How Motion Pictures Put the Power of Prestige in Play #atozchallenge #IndieFilm

l-r: Comedian/Actor Marlon Wayans takes a Selfie with the undefeated Boxing World Champion Floyd Mayweather at the L.A. premiere of the comedy horror film "A HAUNTED HOUSE 2." Photo courtesy of Le Studio Photography, Getty Image, HipHopWired.Prestige. Some independent film directors have it. Many others don’t -- myself included. Yet, I’m willing to bet that a lot of us wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to get it in a heartbeat. One may even seek it out, having put it on a pedestal among his or her career objectives. I was like that for a very long time.

I wanted to be a director who is considered to be on the same level as, say, Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino or Robert Rodriguez. Now, as I try to pinpoint what it’s worth, I wonder why I even sought it out in the first place.

What is Prestige, exactly and how do you quantify it?

For one thing, we know it sure as hell doesn't get you an Oscar...just ask Martin Scorsese. But maybe, just maybe it will get you an award of some sort.

Perhaps it could open up the right opportunities for you to land a job or meet people that can help you go places.
It might become a little easier for you to earn money for your work.
For, having Prestige may bring just the right amount of edge needed to put your name on the map.
That is, if you take advantage of it.

Prestige is what you make it.
It means nothing at all...until it does.
People start to pay more attention.
People began to take you seriously.
People give you a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T
That is what Prestige means to me.

What does having Prestige mean to YOU?

Are there any film directors would YOU consider being Prestigious?

One Filmmaker’s Observation on Getting our Opportunistic Ways in Order #atozchallenge #IndieFilm

My favorite film authors, Camille Landau and Tiare White, say a movie shouldn't be a means to an end; that it's an end in itself. There is a lot of activity in the independent film world, however, showing the contrary. A lot of directors make short films to get their feature films made, or they make a feature film to attract investors for a screenplay that they truly want to develop, or to get a job working under another director or to put them in the right circles where they fulfill other objectives.

These are illogical behaviors that waste time, money and resources because I figure, if you want to do that other thing you hope the current project you’re working on will lead you to, why not just do that other thing instead of spending your time going around it? I made that mistake years ago when completing one of my earlier movies; it was a project I pursued solely to help me make another film -- the movie that I really wanted to produce in the first place, at the time. All was not lost, as that sorta guinea pig project did bring me closer to learning more about film festivals and working with journalists and film critics and things of that nature.

Now, I can only wonder what would have become of my pet project that was shelved. There's no telling, as that time has passed and can be chalked up as a lesson learned.

Have YOU done any work for the sole purpose of getting an opportunity to do something else?

Are YOU an opportunistic person?

Do YOU think being opportunistic brings positive results, or negative results?

New Media - What YouTubers Can Teach Us about Getting Noticed #atozchallenge #IndieFilm

TIPSYBARTENDER host Skyy John partying with singer Jessica Tovar, Alphacat, King Bach and other YouTubers at Vidcon, an online video conference. It's so easy to produce content these days that I believe filmmakers can stand to learn a thing or two from YouTubers and other media makers (Vine stars, Netflix, etc.) who are building audiences, getting paid and gaining a high profile within the entertainment business.

In addition to fielding offers for production deals and landing representation at the top talent agencies, many of them have also expanded their brands into self-supporting business ventures, complete with merchandising and offline gigs. The fruits of their labor, however, didn’t just show up on their doorstep overnight. Online mediamakers are winning because they have something to show – today, right now. They are doing, not talking; Most importantly, they know how to use new media to their advantage – making changes and improving as they go while learning the ropes of whatever platform is working for them.

We still need not get it twisted -- the common perk of exposure that comes with utilizing online media could very well be the extent of a platform’s value in having an impact on one’s career. “More people view my art…my films and photos. That’s about it,” says Estevan Oriol, a notable photographer who also makes documentaries about subcultures in Los Angeles. When I welcomed this urban lifestyle entrepreneur to discuss some of the highlights of using new media, it became clear that YouTube is not attributed to his success as a director.

Lowrider scraping Photo by Estevan Oriol“Nobody’s ever said ‘Hey, I’ve seen your work on YouTube…would you be interested in doing this job for me?’ It depends on what kind of success you mean. Some people might think that having a million views on your YouTube channel is success. To some degree, it is, but to me success is a little bit more than that,” he says.

Oriol, who produces content for three shows on his "SANCTIONED TV" channel; including Skid Row Stories, Tattoo Stories and L.A. Woman, foresees having to find something else to do as his deal ends and YouTube, so far, hasn’t brought him any new clients. The uncertainty of cracking that online success code also hasn’t escaped Skyy John, host of the YouTube show "TIPSYBARTENDER." Having watched this Bahama-bred actor’s videos for some time, I was familiar with his channel long before even seeing him on the CBS show “COLD CASE.”

Despite having nearly 400,000 subscribers to "Tipsybartender" -- some of whom send gifts like high-end Tequila and a year’s supply of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and help him organize meet-ups in other countries, Skyy John doesn’t consider himself among the top media makers online. However, this former bartender who was once hospitalized following a machete accident while working on his show does find the medium to be beneficial for aspiring actors.

Skyy John's 'Rainbow Shots' episode with Emma is the most watched video on "TIPSYBARTENDER."“A lot of people think that YouTube might hurt their acting career. I’ve been on YouTube for a while and when I began, most actors were under the assumption that YouTube is beneath them – but if you look at YouTube now, that’s where [casting directors, producers, studios, etc.] go to find talent.

For instance, King Bach is big on Vine; a lot of people do both. Vine and YouTube kinda go hand-in-hand. He created his whole thing online; the new Black chick on Saturday Night Live (Sasheer Zamata) was a YouTuber, so it's becoming that place to showcase your talent outside of the conventional methods.

Hollywood wouldn’t normally accept a dude like me [because of the way] I speak; I’m a naturalized American citizen but I wasn’t born here so I sound funny and that doesn’t always play well [in Hollywood]. Yeah, we have some dudes like Arnold Schwarzenegger [who make it big in the entertainment industry] but that’s rare.” – Skky John

Actor Robert Patrick ("TRUE BLOOD," "JUDGEMENT DAY" and "THE UNIT" | Photo by Estevan OriolEstevan Oriol agrees on the importance of artists being proactive in getting their work noticed. “Just put it out there on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and then you’ll get eyes on it, and then it’s up to the people and the work [to decide] whether anything comes out of it or not. There are people doing great art but they don’t have eyes on their work, so nothing comes out of it,” he says. Reinforcing Oriol’s advice, Skyy John lets it be known that showcasing your stuff on social media is not only vital to your chances of success but also hard work. In other words, just because you upload something doesn’t mean viewers or fans or money will come.

“Showcase your stuff on social media; don’t think anything is beneath you and just keep working hard. You always gotta be on the grind 24/7 – being in entertainment is not like a nine-to-five job where you work a couple of hours and then go home; with us, you’re working around the clock,” says Skyy John.

New media has been good to many online personalities like Estevan Oriol and Skyy John because they are prolific -- always releasing new content, which is a huge factor in getting people to pay attention to one’s work. The formula is simple -- If I want to be a writer, I need to write often; If I want to be an illustrator, I need to practice drawing daily. My sketchbook should be active and if I want to make films, I need to be doing so on a consistent basis. The only way I see how to make filmmaking work for me is by following through on this very practice; using tools that can take me to the next level.

Do YOU think it's easier or harder to get Noticed, in this age of New Media?