Film Students Workshop

I conduct a workshop in Hollywood on how to load film. I was surprised at the turnout AND the participation. Long since forgot what it meant to be young and idealistic with goals. They are driven. Anyone who showed up meant they were serious about their craft. A few were in film schools and it got me thinking about the ones that aren't serious about it. I rarely hear from those people, because they are just trying to get a grade to satisfy the parents. Most are foreign people who probably were too rambunctious to be doctors (ahem...Chinese).

Sometimes it does trouble me though. They have so much drive and ambition, it's hard to tell them that most of them won't get their dreams realized. It's a numbers game and most of us are pushed to the sidelines. It's not a bad place to be actually, but most people wanted the brass ring.

It's not really my thing to tell people that their dreams won't come true. That's what time tells you. And who says it won't. But the odds are not in their favor. And quite frankly, what I'm trying to convey is that it isn't bad just being off the bleachers and on the bench. For me, I saw where the future was and I didn't want any part (more like they didn't want any part of me). To me, I liked the way things were made in a certain era. To the business side, they had to follow fads and trends. Don't and will never blame them for trying to keep themselves afloat. You do what you have to. But in the case of the kids going to film school and desperately wanting to make it in Hollywood, I tell them the same thing...stay where you are. And it's from blogs I've posted in the past about how you get less to nothing done in this town over your own town. Because in your hometown, you have 18 years of knowledge (I'm presuming) and they all want to help you. In Hollywood, NO ONE wants to help you (I'm trying hard to change that). I've been tongue lashed a ton of times for trying to get a deal on equipment and studio space (I've done my own belittling when people come to me for things...ugh). It's that this town is FULL of professionals and no one suffers fools. At least no one going to the top. So what I see are many women dressing sexily and flirting to get what they want. This is desperation, and if you were a real man (not Harvey Weinstein), you wouldn't take advantage of it. Yes, I know that the previous axiom was that you don't turn down free pussy, unless you're a homo. To me, real men focused on craft. Peckinpah, Fuller, Kurosawa, Friedkin never talked about their sexual conquest...they made fucking movies. And then passed their knowledge to who wanted to know.
My best boy electric on a short film I was gaffer on years ago is now David Fincher's cinematographer. You can just tell the young people who cared. And I sensed he was going on to bigger things. Professional to the max.

So, if you're ever in a place in Hollywood to be a mentor, don't take advantage of it. Use their positive driven energy to fuel your own mental state.