Every filmmaker has to start somewhere, and most first jobs generally suck, and it turns out that director Sam Raimi’s first professional film job had some hellish days. During a recent Reddit AMA session producer Sam Raimi and directors Scott Beck and Ryan Woods were promoting their upcoming film 65.
During the AMA, a fan asked Raimi about his earliest film industry experiences and what they were like, and the filmmaker talked about his first job working at a low-budget car commercial production company in Detroit. He said:
"The only professional Detroit film industry jobs were making commercials so Bruce Campbell and myself would get part time jobs after school working at low budget commercial production companies. We'd sweep the studio floors, get the clients coffee, set up snacks, hit the slate and generally help out. Because Detroit is an automobile town most of the commercials were selling cars so we'd learn from the grips how to use spray on the hubcaps, how to professionally light an automobile, how to use silks ..."
Yep, most people have to start at the bottom working the crap jobs that no one else wants to do to gain some kind of experience in hopes to learn some things along the way. Hell, I took a job working in the mail room at Paramount Pictures while I was in college, and it was seriously one of the most fun jobs that I ever had. Sure, the pay was crap, but I met a lot of awesome people and learned a ton!
Anyway, Raimi went on to talk about how bad of an experience it was for him to work at these little production companies, fetching coffee and sweeping floors. Things then got worse for them when he and Bruce Campbell were asked to drive in formation with other cars, and they had no formal driving experience. Raimi said:
"[T]he hellish days were when the producers would grab us and tell us 'HEY KID get in that car you're driving! We're gonna make a 'W' formation and then a 'V!' The producer would be yelling at me through the radio telling me I was ruining this saying 'CAR SIX, HAVEN'T YOU EVER DRIVEN IN FORMATION BEFORE?!' And I was so nervous to admit I was Car Six and hadn't ever driven in formation. We learned a lot during our time as production assistants."
It’s fun to hear stories like this! This was how Raimi started his career! It’s so cool to see where he’s at now in his career and see the awesome films that he’s making. Raimi is one of the kindest and most humble filmmakers that I’ve met and that’s probably because of his humble beginnings.
Anyway, for those of you who are currently working a lowly production job, just know that there may be a light at the end of the tunnel.
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