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John
Student
Roxbury Township, New Jersey
9
Questions
Updated
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Industry vs Freelancing vs Indie directing?
Is freelancing the same as Indie directing? What separates these three? What are some pros and cons of all three? How do I succeed in each? And how do I switch from one to the other, such as switching from Industry directing to Freelancing? Will I have more control over the movie if I choose to freelance? Google has not helped me one bit.
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2 answers
Jimmy Hager
Screenwriter
4
Answers
Columbia, South Carolina
Updated
Jimmy’s Answer
Hi John,
First of all, everything Michelle said is spot on. Take her advice. My answers are from my personal experience as an actor and screenwriter.
So, let’s take these one at a time.
Q1. Is freelancing the same as Indie directing?
A1. While freelancing and indie directing can both involve working independently, they are not the same.
Freelancing typically involves providing services on a contract basis for various clients or companies. This could include a range of roles within the film industry, such as cinematography, editing, or sound design. Or simply writing or directing a script, getting paid, and moving on to the next project.
Indie directing, on the other hand, specifically refers to the role of directing a film that is produced independently of major studios. This often involves working on lower budgets and having more creative control over the project.
So, while freelancing in the film industry may involve working on indie productions, they are not synonymous terms.
Q2. What separates these three?
A2. Basically,
a. Money: How much you're getting paid for what you've been hired to do.
This $ figure is tied directly to the project's budget and your level of expertise. There's no set rule for indie work. But there are guidelines you can find on the WGA, SAG, P.G.A., etc. If it's a Union gig there’s a definite amount dictated by Union standards. And those standard pay structures are available online.
b. Creative Control: How much input will you have in determining what the audience sees on screen? Can you cut or add a scene, change dialogue, or rewrite sections of the story? Will you have the final say over what goes on in the editing room? Music score? Sound? Color? Here is a rule you should learn ASAP:
“You have no control beyond your responsibility, and no responsibility beyond your control.”
For instance, I am an independent screenwriter. When hired to write a script I have control over what goes on the page and it's my responsibility to deliver a finished script, covering a predetermined storyline, on time. I get 1/3 of the money upfront, 1/3 when I deliver a first draft, and 1/3 when the director/producer makes their changes and the final draft of the script is accepted. If it's a union gig the writer must be paid in full before filming can begin.
c. Time: How much time will it take to accomplish the job you've been hired to do? This depends entirely on your skill set and experience. See Michelle’s advice on film school and volunteering to help on a film shoot. If you want to be a writer study everything written by Robert McKee. Diligently. Get hardback copies of his books, get the Kindle version and the audio version. Read along while listening to the audio version.
What are some pros and cons of all three?
Pros: If you love movies, filmmaking is the most soul-satisfying work you’ll ever do. You will have fun no matter what part you play. Also, you have the satisfaction of knowing that your work is captured on screen forever.
Cons: It's all hard work that can create levels of frustration beyond anything in the real world. Long hours, weather, equipment failure,
Q. How do I succeed in each? A. Study, learn, absorb knowledge, basically follow Michelle’s advice. She pretty much nailed it. Check the Full Sail website, and make a list of the courses they offer. If you can't afford to take their classes, then pick a subject from their list and research it.
Q. And how do I switch from one to the other, such as switching from Industry directing to Freelancing?
Q. Will I have more control over the movie if I choose to freelance?
A. Not unless you are funding the movie. The person writing the check controls the movie. Unless you expressly get creative control written into your contract, you do the job you are being paid to do. That's it. Show and Business are two sides of the same coin. They go hand in hand. Without the Show, there's no business. Without the business, there is no show.
Now, after having said all this, none of it matters unless you have a Distributor. For more on how important a Distribution deal is, study these two films: Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and Jim Caviezel’s Sound of Freedom. There's a breathtaking gap between these two distribution deals. But the bottom line is this: Without a distribution deal there is no way to get your work in front of an audience. And without an audience, there are no ticket sales to recoup production costs.
Major Studios like Warner Brothers produce Movies just like Ford Motor Company produces cars and trucks. Movie theaters are like car dealerships for films.
You can join the Union and work under contract for a major studio, or you can go the independent route and call your own shots. The bottom line is this: It's called Show business for a reason. And that reason is to make money selling entertainment. Q. How do you succeed? Become so good in your chosen line of work that you become impossible to ignore. To do that, follow Michelle’s advice. And Study, Study. Study!
