During the last month, I’ve spoken at a number of church media conferences, and time after time, I’ve met church media directors and filmmakers who tell me their real goal is to produce and direct feature films. I’m thrilled at the ambition, but there’s often a bit of a disconnect, because I’m not really seeing them actively moving in that direction. So as a public service, here’s some advice from people who understand where you’re coming from and have some recommendations about a movie career:
Tips on Switching From Church Media Pro to Movie Career
From Ralph Winter –
Producer of X-Men, Wolverine, Planet of the Apes, Star Trek, Adrift, Hocus Pocus 2, and many more. Essentially, Ralph has spent most of his career producing $200 million movies. Here’s what he’d recommend:
It’s all about the story. That sounds easy, but it’s not. Only 1% of the scripts I read are any good at all. Which means it’s not about having the right script software, it’s about talent. All stories have value, no doubt – but knowing what story an audience will pay for is different.
It’s also important to understand that it is a business. Play for the long game, a movie career, not just one movie. And it’s not just about production – how will you market and distribute the finished film? If you don’t consider that, it’s just a home movie.
For example, 5,000 movies are submitted to the Sundance Film Festival every year:
125 get chosen to be screened for audiences.
10 get bought by a studio or distributor.
2 make money.
I’m not trying to scare you off a movie career, but the bottom line is that if you are taller than 6’2” you have a better chance of playing in the NBA.
– Ralph Winter
(See page two for Korey Scott Pollard’s tips on a movie caeer.)
