5 Best Ways to Break Into the Film Industry

The entertainment business lures hundreds if not thousands of young, hungry filmmakers out to Los Angeles every month to pursue their dream of becoming the next Tarantino or Aronofsky. Soon after their arrival, they realize that it isn't as easy as they thought, their rent is astronomical and back home is looking better and better by the minute. This doesn't have to be you.

 

Want to make it in the film business?

There are infite paths to success, but the following list is the most likely, and have the highest success rate, in no particular order.

Persistence, Persistence, Persistence

Persistence is the single best way to make it in the film business. You can't give up on anything in this business, how many times have you heard a writer or director talking about how it took them 5 years to get their project made? That is what it takes, you have to be willing to put in the time, make the connections that you need and use them to your advantage.

The biggest thing you have to get used to in this business is rejection. You send out 100 query letters for your script you've worked years on, and get only a few requests to read it, and from that, nobody is interested, that happens all the time. You need to send it out to 100 more producers, and if they aren't interested, send it out to 100 more, you get the picture. You have to keep your head up and keep going, if this is truly what you want to do, you will find a way to get that job you want, or to get a meeting with that agent or manager.

The bottom line is you can't give up. Be persistent and you'll go far in the film business.

Just Do It!

If you can't get someone to return your calls or your script never quite caught the attention of the producers and agents you sent it to, then you need to do it yourself. First though, you need to make sure you have really thought about the project, is it commercially viable, at least to some degree? Is it good? Why did no producer or agent want it? If you come up with answers to those questions that still don't satisfy you, then make the movie yourself.

Here's how:

Get as much money as you can gather yourself, credit cards, savings etc. If that is absolutely not possible, then send out an email to all of your family and friends explaining your film idea and your business plan and ask for investments. You will of course have to set up an llc, but that will be less than $1,000 total and then you can set up a bank account and you are good to go.

Use your connections, call or email everyone you know that may be able to get you a deal on equipment or locations or free services, you will need this. Most rental companies are pretty flexible about prices and you can haggle a lot with them. It is best to shoot during an off time so the equipment would be cheaper and you have more room to negotiate. On my first film, our grip truck went from $10,000 for 16 days down to $4,000 for that same period of time with some sweet talking. Turn on the charm and release your inner producer and get it done.

Then all you need are actors, and there are so many websites like www.nowcasting.com and hundreds of other resources, this shouldn't be a problem. You may even be able to get a SAG actor or two in the picture depending on your funds.

Sometimes when other people aren't willing to do things for you, you just have to do them yourself.

The Film Ladder

This might be the most common way to break in. The first step usually involves getting an internship at a production company, or on a picture. There are lots of good interships on the UTA Job List which you can find on our filmmaking jobs resources page. Sometimes, if you are lucky you can get a job in the mail room of a big agency or as an assistant at an agency or a small production company. Depends on what type of person you are but if you like being belittled, love long hours and not much pay to speak of, then the assistant route would be the way to go.

Just like with any job, if you put in the time and are willing to do the work, you will get promoted eventually. Most people that go the agency assistant route make a ton of connections for about a year and then move on to a development job or something similar at a production company. Most job postings that are decent will ask for at least one year of "agency experience" which basically tells them that if you lasted a year at an agency, you are serious about the film business.

Dumb Luck

While this isn't a really viable way to break in, it often plays an integral part. Being in the right place at the right time can mean the difference in a meeting or a job that you might get. Of course if you find yourself in one of these positions, you need to be prepared with that pitch for your latest screenplay or book rights that you managed to option, or with a good reason why this person should hire you.

I was reading Breaking In: How 20 Film Directors Got Their Start and the chapter on Ben Younger, the director of Boiler Room was talking about he met a guy at a restaurant that he was working at who ended up helping him get Boiler Room produced. Granted, he had a great script and idea, but that chance meeting basically started his career in film, and this type of story is all too familiar. So be prepared and get yourself out there and meet people, you never know who you might run into.

Option Property

This might be one of the best ways to get into the film business, but also probably one of the hardest. If you own the rights to a property such as a book or a toy or a famous story, anything, your chances of getting your foot in the door will skyrocket tremendously. Producers love to make movies about things that already have a fan base, whether it is something huge, like "Transformers" or "Spiderman", or something smaller like "The Notebook", there is an audience already built in.

True life stories are probably the easiest thing for an up-and-comer to get the rights to. You might have an uncle with an amazing war story, or a friend who is in the CIA that has a case he can discuss, just ask everyone you know, especially the ones with interesting jobs or lifestyles. Your best friend's uncle may have been a sniper in Vietnam and have a crazy story of survival that he never thought to make into a movie. This is an excellent way to get the rights to a story.

Another good way to find ideas and stories is to check the local newspaper, there are always interesting things popping up in there that would make great movies. If you find one you are interested in, call up the person in the story and ask to meet with them, and tell them you want to turn their story into a movie, they'll be excited most likely.

Once you have someone agree to "option" their life rights to you, you can use that to get meetings. Put together a fascinating pitch of the story and get to work getting it out there. Send it to producers, managers and agents, anyone you know or can get a recommendation to would help. A manager would be a good option for this situation as they can help develop the story with you and will know who might be interested.

The Bottom Line

Breaking into the film business isn't easy. Period. There are hundreds of peoople moving out to LA or NY with huge aspirations and then quickly realize that it is a lot tougher than they thought. There is hope though. If you really want to make and and are willing to put in the time and effort to make that happen no matter what, then that will show and people will recognize your passion and your talent. So don't give up, and get out there and make your dreams come true.