Lots of people ask me, “How did you get into the film business?”, and “How did you get into sound?” Well, it was really easy. This may not sound like an acceptable answer, as it’s very difficult for most everyone to get into the film business, and even more challenging to get into the department in which they so want to be. In fact, most people nowadays spend tens of thousands of their parent’s dollars to go to film schools, which they believe entitle them to eventually work in the motion picture business. The reality is, even graduating from a film school, or a college with a film curriculum, does not guarantee one’s success at working in the movie business. It actually requires something far more special….but it’s something we can all achieve.

So what, you ask, is that special something that gets one into the film business? Answer; likability! That’s right, the biggest secret to working in the film business is the innate character trait of being likable. After all, we have to spend thirteen to fifteen hours a day with you, at the least, we require that you are one who is…likable. We have to be able to hang out with you for a very long day, five days a week, four weeks a month, and at least nine months out of the year. If you’re working less than that you’re either in a bad filmmaking center, or your just not likable enough to hire on a consistent enough basis.

Okay, so that may sound awesome, and your all excited about going to work on the next film that rolls into town because you know that you got voted “Most Popular”, or “Most Likely to Succeed” in high school. You’ve got the personality, the character, and your sufficiently smart, so you’re convinced that you’re going to be a Hollywood filmmaker. Hold on a minute, there’s a lot more to this than just being likable. Sorry to get you all keyed up with the “Like” factor, but I had to start somewhere, and that’s what popped into my mind.

The next truth is, it takes experience. No, not just filmmaking experience. That’s a plus, and if you got it then flaunt it. No, the experience I’m talking about is…life. You need stuff and things that have happened to you in such a manner as to have caused you to learn through a process of struggling. You need to have grown as a human being. You have to have survived it and now have passion, drive, intuitiveness, some smarts, and a healthy dose of get-out-there-and-get-er-done! You’ve got to show that your proactive, that you’ll get up at 4 o’clock in the morning, drive an hour, show up early for work, anticipate problems and solutions, and keep a good attitude despite what crosses your path. This is very difficult to do on a daily basis, but it’s what gets people in the film business, and it’s what keeps them there for decades to come.

Working in the business is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. Once you get in it’s a long haul journey to retirement. It’s not for everyone, but those that get in, those that are able to stay in, and those that are able to excel in their crafts, are highly rewarded with remarkable experiences and a well above average income. And it all starts and ends with being likable.

In a way it seems to easy, right? Well it’s not. From my experience being a likable person is far more difficult then we might think. I’ve worked pretty damn hard at it and I think I still fall far short of where I’d like to be. I work with some amazing individuals…people who I rate as “One of life’s great people”. These folks don’t just have everything I mentioned above, they also inspire other people to do the same thing. That’s right, by their words, their attitudes, their actions, and their professional prowess they set the bar for all of us to reach up to. They’re incredible, and fortunately they are all over the place in the film business. It’s a global business. We’re competing against the best in the world. We’re working with the best, and we’re watching the best. When they’re at their best these people make us all look good. And there in lies the secret. If you want to work in the most amazing profession on the planet then you have to create an incredibly honest and caring person on the inside…first. Everything else you can learn on the job.

No film school can train you for what we do on set. It just can’t be done. The stake are too high, the leaders are too good, the creatives are too brilliant, the work is too hard, the hours are too long, the conditions are too strenuous, and the food is really, really good. No, you have to learn to be a filmmaker, or film worker, on set and in the trenches. That will take care of itself if you have the gumption to get your shit together on the inside….to create you as a smart, out-going, creative and….likable person. If you got that then I can assure you that someone will give you a chance.

A chance is what you need after you have fulfilled the important aspects I mentioned above. If you think you got what it takes to work in the film business then you have to go out and find someone who will give you a….chance. They’ll see it in your eyes. They’ll check out your body language and posture. They’ll listen to the sincerity and commitment in your voice. They’ll subtly test the passion and creativity through your language. But ultimately they’ll see if you’ve got two things. Are you likable, and do you have the capacity to learn with a minimal amount of resistance.

That’s where attitude comes in. You can have the aptitude to learn, but do you resist learning those things which you need to learn the most? Be honest with yourself. It’s a tough call. Learning gets to be real difficult when times are tough. You’ve got to let go. You’ve got to buck up and do the job even though you might think it’s a stupid process. You’re going to be tested in life. You’re going to be seriously tested in the film business. You better let go, open your mind and ears, and let the learning come through. If you can do that then you will achieve what I call…a good attitude.

Once you think you have some sort of rein on all of this then go out and find three people that are either working in the department that you would like to work in, or at least find three people that are working on the kind of motion pictures you want to work on. Inspire them to want to hire you. If and when they hook you up with a person, or better yet a job, then do the work and keep your eyes out for a department in which you would rather build your new film career. Good luck.

So how did I get into the film business. I did all of the above…I just didn’t know that I was doing it at the time.