All the very best,
Jimmy Hager, screenwriter
PS: “I'm not an author, I don't have fans. I'm a writer, I have customers.”
— Mickey Spillane
First of all, everything Michelle said is spot on. Take her advice. My answers are from my personal experience as an actor and screenwriter.
So, let’s take these one at a time.
Q1. Is freelancing the same as Indie directing?
A1. While freelancing and indie directing can both involve working independently, they are not the same.
Freelancing typically involves providing services on a contract basis for various clients or companies. This could include a range of roles within the film industry, such as cinematography, editing, or sound design. Or simply writing or directing a script, getting paid, and moving on to the next project.
Indie directing, on the other hand, specifically refers to the role of directing a film that is produced independently of major studios. This often involves working on lower budgets and having more creative control over the project.
So, while freelancing in the film industry may involve working on indie productions, they are not synonymous terms.
Q2. What separates these three?
A2. Basically,
a. Money: How much you're getting paid for what you've been hired to do.
This $ figure is tied directly to the project's budget and your level of expertise. There's no set rule for indie work. But there are guidelines you can find on the WGA, SAG, P.G.A., etc. If it's a Union gig there’s a definite amount dictated by Union standards. And those standard pay structures are available online.
b. Creative Control: How much input will you have in determining what the audience sees on screen? Can you cut or add a scene, change dialogue, or rewrite sections of the story? Will you have the final say over what goes on in the editing room? Music score? Sound? Color? Here is a rule you should learn ASAP:
“You have no control beyond your responsibility, and no responsibility beyond your control.”
For instance, I am an independent screenwriter. When hired to write a script I have control over what goes on the page and it's my responsibility to deliver a finished script, covering a predetermined storyline, on time. I get 1/3 of the money upfront, 1/3 when I deliver a first draft, and 1/3 when the director/producer makes their changes and the final draft of the script is accepted. If it's a union gig the writer must be paid in full before filming can begin.
c. Time: How much time will it take to accomplish the job you've been hired to do? This depends entirely on your skill set and experience. See Michelle’s advice on film school and volunteering to help on a film shoot. If you want to be a writer study everything written by Robert McKee. Diligently. Get hardback copies of his books, get the Kindle version and the audio version. Read along while listening to the audio version.
What are some pros and cons of all three?
Pros: If you love movies, filmmaking is the most soul-satisfying work you’ll ever do. You will have fun no matter what part you play. Also, you have the satisfaction of knowing that your work is captured on screen forever.
Cons: It's all hard work that can create levels of frustration beyond anything in the real world. Long hours, weather, equipment failure,
Q. How do I succeed in each? A. Study, learn, absorb knowledge, basically follow Michelle’s advice. She pretty much nailed it. Check the Full Sail website, and make a list of the courses they offer. If you can't afford to take their classes, then pick a subject from their list and research it.
Q. And how do I switch from one to the other, such as switching from Industry directing to Freelancing?
Q. Will I have more control over the movie if I choose to freelance?
A. Not unless you are funding the movie. The person writing the check controls the movie. Unless you expressly get creative control written into your contract, you do the job you are being paid to do. That's it. Show and Business are two sides of the same coin. They go hand in hand. Without the Show, there's no business. Without the business, there is no show.
Now, after having said all this, none of it matters unless you have a Distributor. For more on how important a Distribution deal is, study these two films: Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and Jim Caviezel’s Sound of Freedom. There's a breathtaking gap between these two distribution deals. But the bottom line is this: Without a distribution deal there is no way to get your work in front of an audience. And without an audience, there are no ticket sales to recoup production costs.
Major Studios like Warner Brothers produce Movies just like Ford Motor Company produces cars and trucks. Movie theaters are like car dealerships for films.
You can join the Union and work under contract for a major studio, or you can go the independent route and call your own shots. The bottom line is this: It's called Show business for a reason. And that reason is to make money selling entertainment. Q. How do you succeed? Become so good in your chosen line of work that you become impossible to ignore. To do that, follow Michelle’s advice. And Study, Study. Study!
All the very best,
Jimmy Hager, screenwriter
PS: “I'm not an author, I don't have fans. I'm a writer, I have customers.”
— Mickey Spillane
Michelle M.
Entertainment Industry
1179
Answers
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hello, John !
