SRP Proposal

Senior Project Proposal

Cameron Pierse

December 10, 2014

      I.         Title of Project: Coming to You Live from Outside of Hollywood

     II.         Statement of Purpose:

In the film and television industry, it is very difficult to create a successful media business outside of the major cities, like Hollywood, New York, or Chicago. The question I will be answering is: How does one enter the film industry outside of a major media hub? How has the Internet, along with social network, made this possible? Who do they work with? How does this affect the job prospects for aspiring filmmakers?

   III.         Background:

For my best friend’s tenth birthday, she received a brand new camcorder and it changed our social lives completely. Every weekend we made remakes of films and television shows, but I never thought of filmmaking as more than a hobby. At the beginning of high school, I became very involved in the drama program at my school, so the summer of 2013, I attended a weeklong “Acting for the Camera” workshop. We were each given a scene to perform, and when we were not performing we were given a crew job. My first job was Assistant Director. While all they had me do was yell, “Quiet on set,” I watched closely at how our teacher directed the actors to bring out specific emotions and actions from them. Then I realized, that was exactly what I wanted to do. When I returned home, I began making my own films once again. After my videos began receiving positive feedback, I grew the confidence to pursue this hobby as a career.

This summer, I attended two film camps, one a week long at Stanford and the other four weeks long at Boston University. In the latter program, I had the opportunity of studying media mediums other than just film. We participated in a weeklong TV studio workshop. I had never thought of directing live television as a career avenue, but once I was exposed to it, I thoroughly enjoyed it. This year, I began taking film classes at Scottsdale Community College and hope to continue my studying at University, next Fall.

   IV.         Prior Research:

Many people have asked the question: “Should I pursue film?” They doubt pursuing their dreams due to the competitive nature of the industry. The rough statistic that only 66% of film school graduates have careers in the field scares these prospective students away. (Seth Hymes) However, with the development of portable cameras and easier access to industry standard editing, the opportunities for filmmakers began rising in the 1990s and 2000s. (Alban)  Independent films allowed storytellers to become filmmakers much cheaper than the budget for Blockbuster films, opening up the industry to individuals without Spielberg-like funds. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the independent film producers will see a rise in employment from 2010 to 2020. (Brooks Institute)

In an Internet age, people are able to communicate faster than ever before. This translates to production companies, as well. The ability to transmit sources quickly has allowed for smaller film production companies across the nation to work with larger media corporations. HD Broadcast AZ, in Scottsdale, Arizona, works with major news stations, such as ABC, CNN, and FOX Business. (Doug Collins) This production company has industry standard equipment; only they reside in a small Arizona town, rather than a major city. The Internet access allows them to transmit segments directly to news feeds on the other side of the country in under a second.

One of the major proponents in developing a film production company is location. Many choose to reside in Los Angeles of New York City, due to the proximity to the media resources; however, with these major cities come major taxes. In deciding where to create a business, taxes are a very important aspect to consider. (Kay Miranda) Starting an independent production company requires an investment between 50,000 to 100 million dollars. (Miranda) Individuals could save funds by developing their companies in smaller towns and using Internet transmission to contact the larger media corporations.

    V.         Significance:

“The film industry is about saying ‘no’ to people, and inherently you cannot take ‘no’ for an answer.” -James Cameron

For aspiring filmmakers, entering this industry of creativity and competition is completely daunting. When you speak with people about what career path you intend to pursue, they give you a simple “Oh, well, I wish you the best of luck,” with a look of pity behind their eyes, because even they know how slim the success rate is. According to The Art Institutes, in 2011 only 66% of film school students enter the field after graduation, one of the lowest ranked job opportunities. Statistics like this one cause many aspiring filmmakers to shy away from pursuing their dreams of becoming directors, producers, cinematographers, making them choose a career path that they are not passionate about. With my senior research project, I hope to increase this statistic and show how to bring the film industry into the smaller cities, creating more job prospects for these graduates.

As an aspiring filmmaker from a small town in Arizona and worried about the prospective opportunities that follow studying filmmaking, I am personally invested into this research. I am not conducting this project to draw up statistics, but hoping to expand the knowledge of job opportunities for people with dreams like myself, allowing this field of study to become more attainable. Once I have completed this research project, I plan to share the information I have learned with other aspiring filmmakers, hopefully convincing them to follow their dreams and study what they love.

   VI.         Description:

               During the Senior Research Project, I will be interning at HD Broadcast AZ, a production company in North              Scottsdale. I plan to complete most of my research through this opportunity, conducting interviews with the staff and gaining my own data through observation. In this time, I will also continue my film courses at Scottsdale Community College. With access to this film school, I will conduct interviews with the current students, as well as the alumni, to study their success rates and job prospects. Additionally, I will do Internet research on the development of prominent media companies. In completing this project and internship, I hope to gain experience and an understanding of how to better plan for this field, while make acquaintances in the film industry. Along with this personal gain of insight, I will share my findings with individuals in a similar position to myself, aspiring to enter the film industry. From my experience, I hope to motivate them to pursue what they love and realize that, with the right path, they can achieve their desire to pursue filmmaking.

 VII.         Methodology:

From mid-February to mid-May, I plan to intern with HD Broadcast AZ, where I will conduct the bulk of my research. Here, I plan to interview the founder of the company to understand his motivation for starting this production company, how he did it, and his background in the film industry. I will also conduct interviews with other staff members to understand their paths of schooling and backgrounds in the industry, as well. In these three months, I will observe how the company runs, what works, and what does not.

I return from Winter Break at Scottsdale Community College in January. Once the semester begins, I will contact alumni of the film school, so I can conduct interviews and see where they are now. Along with the alumni, I also plan to interview the schoolteachers and officials, figuring out their backgrounds and the path they recommend to enter the film industry, and my classmates, solving their personal thoughts about job prospects and how they plan to pursue careers in this field.

In this time I will conduct further research through the Internet. Through this avenue, I plan to study how many of the successful production corporations began, and what they have in common that can brought to a smaller production company. I also hope to contact current film school students to learn their personal thoughts on entering the film industry.

With these steps, I hope to solve what is the best method for creating a successful production company outside of a media hub.

VIII.         Problems:

While working with the film industry provides much needed experience and knowledge, it is not always reliable, causing problems when desiring to answer a research question. In my time interning at HD Broadcast AZ, the founder of the company or other staff members may be unavailable for interviewing. I may also run into difficulty contacting SCC alumni and current students may be unwilling to participate in interviews. With the Internet research, finding valid information may be difficult, as well as contacting current film students. While I may come in contact with some of these issues while researching, I know that I will be able to find a solution to receiving the information I need to complete my project.

   IX.         Bibliography:

1.     Alban. “The Beginning of Independent Film- In Edison We ‘Don’t’ Trust.” Apertus. 4 April 2013. Web. 6 Dec 2014.

2.     Brooks Institute. “Film Students: Should You Pursue Movies or Television?” 19 July 2013. Web. 6 Dec 2014.

3.     Collins, Doug. Personal Interview.

4.     Directors: Life Behind the Camera. American Film Institute. 2010.

5.     Field, Syd. Four Screenplays: Studies in the American Screen Play. Bantam Dell. 1994. Print.

6.     Frederick, Mathew, Neil Landau. 101 Things I learned in Film School. Grand Central Publishing. 2010. Print.

7.     Hymes, Seth. “Is Film School Worth It in 2011?” No Film School. 29 Mar 2011. Web. 6 Dec 2014.

8.     Miranda, Kay. “How to Start Up a Film Production Company.” Chron. Nd. Web. 6 Dec 2014.