I love movies. I guess we all do. Heck even in this internet age we all still can’t get enough of them. We can’t get enough of the great blockbusters that keep coming out, the independent movies that touch us and even the actors and actresses that we see on screen.
I’ve always wondered what it would be like to work in Hollywood. I never had ambitions to be an actor or an actress simply because I know I can’t act like so many of these A-listers can. But I’ve always wondered how fun it would be to work behind the scenes. On set. To be part of the crew that make movies whether they’re in editing or sounds effects or visual effects or even just film crew on set.
This trip to Los Angeles I visited the studios of Paramount PIctures and Universal. I went for the tours and asked loads of questions to the tour guides about the insights and the workings of the studios. I thought it would be good for me to share them here.This is what I’ve learned about Hollywood.
1) It’s very hard to get a job in Hollywood
Now I don’t even mean it’s hard to get a part in the movie as a lead or supporting character or to be a director (this is undoubtedly very hard). I mean it’s hard to get a job even as one of the film crew or people behind the scenes working on producing the movie.
The tour guide at Paramount Pictures told me that even for her job as a tour guide, there were 2,500 people who applied for that job and they selected only 25. One of them being her.
I asked her why? Do the crew get paid really well? She said they get paid “decent” but people come from all over the world wanting to be a part of movie magic so it’s very competitive.
2) You need to be part of a union before you get a job
Everyone has a union in Hollywood. The writers, the crew… everyone. In order to get a job you need to be in the union but here’s the Catch-22 part of this. In order to get into a union you need work experience in the relevant field. But how do you get work experience when you’re not part of the union?
I asked the tour guide this and she said it really boils down to connections. You gotta know somebody in there who knows there’s a job available and is willing to stick up for you.
3) The Movie-making crew work very hard
Shoots can last for a long long time. Even till really late at night and as long as the director feels they haven’t got what they need, the shoot carries on. The plus side though is that the film crew get overtime so they get paid for the extra hours they work. But they gotta work hard nevertheless.
4) There is a good reason why the movie and TV capital of the world is Los Angeles
Paramount Pictures was apparently the first studio to move into Los Angeles. They found it a movie making paradise for two good reasons:
i) It was always sunny in Los Angeles and it seldom rained. A very rainy weather can ruin a shot if you’re trying to shoot a bright sunny day. If you’re looking for a rainy day though, that can be easily simulated. Well much easier than having to simulate a bright sunny day.
ii) It’s 1-2 hours drive away from dessert, the beach and whatever kind of terrain anyone needs to shoot in.
5) Most of the scenes are shot in the studios in Los Angeles (even a movie that’s based in New York or Chicago or somewhere else)
Paramount PIctures, Warner Bros, Universal and all have their own studios where people can go in to shoot everything. Everyone has a metro set like this.
There the crew of a movie can do it up to look like whatever they need it. Whether it’s New York in modern times or New York in the early 1900s. Whatever it is… they can do it. They shoot it all in Los Angeles because it’s a lot cheaper than flying everyone out to New York. Yes there are some movies that fly for some takes overseas but most of the scenes are still shot in Los Angeles.
6) Many Actors are Shorter than they look on Screen
Tom Cruise, Sylvester Stallone are all actually shorter than they look on screen. The film crew just use a number of camera tricks to make them look taller.
One of them is by having doors like this.
If you want someone shorter to look tall you put him in the smaller door so he looks big in comparison to the door.
If you want someone tall to look shorter (say like The Hobbit) you put him in a big door.
7) TV is getting bigger
It used to be that movies are where all actors or actresses want to end up. Movie stars tend to make the most money.
However in today’s world with internet companies like Netflix that make TV shows a lot more accessible to an online audience, TV seems to be taking a more important role. The income gap between TV and movie stars now has become a lot more narrower.
8) Many things you see in movies aren’t real
The city of New York you see in Ugly Betty isn’t real, Wisteria Lane of Desperate Housewives isn’t an actual street. It’s a set in the studio with fake houses that have nothing behind them but wood and metal holding the structure up.
The same goes for a lot of things. Whatever you see on the camera was just made to be good enough to look real on camera and nothing else.
And here’s a bonus one I got from my tour guide. Which I thought was pretty cool for me because Forrest Gump is my favorite movie of all time.
At the 10th Anniversary of Forrest Gump, Tom Hanks sat on this bench that was used in the movie and is now on display in the studio. He then gave out chocolates to everyone who passed by.
Four of these benches were made. I’m sitting on one of the four.
Timothy Tiah – Co-Founder of Colony, Kuala Lumpur Co-Working Space