Freelancing and being an independent film maker is about the same - you basically have your own production company and you find funders on your own to fund the film. The word "freelance" is more likely attached to other fields of work and it's a kind of old term, actually. In one of the major studios, you would have to pitch the script and convince the studio that your film would be commercial enough to make a lot of money for the studio, including overseas distribution. If they accept your script, they will change it to their liking so that it is more commercial and invest everything in their decision so the film will reach that six or seven figure profit. Studios are a business and they do make a lot of revenue and have stockholders to keep happy. There will be a contract that you will have to abide by. It is all done with legal counsel oversight.
If you open your own production company, you're the boss, but you will have to learn the ropes in film school about the ins and outs of executive producing, distribution, casting, pre and post production work and public relations. I would suggest watching the film, "Ed Wood". Although it is set in the 1950's, you will get an idea of a film maker who was doing things on his own without a studio involved. It is not modern, and it depicts bare bones film making, but I think it would be good for you to watch. Things are different today and that's why film school would be important for you. You certainly would have more control over the film if you freelance/produce independently.
It is too soon to think about a film you haven't written yet and what course it would take. These are things that are taught to you as a film student . The biggest reason is that you can't decide before you even go into the career which way you'll go about it. Sometimes the entertainment industry is spontaneous and things happen when you least expect it, so pre-calculating every minute detail doesn't help. Your focus is better targeted on the skills needed to become a film maker. The creativity, the collaborative work as a team and time management. No one can say how your career will go.
As a screenwriter, you can submit your scripts to as many places as you want and it's just a matter of waiting for that opportunity. No one can tell you exactly what will happen. Before you move to L.A., while you are still in your home town, find out what nearby college has a Film or Communication Studies department and ask if you can audit a film class. You need in person guidance for this career. Ask a film student if you can shadow during the shoot of one of their student films or even volunteer in some capacity with the film. Once the work becomes real to you, take each experience for what it is and know that many of your questions will definitely be answered first hand.
I hope that this has been helpful and I urge you to explore in your area, become exposed to local film production companies and even explore a bit in nearby New York City. I suggest going to SAG-AFTRA - the union . Visit them in person at 1900 Broadway, 5th floor in Manhattan. Introduce yourself and they will know a lot of answers to your questions. It's also best to get different perspectives and the most updated information about things, too.
I hope this has been helpful. Have a great day !
Freelancing and being an independent film maker is about the same - you basically have your own production company and you find funders on your own to fund the film. The word "freelance" is more likely attached to other fields of work and it's a kind of old term, actually. In one of the major studios, you would have to pitch the script and convince the studio that your film would be commercial enough to make a lot of money for the studio, including overseas distribution. If they accept your script, they will change it to their liking so that it is more commercial and invest everything in their decision so the film will reach that six or seven figure profit. Studios are a business and they do make a lot of revenue and have stockholders to keep happy. There will be a contract that you will have to abide by. It is all done with legal counsel oversight.
If you open your own production company, you're the boss, but you will have to learn the ropes in film school about the ins and outs of executive producing, distribution, casting, pre and post production work and public relations. I would suggest watching the film, "Ed Wood". Although it is set in the 1950's, you will get an idea of a film maker who was doing things on his own without a studio involved. It is not modern, and it depicts bare bones film making, but I think it would be good for you to watch. Things are different today and that's why film school would be important for you. You certainly would have more control over the film if you freelance/produce independently.
It is too soon to think about a film you haven't written yet and what course it would take. These are things that are taught to you as a film student . The biggest reason is that you can't decide before you even go into the career which way you'll go about it. Sometimes the entertainment industry is spontaneous and things happen when you least expect it, so pre-calculating every minute detail doesn't help. Your focus is better targeted on the skills needed to become a film maker. The creativity, the collaborative work as a team and time management. No one can say how your career will go.
As a screenwriter, you can submit your scripts to as many places as you want and it's just a matter of waiting for that opportunity. No one can tell you exactly what will happen. Before you move to L.A., while you are still in your home town, find out what nearby college has a Film or Communication Studies department and ask if you can audit a film class. You need in person guidance for this career. Ask a film student if you can shadow during the shoot of one of their student films or even volunteer in some capacity with the film. Once the work becomes real to you, take each experience for what it is and know that many of your questions will definitely be answered first hand.
I hope that this has been helpful and I urge you to explore in your area, become exposed to local film production companies and even explore a bit in nearby New York City. I suggest going to SAG-AFTRA - the union . Visit them in person at 1900 Broadway, 5th floor in Manhattan. Introduce yourself and they will know a lot of answers to your questions. It's also best to get different perspectives and the most updated information about things, too.
I hope this has been helpful. Have a great day !