Directors Guild of America

What is the Directors Guild of America? It’s more than 15,000 members of a labor organization protecting the legal and artistic rights for directors and their teams.  The DGA was formed in 1936 by some of the most known directors in Hollywood. They forged the DGA through decades of constant issues with production companies. There was a lack of job security, threats of being fired, and no creative freedom before the guild was formed.

Back in the 1900’s the cameraman, producer, or the production company had full control over the picture. The director wasn’t even involved in the editing process at all, and wasn’t called to production until just before the filming started.  At this time the director’s position was still being formed, and sound hadn’t quite hit the scene yet. Before the guild was formed there was a group called Motion Pictures Directors Association, but was really more of a secret society. It was not a guild or a union. There wasn’t any benefits or job security that the MPDA provided. In the beginning their only intent was to straighten up the reputation of Hollywood and motion pictures.

Finally when sound made its way to motion pictures in the 1930's, directors still had almost no creative freedom, and a complete lack of compensation. In 1933 Congress stepped in with the National Industrial Recovery Act giving unions the rights to collective bargaining. The Writers Guild and the Screen Actors Guild was formed in 1933 as well, but still nothing for the directors. In 1935 the National Labor Relations Board formed and thousands of crew joined the IATSE. Paramount’s last attempt was to force directors to take pictures assigned to them or be fired. This was the moment thirteen directors met up at King Vidor’s house. The guild was formed. At that time it was called The Screen Directors Guild.

Not only do director’s now have creative freedom, but security, privacy, contracts, and rights. They have pensions, 401K, health benefits, and job security. There’s committee’s, awards, education, and much more. Without the battle the directors fought in the 1930’s with the production companies, the DGA may have never been formed, and directing may have been extinct.

One of the biggest impacts the DGA works towards is the production incentives. The DGA works with each state with active incentive’s to keep film production within the United States. This is a huge impact not only for all directors, but also future aspiring directors like myself. Without tax credits, Section 181, American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, and the help of the DGA film production could easily move to another country. This would not only impact directors, but the entire movie industry as well as the United States as a country. Hollywood is the mother to Motion Pictures, and will always remain to be.  

Sitting at the Table

While reviewing TED talks this week I thought about who inspires me. Someone I could look up to and absorb motivation from.  I immediately thought of Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook. TED Talks Not just because of her amazing experiences with working at Google and Facebook, but because she’s a successful businesswoman, wife, and mother. Sheryl encourages other woman not just to strive for excellence, but also to be comfortable in wanting to, and wanting more. Sheryl teaches woman to sit at the table, raise your hand, ask questions, and don't walk away before going away. It’s okay to want it all, and to have it all, if that’s what you want.

Sheryl is the minority because she’s a woman. She’s a successful COO of a major company. This is a position that is usually male dominant.  Sheryl talks about a company she went to for a board meeting of sorts, and she noticed the CEO of the company, she was visiting, was finicky during the break. This was due to the fact he had no idea where the woman’s restroom was. Sheryl had thought this was maybe due to the fact that they have recently moved to the building.  When finding out the company had been in the building for over a year, it had dawned on her that she was the first woman to have ever been there for a board meeting.

This is a scenario that is far too common. Women need to step to the plate, and take a swing rather than sitting on the bench watching the game.  Sheryl talks in depth about overcoming, leaning in, and sitting at the table in her book Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead.  Check out book here. This speaks to me not just because I am a woman, but I am also in a male dominant industry. With the motivation from Sheryl Sandberg I know I can and will step up, negotiate, lean in, and ask questions. I want to contribute to a world that is 50/50  not only in the home, but also in the workforce!

Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube Oh My!

In today’s day and age it’s all about social media. More than half of the planet is connected to at least one platform of social media. According to statistic brain the total percentage of 18-24 year olds who already use social media is 98%. That 98% is our future. There are almost half a billion YouTube users per month. Which is exactly the reason why any independent filmmaker, film producer and marketer, or any student trying to showcase their work should be taking advantage of developing their brand on social media.  Anyone can make a post, tweet, or upload a video, but who’s listening and watching? The only way to get likes, followers, and subscribers is to build your brand.

