If you can get an internship for any length of time it will be a
very valuable experience. Two weeks - two months - six
months. Any time spent working with an experience producer
is an amazing, helpful experience.

Clearly the longer, the better. My opinion (as you already know)
is the best way to get the experience is to jump in and do it.
But I also know YOUR feelings on this. You thrive better in a
school/learning environment than I do. So six months to a year
as an intern will be great for you. You'll learn a lot.

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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)

Everybody is different, but I'm now at a different stage of my career and education where I won't need to go to school - I just need the practical experience.

What is the minimum time, do you think? One day clearly wouldn't cut it, but a decade would be far too long. Three months minimum?

I wish I could give you the answer you're looking for. I wish
there was an answer. But as you say, everyone is different.

For me I could be an intern for 20 minutes. Soul destroying.
For me. I would (and did) just produce a movie. That's the
way I learn.

In my experience you're going to find getting an internship
very, very difficult. That's why I said getting an internship of
any length will be a valuable experience. I'm thinking you don't
need to set any minimum for yourself. When you get an internship
with a producer you can stay as long or as short as you feel is
right for you. If in two months you feel you've learned enough
you can leave. If you feel you need six - take six.

I don't know. I'm just rambling. You know all this.

Any thoughts on who you are going to apply to?

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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)

You're right - it's very individual. But I think a few months should be OK.

I don't have any producer or anyone, really. My job now is to read up on the business, get the theoretical knowledge, and then apply. You know anyone? 🙂

I've been doing some asking around, and I'm seriously thinking of helping out with some fan film projects. Their work is along with my interest, and there seems to be some serious work going on. My business plan is perhaps to work with some fan films, and then start my fan film studio.

What're your thoughts about fan films?

My thoughts are they are a complete waste of time.

But please bear in mind that I make movies for a living.
so anything that would take time, skill, talent and
money that cannot possibly make any money in return
is a complete waste of time. For me. I would much
rather spend the time, skill, talent and money on an
original movie.

I like to create my OWN characters and make movies
that are mine. But I've seen some great fan films and
I know several people personally who have made them.
They really enjoy it.

Any experience you can get will be worthwhile, so helping
out on some fan films is a great idea!

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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)

Everyone's different, and I'm not a professional film producer - not yet, anyway. So, again, it's different. But I don't want to go into fan films if they don't offer the proper experience. In some businesses, working for scams can be worse experience than no experience, because the intern can learn the wrong things, and, believe me, that can be very, very, dangerous.

So no fly-by-nights or scams, just proper, solid places. But you said the fan films can be good, right?

Are we talking about the same thing?

A fan film is a film made using existing characters - like
Batman, Star Trek, Star Wars.

Producing a films using Star Wars characters (for example)
can be good experience or it can be terrible. Producing an
original movie can be good experience or it can be terrible.
A producer making a fan film can be a scam and a producer
making an original film can be a scam. The genre of the film
doesn't make it any more or less likely to be some kind of
scam.

If you're working with an team of experienced people a drama,
comedy or fan film can be of great value. Frankly making any
movie is a valuable experience.

So are we talking abut the same thing?When you say you want
to start your fan film studio, is that what you mean? A studio
dedicated to making movies based on the work and material
of others?

Yes, we're talking the same thing. The fans are slowly making their own studios to make films, and, in one case, the owner is buying his own properties to make a for-profit film.

So the fans are going from making non-profit films - to get experience - and, possibly, becoming real studios.

As for the scams or non-scams, you're right. I'll ask around and see what they offer.

To go further with what I said, if a company has to pay for the workers, then it would have an incentive to put those workers to proper use; if, however, it gets free labor, it may not worry about giving the volunteers proper work, because its time and money are not at stake.

With this in mind, many volunteer projects have been useful - the Star Trek conventions were vital to revitalizing the franchise, and so the Trekkies (like me) made world cultural history; in a similar vein, the geeks who played around with the old Radioshack computer kits helped kickstart the PC revolution. So fans can be helpful - you just have to know which fans to work with.

I was asking if you, a professional, had any sense of the current state of fan films.

In my opinion as a professional filmmaker, spending the time and
money to make a movie based on the creations of others is a waste
of time. Im sure they are a lot of fun to make. And devoted fans
have made some excellent fan films.

Im a bit of a Trekker - I thought trekkie was out of favor -
and have seen several excellent Star Trek fan films. A lot of
work, a lot of talent, a lot of time and a lot of money goes into
these movies.

Ive seen many excellent Star Wars fan films. I know LucasFilm
even holds awards for the best of them.

And I know many fans feel making a fan film is their way into a
professional career. Though,like you, I only know af one or two
that have achieved that goal. My friend Kevin Rubio has struggled
for 11 years hoping the success of his fan film will someday pay
off.

But as I have already said, I prefer to create my own characters
and stories. As much as I love the old Star Wars films, I would
never make a fan film. Not when I could take all that effort,
time, talent and money to create something entirely original.

Well, you already got your feet into the business, but I haven't. And, for people like me, it's experience, experience, experience. I know people in the science fiction community, so this is my way of breaking in. After that, I intend to do something original - of that, you can be sure.

As for my needing experience, consider the two jokes below.

You know how to make a small fortune in film? Start with a big one.

You know how to make a small fortune in anything? Put a lawyer/accountant/doctor in charge of a big fortune. LOL.

I understand. I was once in your place - breaking in. If
you can get some experience working on fan films....

Well you know what I've said on that.

I got a little thrown off when you said:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Aspiring mogul
My business plan is perhaps to work with some fan films, and then start my fan film studio.

---

That gave me the impression your business plan was to
start your own fan film studio.

The joke is a good one - but the reason so many people
get into film is because of those movies that make a
huge fortune while starting with almost nothing.

It can be done.

=============================================
The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)

I wouldn't buy Buck Rogers, especially since Flash Gordon failed recently, but I would want to start my own universe, just as George Lucas and Gene Roddenberry did.

Thanks for your input, CI - I really appreciate it.