Recently I have made a good friend and industry contact in the form of Chip Miller. Even if you have never heard of him, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t listen. He has been in Hollywood since the early 80’s and has become quite successful because of it. I had a chance to ask Chip a few questions (picking his brain so to speak) and these are some of the things that he had to say.
In your opinion: what are the toughest challenges in producing a movie/writing a screenplay or just getting a film made these days?
Chip: The toughest challenges are finding funding, seculative investment, or production companies who are willing to take a chance on an outside developed project and spec script. In addition, all the major studios are all big corporations now owned by money-makers who will only make grinded out formulaic CGI-invested video games disguised as movies. Story and character are the last of their concerns. Henceforth, the success of "Avatar. I preferred Cameron's "Titanic" far more. Screenwriters are the most essential part of the process, but the industry considers them as the lower rung of the ladder. They take the hardest blows and get screwed over in deals more than a director, actor, or producer
What is the best advice your ever gave to someone that really helped them in their field, whether it be film or music.
Chip: My advice is it is good to be childlike all of your creative life, but never be childish. And follow your instincts. Don't create what is already successful or trendy. Write from the heart and spirit, not with the mind. The mind comes in handy for style, spelling, grammar, and format decisions. But if a script or movie has soul - ah, nothing like it. Take "Crazy Heart" or "Up In The Air" as small but effective character and story-driven films. They will resonate in my memory forever, like all the great films of the past. Far more than "Avatar," or "Transformers," or "MI 1& 2", and all the other computer and effects driven movies. So be original. Be brave. be ballsy. And never, ever, be politically correct as a writer or filmmaker. This ain't China.
How important in your opinion is the role of an agent or a manager to the aspiring artist/screenwriter/producer etc
Chip: The agent/manager role has changed succinctly over the decades. In short, they all suck. For starters, a writer or director does not need a manager. Actors and performes need managers. And agents are right there on the level of Wall St. stockbrokers and IRS agents. They are whores who only are interested in commissions. I have seen as many careers ruined or derailed by agents far more than careers made through them. They usually jump on your bandwagon after you have accomplished something already on your own. They do not seek out writers anymore. Best bet, is to contact Story Editors and Development execs at small indie production companies, including those run by A-list actors who have output deals with distributors, private investment, or studio arrangement picture deals. Once you get something happening or even a little action, find a small, hungry but credible agent.
Is moving to Los Angeles/Hollywood for those who want to be screenwriters really important, Even in this day and age with so many innovations in communications and technology?
Chip: Though you don't have to move to LA or NYC to pursue a speculative career as a writer, it definitely still helps bigtime to be where the action is. Only by being there, do you get access and opportunity to network and see how the process works. And you never know who you will meet when you are in the midst of the action. I moved from NJ in 1982 and didn't know a soul in Hollywood. In 3 months, I was dating actress Brook Shields and working close with a young Nicolas Cage.
I want to thank Chip for his time and his advice. It really makes a lot of sense. I watched Up In The Air and besides everyone raving about it. It was really a very brilliant film. I really liked the characters, even the ones that I wasn’t supposed to like.
That’s all for now.
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