Risk Aversion

If you’ve been in Los Angeles and your goal was to make movies, and you haven’t done anything…you don’t have the heart to work in this town. Hustling is a past time here. You should always get out an schmooze. As much as your wallet will allow you to. That goes against a lot of principles I have. One being begging is for shit. Though, we ARE talking about Hollywood, so forget you had principles, because no one cares, and the people you tell will laugh.

Maybe you’re paralyzed at the prospect of failing. It’s not too hard to get discouraged since as you drive around town, all you see are failures. Their idea of failing meant never getting back up. It’s REALLY easy to get to that point. A fine line between us all. And a single moment. It’s always been that way. Some titans that ran studios back in the day ended up screaming at imaginary birds swarming him at Glassell Park. That fear should be motivating. Though pushing you deeper into the midst of the movie system. Which, if you’re not making things for yourself, you’re dancing with many devils.

I think ignorance is typically the best. The more you know, the less you are inclined to do much in Hollywood. If your goal is to direct movies, do it and don’t let someone like me tell you otherwise. The minute you lose the edge of going forward without proper knowledge is the day you will wash out in less than five years. People like me have seen what foolhardy productions become. It is MY story not your own. That’s the other thing about guys like me in this town. I regale you with tales of woe in the trenches, but it doesn’t mean your attempt will yield same results. There are no common results here. I think that’s why so many people ignore me about it. The sky is falling.

I’m trying to remember if anyone had told ME about how cruel the movie business can be. A couple of teachers hinted at it. But my professors were failed filmmakers, so what can they say in class? Being ignorant is actually really nice. You have the whole world to explore. People WILL take advantage of you. But, with ignorance, the newbie tends to bounce back from it. It generally takes YEARS for the reality to sink in. And many bad experiences. Then they’ll write poison blogs. I laugh at my stupidity and courage.

Which takes me back to my original point. Have courage and be aware of your risk aversion. Skittish folk wanting to get into movies is like a blind hunter trying to kill a deer with dynamite. It may work, but you’re going to bring down the forest around you to get there.