This month, I’m going to talk about
two film industry professionals that have worked on large science fiction and
fantasy movies, and what they look for in potential films or employees. Success in Hollywood, for producers like these,
depends on understanding the business side of movies, as much as the creative
side. Kathleen Kennedy is well known as a
producer and the new President of LucasFilm since the sale from George Lucas to
Disney last year. Kevin Geiger, though
also a producer, has focused much of his career on visual effects for films
like Reign of Fire (2002), and Species (1995). Both producers have spent decades in the
industry, and are experts in investing in the film business.
Kathleen Kennedy started her career
in San Diego at a television station. Her
first producing credit was E.T. the
Extra-Terrestrial, at the age of 29. Over the next three decades, she has worked
with director Steven Spielberg and her
husband, Frank Marshall, on more than 60 feature films.
Throughout that time, her films have earned more than 100 Oscar nominations and $11 billion at the box-office. She has said about her career, "Success is always a matter of some luck and timing."
Throughout that time, her films have earned more than 100 Oscar nominations and $11 billion at the box-office. She has said about her career, "Success is always a matter of some luck and timing."
When looking for a new film to
invest in, Kathleen is attracted to stories with great characters, and a
hopeful message. When hiring employees,
she looks for nice people with a balance to their life, as she thinks that
balance is what inspires creativity. She also believes that to make it in the film
industry, you need luck, a lot of tenacity, and strong values that are evident
in your work. These things are critical
to succeed in a competitive film environment.
Kevin Geiger worked on his first
big film in 1995, as a
computer animator for Species. He also worked as a digital artist on Reign of Fire in 2002, and became a
producer in 2009 on Roads to Home. His
experience in visual arts led to being hired as a CG supervisor for Walt
Disney. Kevin worked at Disney Feature Animation for
twelve years before leaving to co-found Magic Dumpling Entertainment in
Beijing. He then returned to Disney in
2012 as Vice President and Head of Creative for Local Content Production in China.
Kevin
believes one of the most important questions for investors, when funding a new
film, is the way they will make their money back after the release. He has said that research is extremely
important to any business plan or pitch, as well as organization and
brevity. “If you can’t summarize your
business model in ten slides, you don’t know what the hell you are doing.” Hiring an experienced and competent
development team, and knowledgeable advisors, will also go a long way towards
convincing investors to fund new films.
Knowing the way that business works in the film industry is essential to
any one hoping to make movies.
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