile. Filmmaking is one of the few remaining labor related industries where people want to work. As a potential empower I am bless with a number of newbies who are ambitious and want to get it. Showing that you are punctual, reliable and focused will go a long way.

Scott Fowler interview - Dustin Cassels - Gaffer

1. I freelance between as many clients as possible, so as to keep myself busy. I never say no when ask to perform any needed role on set. Such as Gaffer, Grip, AC, PA, etc. The trick is learning as many roles as possible so you can say, "yes I can do that". A lot of times you can become some what of a hero to your client if you can pull through for them, especially if its crunch time. With all of this takes a good bit of experience.

2. I took an apprenticeship with a local film maker in Asheville, NC. We produced marketing videos for high-end private golfing communities. I began my experience through him by simply moving gear and watching his every move. It was a small team. Usually no more than three, so it gave me a chance to learn all aspects of film making but on a smaller scale of course. Through him I met more filmmakers and the networking began. I started on the bottom with no schooling, just a eagerness to learn.

3. You have to be careful when agreeing to work on a set. Basically, don’t sign up for more than you can handle. Be honest with your client and often they will be willing to teach you. That way you can avoid the awkwardness of telling your client that you can’t. On the other hand there have been a lot of times when I found my self in that situation. I have been asked to get certain things that I really didn’t know what it was. So I said yes, knowing that I could probably figure it out or someone on the crew that’s not the boss, could show me. There is a sense of comradely on a film crew.

4. I feel like a major part of the answer for this question lies in the answers before hand. I wish I have had the chance to go to film school. It’s a great place to start your networking and experience. Tell more people you’re in school and show them you’re eager learn. Work for free or a low rate or even just food. I’ve worked for everything and anything just to gain experience. Then you can begin saying, “yes I can do that”. Ill sum it up. Make it to where the people you are working for cant live without you.

Ryan Bailey - Stock Footage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CReX2ejg-qk

Interview with Stuntman Matthew Staley

This interview with Matthew Staley was particularly interesting. I feel that in a way, stunt work is largely overlooked, but it is in fact a big deal in major films. Also, the experience of a stuntman is unlike anyone else on a movie set, so they offer an interesting perspective on the movie business. Matthew has done stunt work in Gods and Generals, The Sopranos, Medium, The Other Guys, and The Next Three Days, to name a few titles. He currently resides in Northern Virginia.

1.) A stunt performer or stunt double typically performs on behalf of an actor in any scenes where action or implied violence happens to that actor's character in a film or television show. Stunt performers are generally highly trained, highly skilled athletes who use their physicality to help tell a story while often putting themselves in harm's way so that actors don't risk injury themselves. Stunt professionals train hard and make calculated risks that enable them to repeatedly perform dangerous actions safely opposed to daredevils who also perform dangerous stunts but purely for the sake of the stunt itself and often only once.

2.) My background is in gymnastics and most stunt professionals either began there or in martial arts, racecar driving, equestrian, etc. Having been a gymnast my whole life and simultaneously been in school plays and such, it seemed a natural progression to me to continue working in a profession that enabled me to utilize both schools. My first professional stunt job was working in a Wild West stunt show at a themepark. For two years, I performed the same Western stunts five times a day and really learned my craft. That lead to performing stunts in a Civil War tv series for The History Channel and from there, I got my Union cards and have been working in major Film and Television ever since.

3.) With stunts, honesty is key and such a conversation should only happen when a prospective boss calls you about a prospective stunt. The professional thing to do when asked if you can perform a certain gag is to be honest and answer yes or no. Black and white. Too many lives have been lost and careers have been ruined by budding stunt performers lying about their abilities only to find out the hard way. Ours is a profession where lives are on the line and trust is at stake so we have no room or toleration for harmless, little white lies like other professions. If you found yourself already on a set and the director came up with a last-minute stunt in mind that you were not capable of performing, the right thing to do would be to discuss alternatives with your coordinator or recommending someone who can do it in your place.

Casey Cox's Interview from Maryland

1. Can you briefly define your job to me?

I was hired to scout and present locations for potential feature film projects that had an interest in Maryland. We were always competing with other states. As a former feature film and tv location scout and location manager, it was challenging to be “in on the project,” at the ground floor. Recently I was asked to work on film and also take on many additional responsibilities within the Division of Tourism, Film and the Arts

2. How did you get started in the business?

I worked as a copywriter for commercials and produced the work that clients selected. I worked at a commercial production company. I did a stint managing a Grip and Electric Company. Then I went freelance and found myself being hired on TV series and feature films…at first as Assistant Location Manager and then as Location Manager. In between movies, I production managed and/or location managed tv commercials, particularly the larger projects from companies in LA who needed a strong Maryland based production person.

