Ok, If You Make a Right Angle With Your Thumb and Forefinger on Both Hands, Then Put Them Together, It Makes a Viewfinder...Forget it...MOVIES!

Ah, the lights, the cameras, the celebrities, the glitz and glamour that is the movie business. Other than a Mennonite student or two, movies have been an enormous part of my students' lives. If you ask your average 18 year old what they would like to do for a living, at least 8 out of 10 will tell you they want to be involved in the film industry in one way or another. Most of us get stars in our eyes when someone mentions "Hollywood" and it's easy to understand why. Just think about surrounding yourself with famous people on a daily basis, making a huge salary, and being "creative" (whatever that means) all the time...wouldn't you want to do that too? Hell, I would.

But none of these fanciful imaginings will actually prepare you for a career in the movie business--or for majoring in film or cinema. What do you really need to know? Here are some helpful hints:

1). The Old Studio System Is Dead. Like it or not, the old way of establishing a career in films is no more. People used to be able to work their way up from menial positions (from intern to director)--that's not the case anymore. Most of the major movie studios are owned by large corporations now and the primary goal of those corporations is to make money on their films. Movie tie-ins with products are a HUGE portion of film revenue. The major players and executives at the studios have MBAs from Harvard...they didn't "come up the hard way". If you are serious about a career in film, recognize what kind of industry you're moving toward and prepare yourself accordingly. If you are interested in the administrative aspects of film, consider getting that MBA. If you are looking at a more specific career (lighting, camera, sound), plan your educational path to suit that field.

2). Consider Supply v. Demand. Think about how alluring the movie industry is to you. Now multiply that by millions and you'll understand the sheer number of people who are vying for a select number of jobs in the film industry. It is absolutely vital that you stand out amongst your peers. It is enormously helpful if you have a degree from a well-established film school (if you are considering directing or screenwriting especially)--NYU and UCLA are at the top of the list. Because these programs are highly selective (just like the film industry in general...funny how that works), an undergrad degree from one of them isn't always possible. If you can get a degree in film from a remotely decent program, you are doing yourself a favor. Do yourself another favor and really push yourself. Add in a second major that will compliment your area of interest in the movie business (interested in screenwriting? Consider English. Interested in producing? Look at Business as a second major.) No matter what you do, make sure you do something you are actually interested in! Your grades are incredibly important because chances are very good that you will apply to grad school at NYU or UCLA.

3). Prepare Yourself! Yes, we have this ideal of movie sets being incredibly glamorous. We picture a life of relative ease in the movie biz...but that's simply not the case. If you've spent any time at all in the entertainment industry, you will know that 18 hour days are not unheard of. If you're doing a location shoot for a low-budget film, you will have a very limited amount of time in any set location. You have to work quickly and efficiently. There is no time for lounging, or coffee breaks. You work until you're done (you're not an "hourly" employee on a set, you're paid for the shoot as a whole).

4). There Are More Jobs Than Just "Writer" or "Director". We often spend too much time focusing on "above the title" jobs (people whose names and job titles appear above the title of the film in the credits). But let's be honest, most Hollywood writers end up writing by committee (one writer will have an idea and then the script will be re-worked and then re-worked again...every person who touches the script will, providing they have a savvy enough agent, get "written by" credit). Some of the "big name" Hollywood directors actually allow their assistant directors to do all of the major work on a given film. Once they have reached a certain level of status, their name is enough to ensure an audience. Finding a job in film is the same as finding a profession elsewhere...look for something that highlights your strengths! Know as much as you can about the types of jobs within the industry and then pursue an educational path that will help you in that direction. For a listing of "studio" jobs, look at EntertainmentCareers.net (http://www.entertainmentcareers.net/data/studiostructure.asp) This site has excellent descriptions of careers within the studio system. ProductionHub (http://www.productionhub.com/) breaks down film/television jobs into categories (Crew/Technicians, Pre-Production, Production, Post-Production, Equipment/Gear, Digital Media, Support Services, and Talent Services) and is a subscription job search site.

5). Experience, Experience, Experience. Let's be honest, you have no idea what working in film is like until you actually do it...so do it as much as you can. Don't get bogged down with the idea (at least for now) of getting paid for your work...that will come with time and experience. Get yourself behind the camera and start learning the equipment. Talk to as many people as you possibly can, take notes, read everything. Get comfortable with the format of screenplays (they take some getting used to)--try your hand at writing them. Write down images and situations that interest you, that make you laugh, that make you think. Watch every movie you can get your hands on (seriously, you're going to meet some ridiculously pretentious people who will want to talk about tons of obscure little films. Won't it be fun to know what they're talking about...and tell them their ideas are totally wrong?) Yes, I know you've heard all of this advice before, but I'm repeating it because it matters, and because it's going to make your life easier in the long run.

More than anything else, you need to be smart about your career and education planning. There isn't a huge percentage of the population who makes a living working in this business...and there's a reason for that. Like all of the arts majors I advise, you have to love what you do (and exclude a lot of other things from your life) in order to be successful.