tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578728360904637566.post900551907790377947..comments2024-01-11T03:09:43.960-08:00Comments on The Hills Are Burning: "Back In The Good Ol' Days..."A.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06280771470428710391noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578728360904637566.post-83840758766340113072011-07-31T15:29:45.941-07:002011-07-31T15:29:45.941-07:00D - I agree. Finding a niche in this ever changing...D - I agree. Finding a niche in this ever changing industry is absolutely critical to keeping yourself employed.<br /><br />Michael - I find it interesting how things were different back in the day, yet the same. You're right: we're in a digital era now, with things being much different than they were five years ago, let alone ten or fifteen. But at it's core, many things remain the same, such as needing to stay current in order to survive and telling the new kid how much better things used to be. :)A.J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06280771470428710391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578728360904637566.post-23965762966807893062011-07-22T17:18:20.519-07:002011-07-22T17:18:20.519-07:00I heard it too, many times when I was younger, and...I heard it too, many times when I was younger, and have made my own version of that speech more than once in the past few years.<br /><br />It's true -- things really were a lot better back then, particularly in terms of money. Twenty years ago I could work a hundred days a year and make more than $60K -- which would be close to a $100K in today's funny money. Now I have to work at least a hundred and fifty days per year to make the equivalent of $30K back then. <br /><br />But that's just me. Everybody's career arc is different, and mine went the way it did due to circumstance and my own decisions. Besides, it's all relative. When I was starting out, making a quality independent feature was extremely difficult. Film stock, camera rentals, and all the other necessary equiment was very expensive. Now you can shoot a feature with a digital still camera and edit it on your laptop at home. A lot more people can now make movies than ever before.<br /><br />Change and the passage of time giveth and taketh away. It doesn't matter how much better things were (or weren't) back in the day because that was then and this is now. For the most part, I try not to yield to the temptation to give that speech to my younger co-workers. Their careers will be forged in this new era, not the past that I came up in -- so there's no reason to beat them over the head with it. It's better for everyone if I just shut the fuck up.<br /><br />D is dead right -- the important thing is to acquire and constantly update specialized skills to stay ahead of the downward curve. Become a good dolly grip, dimmer op, gaffer or DP. Stay sharp and on top of new developments in your field. Become irreplaceable. The guy (or girl) who just carries cable or sandbags for a living will increasingly be at the mercy of the larger forces of change at work in Hollywood and beyond.Michael Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02569781786039595929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578728360904637566.post-3896571626291159402011-07-21T23:59:49.256-07:002011-07-21T23:59:49.256-07:00I've been hearing that same speech since I was...I've been hearing that same speech since I was the youngest on the crew (not that long ago). I used to get demoralized by it but I realized that its as old as the film industry itself. I find myself saying it now. Truth is, the industry has changed. But it always has. Everything is a cycle. Now the difference is that instead of Canada, they are going to shreveport. believe me, its not that much different than it was twenty years ago. You have to specialize and you have to be excellent or some giabone will take your place at a lower price.Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08466991423411721535noreply@blogger.com