3. How do you tell someone over you that you couldn't accomplish an assigned task?

Actually, you need to tell them early when they can jump in to help you or put more resources to getting the task done. For example, I was tasked with finding a cemetery location for a feature film. It had to look historic, be quiet and in a rural setting, and allow the filming of a horror movie. This is a very difficult “ask,” and I probably contacted over 40 churches and got turned down. When I started to see how this was going I went to the producer and production manager and said, “listen, I’m scouting for this location (and there were probably 50 distinct locations on the movie) but it is looking grim. I wanted to alert you as I think we need a backup idea. I should be able to find a hillside where we can place tombstones that the art department creates…with the correct set dressing.”

They appreciated my honestly. At the same time I was working with a gifted but stubborn production designer who did not want to go to plan B…so I persisted and found a small Church that had a sense of humor and needed the money. It was very difficult but in the end, it was win-win. I called the producer from the vicar’s home office and we made the financial arrangements.

You often have to deliver bad or disappointing news during a production. It is really important to bring it up…not to the director…but to your production boss, whoever that is. They will appreciate it even if they are initially upset. I think it is your job to deliver the truth…and any options you can provide. In production especially, time is money and wasted time is wasted money.


4. Do you have any advice for a media student who is just starting out?

Don’t expect to make much money. Keep in touch with the local film office and pay attention to the states that have big incentive programs because that is where much of the production is going to go. Take notes; don’t expect to remember everything because you think you can (an amateur mistake for sure).

Always be early. Be flexible. Be quiet. But do get to know the other PA’s…often they will recommend you (and do repay the favor) for jobs they are on. Don’t complain about the hours. Don’t make personal plans when you are working. Your supervisor does not know when you’ll go home so don’t ask.
Keep all your receipts in one place and keep them dry and neat (ziplock bag); be up to date on computer skills. You’ll be amazed how having additional skills can make you a favorite in production. If you are a PA, you can possibly rotate through various departments and determine what you like the most. Be open-minded. The Payroll Accountants (union) are really in demand.

Help everyone. Keep gas in your car at all times. Be gracious and thoughtful and courteous. Courtesy is a lost art so if you display courtesy, again, you may rise above others.

Final project: Interview with Shannen

Interview With Allen Abel

1. Can you briefly define your job to me? Most of my TV work now is as a documentary writer or "doc doctor" -- I get called in by producers, networks, and directors when they have a script that needs re-jigging, or writing from pictures, or re-writing following the screening of a rough cut. I've done more than five hundred docs of various lengths and used to be an on-camera reporter, foreign correspondent and host, mostly when I was based in Toronto. Currently, I'm doing more print than TV as I write a syndicated "Postcard From Washington" column every week for a chain of major Canadian papers.

2. How did you get started in the business? I was a small-town sportswriter at first, moved from Albany NY to Toronto when the Blue Jays were founded in 1977, covered sports up there and then was a correspondent in China. A network TV producer liked my writing and asked me to join his show ("The Journal" on CBC) as an on-camera reporter. There were a lot of former print journalists on the program so I fit in. I had no previous TV experience of any kind. I was at CBC for 20 years and since then many of my writing jobs have come from former colleagues. Virtually everything I've done has been through personal connections. That's probably true of most people in this business.

3. How do you tell someone over you (your boss) that you can't accomplish an assigned task? One of my rules has always been "If you don't get the story, for God's sake get something." As a columnist, it's easier to make something out of nothing; it's harder in TV. Good planning, research and pre-production greatly minimizes the number of times you come back empty-handed. I could tell you a long story about lighting our own forest fire in the Brazilian Amazon after 4 weeks in the field not finding any fires, but I wont. ;-)

4. Do you have any advice for a media student starting out? Find the smallest possible outlet that lets you do the most possible jobs and maybe you'll turn out to be good at one of them. Media are very different from when I started; today, everyone with a cellphone camera is a "documentary journalist." I always say that writing is easy; it's writing for money that's hard. I never had any interest in doing this as a hobby. It was always a serious job, even when I was covering high school football. So I'd say be serious about it, pound on doors and prove how good you are.