ZOE KIRIAZIS
Staff Writer
Making it in the entertainment industry is not easy, but it’s not impossible to achieve. Franco Sama, an independent film producer in Los Angeles, spoke at Fredonia’s Technology Incubator on Wednesday, April 5. He discussed the financial business of being a producer and how he got his foot in the door.
Sama’s seminar discussed financial components of producing a film, who the “right” people to work with are and the steps in order to get a film from pre-production to the movie screen.
At the age of 8, Sama told himself that he would be working in entertainment when he grew up. Fast forward to age 39, and he’s working as a consultant for the automobile industry. Sama would spend 90 days in a new city fixing failing dealerships and shops.
In 1997, Sama’s next assignment relocated him to Buffalo, NY. One afternoon Sama found himself in SPoT Coffee on Delaware Avenue where he wrote a letter to God. In his 12-page letter he asked, “What am I doing with my life … I am going to be 40 by the end of the year and I’m not where I want to be.” It was at that moment Sama decided to fulfill his goal of being in the entertainment industry. Sama called his travel agent and said, “Betty, book me a trip to California,” and he’s been working in the entertainment industry ever since.
By the end of 2017, Sama will have produced 25 independent films in Hollywood including “Black Limo Limousine,” “Petunia” and “Game of Aces.” During his seminar Sama discussed that changing his mindset as a film producer and director early in his new career path led him to being as successful as he’s been.
“Do you want to make a film or do you want to be a filmmaker?” he said.
Changing his way of thinking wasn’t the only way he became successful; he also had to understand the business of filmmaking. Sama explained that receiving the money to make a film is not the hard part but getting the money back is what makes the profession difficult.
Sama’s current film script he is working on costs $3.82 to print off and Sama produces films with a budget between $1 to $3 million. With a feasible budget Sama said casting a film and creating a cohesive team of professionals to work on the project either makes or breaks the film. “Casting is everything,” he said.
Celebrities such as Jennifer Lawrence and Jamie Foxx are actors he couldn’t realistically cast in his films. B-list celebrities who have worked on major films but not necessarily in a lead role are the actors Sama will cast. Sama focuses on the actors that will make people want to buy tickets to see a film. Filmmakers, through trial and error, will know who they will or will not want to work with again on a film.
“Don’t try to get talent in order to raise money. Raise your money by getting the talent,” he said.
Fredonia’s video production program prepares students to enter the field equipped with the right knowledge and skills. Through internships and business inquiries some students are able to utilize their skills on real projects before graduating from Fredonia.
Liz Church-Peters, a senior theatre arts major and production intern for Venture Productions at the Technology Incubator, explained the benefits of her knowledge to work behind the camera as well as in front of the camera.
“He gives me a whole other look into the potential world I’m about to throw myself into when I graduate in little over a month. I’ve listened to him speak twice … and I keep learning more and more,” she said.
For other students who attended Sama’s seminars and workshops, the determination to create a career in the film and entertainment industry is strong.
“As a filmmaker I have only gained more confidence in the direction I’m heading. I feel like there’s a shadowed area of my field that has been illuminated for me,” said Corey McCrea, a junior video production major and Venture Productions intern.
“Don’t mistake simple as easy,” Sama said. He explained that the film industry takes time to learn and understand. Sama’s seminar gave his honest explanation and knowledge of the entertainment industry as a business but kept encouraging the filmmakers in the audience to keep going after film. When Sama made the official move to California, he didn’t even know where he wanted to be in the entertainment industry. He began taking job titles found in the “Hollywood Reporter” in alphabetical order until he found a title that fit him. Once he got to “P” in the alphabet he landed on the publicist title. Sama soon began as a photographer’s publicist before he gained the connections that lead him on the set of a Hollywood film.
Sama stressed for filmmakers and writers to keep working on material. In order to get one step through the door, writers have to write material that will sell then they can write whatever they please.
“Scripts exist in three places: your head, your heart and your laptop,” Sama said. For film directors to make it, they must lose the “first time director” label. Aspiring directors will be seen as directors once they get the opportunity to direct their first film. “I’m not saying it’s easy, but try,” said Sama.
Sama often gets asked, “What kind of movies do you want to make?” Each time he says, “One that sells.”