Production company EPs and executives offer career counsel to filmmakers starting out
By The SHOOT Staff
“Break a leg” is theatrical slang for good luck. But there’s more than luck involved in breaking successfully into the industry and evolving into a working director.
Each step along the way is a challenge–one we hope to make a little easier through career advice offered by a mix of production house executive producers, managing directors and execs/owners.
To help foster opportunities for those seeking a meaningful foothold in the industry–and in the spirit of SHOOT’s 19th New Directors Showcase–we invited production company pros to offer career counsel to aspiring filmmakers.
SHOOT garnered responses to a pair of questions:
- What advice do you have for new directors? Include whatever you feel will be helpful; possible topics might include…
- Tips for getting production co. representation or an agent.
- Tips for freelance directors on getting an ad agency’s attention.
- How to obtain financing for a film or TV project.
- What to put or not put on a reel.
- How to decide which film festivals to enter.
- What technology is a “must be proficient in” to succeed today?
- Any tips on how to balance career and personal life?
Here is the feedback we received:
Full Lineup Set For AFI Fest; Official Selections Span 44 Countries, Include 9 Best International Feature Oscar Submissions
The American Film Institute (AFI) has unveiled the full lineup for this year’s AFI Fest, taking place in Los Angeles from October 23-27. Rounding out the slate of already announced titles are such highlights as September 5 directed by Tim Fehlbaum, All We Imagine As Light directed by Payal Kapadia, The Luckiest Man in America directed by Samir Oliveros (AFI Class of 2019), Zurawski v. Texas from executive producers Hillary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton and Jennifer Lawrence and directors Maisie Crow and Abbie Perrault, and Oh, Canada directed by Paul Schrader (AFI Class of 1969). A total of 158 films are set to screen at the 38th edition of AFI Fest.
Of the official selections, 48% are directed by women and non-binary filmmakers and 26% are directed by BIPOC filmmakers.
Additional festival highlights include documentaries Architecton directed by Victor Kossakovsky; Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie directed by David Bushell; Devo directed by Chris Smith about the legendary new wave provocateurs; Gaucho Gaucho directed by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw; Group Therapy directed by Neil Berkeley with Emmy® winner Neil Patrick Harris and Tig Notaro; No Other Land directed by a Palestinian-Israeli team comprised of Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor and Hamdan Ballal; Pavements directed by Alex Ross Perry; and Separated directed by Errol Morris. Notable narrative titles include Black Dog (Gou Zen) directed by Guan Hu; Bonjour Tristesse directed by Durga Chew-Bose with Academy Award® nominee Chloë Sevigny; Caught By The Tides directed by Jia Zhangke; Hard Truths directed by Mike Leigh with... Read More