 Graduates from a Film Studies program have a new opportunity in film
& video production. Of course, with all opportunity comes a
challenge - and in this case, the challenge is to locate financing
for your, or your employer's, projects.
With the advent of digital equipment the scope of film & video
production has widened. The usual Hollywood styled film production
is no longer the only route to a career for film graduates. There
are a multitude of opportunities in audio and visual applications
throughout business, government and the entertainment industry. That
means OPPORTUNITY for the keenest graduates to fabricate their own
film & video projects, or to land the most engaging positions with
leading film & video production companies.
Financing has been a dirty word for years in the film industry. The
'Blue Suits' and the cold heart of the banker are synonymous with
the foe of the creative. However, in this new era of opportunity you
need to be both the 'Blue Suit' and the creative.
How do you locate a way to learn about film financing, film
budgeting, etc.? First let's see at Film Studies programs.
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There are so many Film Study programs available now that I locate it
confusing, and I've worked in the film industry for over 20 years.
The Universities are taking a Liberal Arts degree approach to their
curriculums, and the Colleges/Schools are primarily taking a
hands-on technical approach. In either case, it is unarguable that
Film Studies is gigantic business. The following excerpt from The
New York Times Company, published
March 6, 2005, made it sure to me how big a business Film Studies
really is:
"Some 600 colleges and universities in the United States offer
programs in film studies or related subjects, a number that has
grown steadily over the years.... At the University of Southern
California, whose School of Cinema-Television is the nation's oldest
film school (established in 1929), fully half of the university's
16,500 undergraduate students take at least one cinema/ television
class."
Which College, School or University will best prepare the graduate
for a career in film & video? If a student has invested 2 to 4 years
of their lives in this degree, how can they turn it into a
worthwhile career?
Let's see what the Universities say about their own programs, and
the nice of results they expect - that is, what the Graduate will be
capable of when entering the work force. This promotional letter,
posted upon one University's web site, says it all:
"A major in Film Studies is not an occupational or professional
degree. A sound program of studies in this discipline, however,
should qualify a student for a variety of vocational possibilities.
Obviously an individual will need to employ his or her knowledge
about film in either a creative or a practical capacity and, in
either case, exercise the judgment and initiative that a rigorous
pursuit of a major in Film Studies should produce."
The use of 'should' twice in three sentences tells the story - it's
up to you, Bud!
Film Studies programs (at any level) either don't address, or don't
address strongly enough, the major force behind all film and video
production - the MONEY! If the word money is brought up at every,
it's only a handshake and a nod. Most undergraduate programs have
very tiny mention of Film Budgeting, and such things as Cost Reports
and Business Plans are treated as foreign topics entirely. The
Masters programs are only slightly better.
The reason for the void of information upon such things as Film
Budgets, Cost Reports, etc. in the academic sector originates from
the gigantic Hollywood production machine. The perpetual
negotiations with the three vast guilds (SAG, DGA and WGA), as well
as with the IATSE & Teamster crew unions has forced the producing
studios to be extremely confidential.
That era of total confidentiality isn't over, still there is a huge
request to know more about film financing, film budgeting, etc. The
new crop of Independent Film & Video makers want to make their own
projects, locate their own financing and do their own film budgeting
and reporting of production costs. It is even increasingly possible
for producers to distribute their own projects over the internet.
Believe me, the film school graduate who has a thorough
understanding of their Film Studies program, AND understands the
basic processes of Film Budgeting, Cost Reporting and Business
Plans, is light-years ahead of the pack. A film studies graduate who
can help prepare a financing package (that is, help to prepare a
Film Budget and a simple Business Plan) would absolutely blow away
any Independent Film & Video Production company. Can you imagine an
Independent Producer who wouldn't LOVE to have help with preparing
and presenting a financing package?
I used to assume that the film students had a lack of interest in
Film Budgeting and Costs (of any nice). Not anymore. I recently did
a survey of film students at a respected film school. Here are the
results of the survey:
Over 80% of the students said they felt it was important to know
more about budgeting and how it affected their careers as
filmmakers.
Film & Video production is one of the biggest industries in THE
WORLD (next to weapon manufacturing, of course). The broad spread
use of digital medium has created a new opportunity. That
opportunity, although less costly than the Hollywood style film
productions we've grown used to, is still costly and requires
financing. How do you profit that financing? Where do you begin?
Answer: You start with the basics of Film Budgeting, Cost Reporting
and very simple Business Plans. If you can calculate a focal point,
or learn how to operate a video camera, a Film Budget is a fragment
of cake.
Based upon my experience over the past 20 years in the film
industry, I can confidently say:
1. Graduates from Film Study programs who know the basics of film &
video production money (Budgeting, Cost Reporting and Business
Plans) will find they can take upon more responsibility in their
film & video projects, and
2. as a result will have more successful careers than their peers
who haven't learned to prepare Film Budgets, who don't understand
any production's Cost Report and who never saw a simple Business
Plan.
So how does a film student gain familiar with Budgets, Cost Reports
and a simple Business Plan? I've been a Production Auditor for 20
years and I've NEVER shown a crewmember a Final Budget or a Weekly
Cost Report (the universally standard financial report card issued
to the Financiers and Producers every week) in that entire time.
They are considered sacrosanct by Studio Executives, Producers and
Financiers everywhere.
Well, I'm about to tease you with some relevant articles that will
open the door enough to let you walk through. They're written for
the complete novice, so be patient if you've already been exposed to
budgets and cost reports. |
