INTERVIEW WITH ROBERT ROLSKY

Mr. Robert Rolsky is a production manager in Washington and has worked on a number of shows including "Maneater," "Heist," and "Everybody Hates Chris." Although we spoke for only half an hour, I feel as though I've obtained a lifetime's worth of knowledge of the film industry. Mr. Rolsky proved to be a realist about "the business," unfazed by that Hollywood spell my preacher warned me about. The first piece of advice Mr. Rolsky had for me was to "STAY AWAY," but by the end of the interview I could see what he meant by that. If being told to “stay away” is enough to keep you away (from the industry), you probably aren’t strong enough to survive there.

1) Can you briefly define your job for me?

Mr. Rolsky defined a Production Manager as the "nuts and bolts" of the production. His job is to:

• Find the office space.
• Get it furnished.
• Hire the crew.
• Line up the equipment.
• Supervise the entire production
• Review/ Approve invoices.
• Be the shrink for about 80 people.

Mr. Rolsky also described what it’s like working in the TV and film industry, including the positive and negative aspects. Here are some of the positive things he had to say about working in the business:

"(It) sure beats working in an office."

"It's very casual."

"It's unregimented to some degree."

"(You) aren't encumbered by astringent behavioral dictates."

"Every day is different in a way."

Mr. Rolsky also had a few things to warn me about:

"The very worst part is that for the most part, it's all freelance. When the job's over, you're on your own. There's not a lot of comfort."

"The higher up on the food chain you get, the harder it is to get the work. It has to do with numbers more than anything else. The chance of employment is greater for jobs that there are more positions for. For a production manager, there's only one spot in the production. Once it's filled, it's filled."

"It's a tough road."

"Every single day you have new potential problems."

"It's like the circus. You have to work with chaos."

"Every time it can be a new experience. You hope it isn't."

2) How did you get started in the business?

Mr. Rolsky got started working in the film and TV industry by getting involved in the state and university TV station while attending the University of Maine. He left Maine to attend graduate school in San Francisco in the video program but left shortly after when he realized that film better suited his goals.

"I didn't know what I wanted to do (career-wise) to be honest with you."

"I didn't realize what you saw on TV was film and not video."

"(San Francisco) was too academic for me...not the right road to take."

3) How do you tell someone over you (your boss) that you can't complete an assigned task?

Ifelt as uncomfortable asking Mr. Rolsky this question as he became trying to imagine a situation where he couldn't complete an assignment.

"It's usually not as though you can't complete the task...you have to complete the task."

He did mention some specific examples where things can fall through, leaving the production manager responsible for getting creative to prevent the production from falling behind schedule, costing tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars. For example, if a renting company can't get you the crane you needed, you have to change the schedule or have the director change the shot.

4) Do you have any advice for a media student starting out?

Mr. Rolsky had some very good advice, especially for someone like me who is still unsure about my goals in the film and TV industry. He had two very fundamental questions students should ask themselves before diving headfirst into the business.

1. Do I want this badly enough to move?

Mr. Rolsky explained how important it is for someone with silver-screen sized ambitions to relocate (if necessary) to one of the hubs of industry. There's always local work to be found all over the country, but someone must live around a place like Los Angeles or New York to land consistent, big projects.

2. Do I want to make this commitment?

...especially after hearing about how tough of an industry it is.

Mr. Rolsky had some other things to say that I found helpful:

"Network like crazy."

"It's luck."

"One of the most important things is to get in the door. Don't be afraid to take an office job or be a PA job or be an extra. It's a lot easier to work from the inside than from the outside. At least you get on the set."

"Have a sense of what you want to do."

Mr. Rolsky also made some helpful suggestions for students such as interning for a production company or going to a school such as UCLA or USC (Southern California) where the university is already plugged into the industry.

Mr. Rolsky also talked a little bit about unions in the film industry. He explained how they are a catch-22:

"You have to be in one to get work but you have to have gotten some work to be in one."

To gain a better understanding of unions and how to use them properly, Mr. Rolsky suggested calling the union of whatever profession I would be interested in and telling them that I’m a student interested in finding out how to proceed in the industry, making my career legitimate. He also suggested going to the Director's Guild Association website to read descriptions about the different jobs in the film and TV industry to be aware of all the possibilities out there.