Hollywood Drive: What it Takes to Break in, Hang in & Make it in the Entertainment Industry

401 Pages·2005·2.31 MB·English

by  Eve Light Honthaner

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H O L LY W O O D
D R I V E
What It Takes to
Break In, Hang In & Make It
in the Entertainment Industry
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H O L LY W O O D
D R I V E
What It Takes to
Break In, Hang In & Make It
in the Entertainment Industry
Eve Light Honthaner
AMSTERDAM • BOSTON • HEIDELBERG • LONDON
NEW YORK • OXFORD • PARIS • SAN DIEGO
SAN FRANCISCO • SINGAPORE • SYDNEY • TOKYO
Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier
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Acquisition Editor: Elinor Actipis
Project Manager: Kristin Macek
Assistant Editor: Cara Anderson
Marketing Manager: Mark Hughes
Cover Design: William Harrold
Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier
30 Corporate Drive, Suite 400, Burlington, MA 01803, USA
Linacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP, UK
Copyright © 2005, Eve Light Honthaner. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier’s Science & Technology Rights
Department in Oxford, UK: phone: [phone], fax: [phone],
e-mail:
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Through all the joys, challenges, accomplishments and bumps along the way, my life
has been enriched and my career choices always made easier with the unwavering
support of my husband, Ron.
He’s always here for me—helping me with everything and anything, cheering me on,
keeping me humble and constantly reminding me of how much I’m loved.
He’s the best . . . and this book is dedicated to him.
And in loving memory of two very dear and very talented friends who are both
deeply missed:
Ray Storey (Production Designer and Writer)
&
Keith Wester (Production Sound Mixer)
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Contents
Introduction xiii
1 Fade In on Reality 1
Having What It Takes 2
Reality Stings 3
Attend Film School or Jump Right In? 5
Making Coffee Instead of Movies 8
Hollywood Means Business—Know Why You’re Here 13
2 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 19
The Good News First 20
Pros From the Pros 21
The Less Glamorous Aspects 23
Cons From the Pros 25
As In Life, This Industry Is Not Fair 28
3 Key Ingredients to a Successful Career 31
Passion! Passion! And More Passion! 31
Being Prepared 32
It’s Who You Know and Who Knows You 33
It’s Also What You Know about the Industry 34
Understanding the Power of Networking 35
Having a Plan, and Committing to Your Success 36
Standing Out Among the Crowd 37
Donning a Teflon Coat 38
Perfecting Your Craft 38
Having Good Interview Skills 39
Being Able to Ask for What You Want 40
A Winning Attitude 40
A Willingness and an Ability to Play the Game 41
Being Well Liked and Having a Good Reputation 42
vii
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viii Hollywood Drive _____________________________________________
A Game Plan for Getting Through the Rough Times 43
Remembering the Five “P”s 43
4 Career Options 45
Freelance Vs. Staff 46
Being Part of a Crew 48
Unions and Guilds 50
Independents Vs. Studio Films 52
Features Vs. Television 55
The Majors 56
More Staff Possibilities 65
An Agent’s Life 66
The Many Faces of a Producer 70
Production Management 75
5 Some Other Interesting Choices 81
Post Production 81
International Distribution 83
Unit Publicity 85
The Script Doctor 87
The Educator 88
Music 89
Commercials 92
Reality TV 93
Casting 95
Extras Casting 96
Continuity 97
Location Management 99
Studio Operations and Administration 101
New Media 103
6 Life Will Not Go According to Plan 105
If You Have No Plan
Finding Your Passion 106
Know Where You’re Going and How You’re Going to Get There 107
Setting Goals 109
Keeping Yourself on Track 111
Managing Your Time 112
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______________________________________________________ Contents ix
Keeping on Track (form) 113
Your Vision and Mission 115
Being in the Right Place at the Right Time 117
7 Starting Out 121
Moving to Tinseltown 121
Being a Big Fish in a Small Market or a Small
Fish in a Large Market 123
Skills to Fall Back On 124
The Merits of Working for Free 126
The Mailroom 129
Temp Agencies 131
Network Opportunities 135
Other Considerations 137
8 Job Search Strategies 141
Looking for Work Is Uncomfortable 141
Finding Your Market 142
Likely Targets 144
Likely Targets (form) 145
Company Profile & Follow-up (form) 146
Learning How to Sell Yourself 147
The Personal Pitch 149
The Recommendation of Others 151
You Never Know Where It’s Going to Come From 152
Being Able to Ask for What You Want 153
Shameless Self-Promotion 154
9 The Resume and Cover Letter 159
The Resume Pile 159
The Cover Letter 161
Resume Guidelines 166
Advice From the Resume Goddess 171
The Resume 171
An Acting Resume 175
The Follow-Up 175
When to Use a Bio 178
Safeguarding Your Resume and Headshots 179