Film & TV Career » Interviews

Filmmaker Matthew Modine And Why Young Filmmakers Are Unoriginal

Darren Alff — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 11:53:58 +0000

Matthew Modine is an accomplished stage and screen actor best known for his role as Private Joker in Stanley Kubrick’s 1987 war movie Full Metal Jacket. Some of Modine’s other film credits include:

Vision Quest – 1983
Married to the Mob – 1988
And the Band Played On – 1993
What the Deaf Man Heard – 1997
Any Given Sunday – 1999
Weeds – 2007

Additional credits and background history of Matthew Modine can be found here.

In the video below, Matthew shares his thoughts on the digital age of filmmaking and tells you the one thing you must do if you want to become a successful and original filmmaker. Be sure to watch this video to the end, because it is the advice he gives in his closing words that is of most importance.

This interview is part of a series on BigThink, sponsored by Dell and Digital Nomads.

Can You Make Money Pitching Television Shows?

Darren Alff — Wed, 05 May 2010 09:11:15 +0000

I recently shared that best-selling author and life hacker, Tim Ferris, would be doing a live video broadcast after the pilot episode of his new show, “Trial By Fire”, which recently aired on the History Channel.

If you tuned in for that live broadcast you would have seen me asking Tim a number of film and television related questions. One questions, however, is one I thought worth sharing.

I asked Tim, “Is there any money to be made in pitching television show ideas?”

Tim jumped on the question and you could see that he was excited by the prospect of answering it. However, he said that NO, there is no money to be made pitching TV shows unless you plan to either be the talent or an Executive Producer on the show. And to be an Executive Producer, you must possess some sort of skill or knowledge that is required in order for the show to continue on and become a success. Without being either the talent or the producer, you are expendable and therefore invaluable.

So, if you’ve got a great idea for a TV show but don’t plan to be either the talent or the producer, then it’s probably not worth the time and effort to develope the idea any further.

An Interview With 6-Time Award Winning Camera Operator, Keeth Lawrence

Darren Alff — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 00:09:40 +0000

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing the six-time Emmy award winning camera operator, Keeth Lawrence. Over the years, Keeth has worked on shows such as: The Price Is Right, Roseanne, Spin City, Grace Under Fire, The Bold And The Beautiful… and a whole lot more!

Listen to my interview with Keeth and discover:

How working for a reduced rate (or even for free) can lead you down the road to success.

How a positive attitude and an understanding of responsibility leads to a successful career.

What a typical day is like for a working camera operator.

How winning and Emmy does little or nothing for your career.

How being event six minutes late for your job can get you fired and cost the production you’re on thousands of dollars.

How using “The Shotgun Approach” is likely your best bet for finding working in the film and television industry.

How the pay scale works for those working in the television industry… and how you can negotiate higher pay based on your position.

How “who we know and how we interact with people” determines our success in the industry.

What your employers are really looking for in the people they hire.

Click the play button below to listen to my interview with Keeth Lawrence:

Download audio file (KeethLawrenceInterviewWAV.mp3)