Cinema

There are many forms of entertainment that bring people together, but there is only one form that can combine all of the other types of entertainment. That form is movies and shows. However, there is one industry behind the movies and shows that people watch all around the world, and that is the film industry or cinema. The film industry is a collection of technological companies that produce movies and shows, or films. Another word for what the film industry does is filmmaking, the degree that I have decided to pursue. However, as a child I grew up wanting to become a teacher. Then, in middle school I changed my mind and wanted to be a graphic designer. Instead of studying graphic design, I changed my mind one last time and settled on working in the film industry. I have always wondered what happened behind the scenes in my favorite shows and movies. I wanted to contribute to the films and see my name in the credits. However, to work in the film industry, a person has to learn about camera operation, editing, script writing, screenwriting, lighting, folly, and sound.

Filmmaking is a career field that does not specifically require an education. While there appears to be no formal requirements to become a filmmaker, a bachelor's degree in film and television production is recommended as it will provide you with an opportunity to acquire many of the skills necessary to work in the field, as well as gain experience with projects and establish industry contacts (Study.com). However, there appears to be many schools and organizations that a person can join to create films. Some of the schools and organizations are, Society for Cinema Studies, American Film Institute, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Stanford University, Women in Film, and Film Independent. All of these organizations and schools can help a person learn more about making films. They can also help a person understand more on what filmmaking is and challenges that a person a face like discrimination and rejection.

Be that as it may, there are a lot of jobs that go into filmmaking, for example there are actors, producers, directors, makeup artists, production artists, camera operators, and the film crew. I would like to work as an art director, camera operator or with the film crew. According to Indeed, “A camera operator evaluates the lighting, filters, focus and staging to find the best way to capture a scene for film or television”(Indeed). While the film crew helps the director, sets up the cameras, and sometimes helps with pre-production, the art director can prepare, decorate and oversee the construction of sets. However, the average pay rate is different for each position, according to Indeed, a camera operator is $15.05 per hour and a film crew is $10.72 per hour, while an art director is $76,435 per year. Although the pay depends more on how much the job is paying, whether it be a movie, a show, or even a music video and how long it takes to compose it. I interviewed Andrea Eis, the Director of Cinema Studies and one of my Professors at Oakland University. I asked her a question about the hours in filmmaking, and she said, “Shoots can run 10, 12, 14 hours. While shows might generally have shorter work days than films, they can also have some very long days. However, movies are generally longer-term projects, and filming goes on for many weeks or even months, while an episode of a show is usually shot within a one-week time period, and then on to a different episode the next week. It does depend on the type of show or movie, and its complexity, though, and there is usually much more post-production time necessary for a film like, editing, special effects, sound work, music, etc. “(Eis). Which means that a person makes a great amount of money in filmmaking.

However, there are many challenges with working in the film industry. As an example, streaming, income inequality, CGI crisis, race, and more. One of the main challenges for a female going into film will be income inequality based on gender. During my interview with Eis, I asked her a question about gender roles in filmmaking, and she said, “Not only do women almost always get paid less than men, they are often not chosen for the highest paid jobs (for example, as director for a big blockbuster action movie)...The disparity in pay is also evident not only for directors, but actors, and all of the crew.”(Eis). Which means that the pay rate can change based on gender alone. She also mentioned something that I had no knowledge about, “Patty Jenkins’ salary to direct Wonder Woman was about $1 million. That's a lot of money, of course, but not compared to, for example, Christopher Nolan, who in the same year was paid $20 million for Dunkirk.”. I found that to be weird because Dunkirk earned $525 million worldwide, while Wonder Woman earned $821.749 million worldwide. It is not only the directors that get paid less, but there are also actresses that get paid less than 50% of the male actors for films. For example, when Michelle Williams was paid eight times less than Mark Wahlberg for her starring role in “All the Money in the World” and 1,500 times less for reshoots. He was paid $1.5 million for reshoots, while she received less than $1,000(The Conversation). Although this may be true, the inequality in film for females is a long list and it is bound to get better over time.

Despite the challenges in cinema for females, the biggest challenge in film is racial inequality. Although, over the years the film industry has improved on including other races in movies and television shows. For intense, ‘Crazy Rich Asians', ‘Get Out’, and ‘West Side Story’. There has been a long time when there was a lot of racial inequality for all ethnicities. For example, the whitewashing controversies thanks to the live-action Ghost in the Shell and Netflix’s Death Note (The Verge). Regardless of what was done in the past in the film industry, there are a lot more representations regarding race in movies and television shows today, whether it be the director or actor. There is also a greater amount of representation for the LGBTQ community in movies and film today, then there was not too long ago.

On the other hand, there are many documents needed to make a film, like registration forms, storyboards, cast list, call sheet, the script, etc. Two of the main papers needed to make a film are the script and call sheet. The script, or screenplay, is written by the screenwriters for a movie or a film. The screenwriters can also use pathos and kairos to write a script about an event that can appeal to others emotionally. The script consists of the characters, scene, set, dialog, lighting, and camera placement. It is an essential document in the film industry, because the screenplay helps to decide what the film is going to be and how it is going to be filmed. The other document that is an important piece in the film industry is the call sheet. This document helps with scheduling the production of the film and keeping it organized. The call sheet consists of the title of the film, the time people are needed to be on set, the crew and actors, what scene is being shot that day, the hours, break times, contacts, and more. Both of these documents are important in film production, and they both use logos to help give more information on the film. But there are many more that are just as important, for example the registration and copyright documents that help to give credit to the person that wrote or makes the film.

In spite of the gender and race inequality in filmmaking, there are other cons about going into the film industry like long hours, people that are hard to work with, criticism, and sometimes it will be tough finding a job in film. However, there are many pros about joining the film career, like creative freedom, diverse art forms, like-minded people, lifestyles, and personally rewarding. According to Filstage, “there’s almost nothing more satisfying than watching a movie you’ve been part of once it’s finally done. You’ll know that it’s the work for you and your team, especially while remembering all the time and effort that went into making the film (Filstage)”.

In conclusion, making movies, television shows, music videos, or even Youtube videos, has made a positive impact in people's lives today. In some cases, films can help change a person's perspective of life. No matter how difficult working in cinema is going to be, whether it is discrimination over race and gender or working with difficult people. Entertainment as a whole has a way of changing people and wouldn’t you like to be a part of something that can make a person's life better despite the setbacks? After all, there is nothing like being able to create a film that brings people together, makes people happy, gives people a chance to escape reality for a while, and many more things that cinema can do to help people. The pure joy that people feel when they watch their favorite films and knowing that you are a part of that happiness is worth the challenges set before us.

Works Cited

Eis, Andrea. Personal Interview October 22, 2020

“Become a Filmmaker: Education and Training Requirements” Study.com, Mar 03, 2020 https://study.com/articles/Become_a_Filmmaker_Education_and_Training_Requirements.html#:~:text=While%20there%20are%20no%20formal,projects%20and%20establish%20industry%20contacts

“15 Filmmaking Jobs in the Entertainment Industry” Indeed, February 25, 2020

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/filmmaking-jobs

“Exploring the data on Hollywood’s gender pay gap”

The Conversation, Roberto Pendance, Dec, 20, 2019

https://theconversation.com/exploring-the-data-on-hollywoods-gender-pay-gap-127414

“A look back at the state of racial representation in Hollywood this year”

The Verge, Shannon Liao Dec 31, 2017

https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/31/16790006/poc-black-latinx-history-film-diversity-representation

“10 Pros and Cons of Working at a Film Production” Filestage, Soukaina El Gharbaoui

https://filestage.io/blog/pros-cons-working-at-film-production/