You must know who you are, what you are doing, where you want to go. What is your message, who is your target audience, and what is your intent. This is the first step in developing your brand for social media.

According to Jason Osder on Lynda you should stop trying to pull people in; go to where your audience is to engage them. Make connections with others. Don’t expect viewers if you are not willing to view other videos. This will also allow you to see what else is out there, too. Make sure your style and brand is consistent and evolves. Don’t jump from one style to another over night. If someone likes what they see they will be back for more, so continue with your posts and videos. There’s always how to videos and tutorials on YouTube about branding and marketing.

Utilize sources like Tweet Deck and Hoot Suite to get real live topic updates. The who’s talking about what, then engage them through twitter. This encounter can lead them to your Facebook or YouTube. Which is where you want them to go to subscribe and like your content.

As an independent filmmaker it is sometimes difficult to get an audience to view your work. These are a few tips that I have learned along the way.

Before the lights, camera, and action!

There's a saying that goes "It takes a whole village to raise a child". It also takes a tremendous amount of crew to put together a production. I've had the privilege to work on some amazing tours and events this past summer.  Mrs. Carter tour Beyoncé, The Legends of Summer JT and Jay Z Philly.com, Justin Bieber, Eagles Eagles Band, and WWE Paid Per View Money in the Bank just to name a few.

Some shows can be an average size production, taking just a day to set up / load in and break down / load out.  Other shows can be a large production taking several days to set up / load in, and a few days to break down / load out. There are tours that are only 15 tracker trailer loads, and there are larger tours that are up to 50 tracker trailer loads.

This is where the importance of a production manager comes into place. What is a production manager? A production manager is someone who takes care of all the transportation of the equipment. They know exactly what equipment they have, and how it gets packed. They travel with the road crew, and they know exactly how many stagehands they need. The production manager knows the timeline of the set up to the minute, the diagram of all the lights, and all the measurements of the staging.  They handle any technical issues during the tour. They also set up all meals for the crew while at the venues. For more information on what tour management does check out Tour Concepts.

In my current position I work with audio, video, lighting, and carpentry crews. I’m working my way up from the bottom. I’m learning every facet in the production of a concert. 

The next time you go see someone in concert. Remember that it has taken countless hours as well as hundreds of crewmembers to get the stage, lights, audio, and video ready!

Who turns on the lights?

In this day and age in time almost everyone, at one time or another has gone to a concert or show, but have you ever stopped and wondered who turns on all those lights? Who puts the stage together, how did the equipment get set up, how is there sound out towards the crowd, how did those speakers get all the way up there, where does the power come from, and who sets up all this stuff?

I’m sure out of the 200,000 people who will be stopping in on the 10-day event down in Austin, Texas called the South by Southwest (SXSW) someone will be thinking about it.

According to Rachel Magee, President of IATSE Local 205, “We have stagehands all over, union and non-union, and I think we need to reflect on all the people who make this such a successful event every year”.

Terry Hale who not only is the bassist for George Strait’s Ace in the Hole, but also is the President of the American Federation of Musicians Local 433 said, “Musicians and their audiences cannot thrive without the hard work behind the scenes and in supporting roles”. AFL-CIO

The Texas Tornadoes drummer, Ernie Durawa, said, “Stagehands, mechanics, electricians, bus drivers, caterers, security and many other categories help make concerts work”.

A show of this caliber takes thousands of workers, long hours of multiple days to set up and prepare for an event like this one. There are hours and hours of prep time prior to the build, and lot of time for safety to create this event.

The South by Southwest is a 10 daylong event of music, film, and technology that is internationally known for some times introducing us to the “next big thing”.  Approximately 200,000 people or more attend this event. Not to mention the hundreds of filmmakers, musicians, workers, and more.

Check out SXSW for more info.