James Cullen Bressack, Filmmaker: I knew it this was an intervention we
got the lights and we got the camera it's an intervention…
Film Courage: For anyone looking to break into the movie business and make a living at the same time
what's the best path for them?
James: I would say but well what do what do they want to do in the movie business that's a better
question because you could make a living doing what you want to do but I mean if you're saying
just person a just wants to work in the film business and needs to pay rent and there is
no aspiration of what they want to do okay well suppose they eventually would to be a director
but they they realize they can't just start out that way so they're not starting out from
an extra point of view where they could just go to central casting and actually get a paycheck
I mean today's work crew work I mean that's how you can work up the ranks or if they have access
to financing or distributors they could be a producer put together a project and then they
can kind of negotiate their pay from the budget there but the guaranteed money right off the bat
is is starting up in crew and and working your way up the first few movies I did as a director
I didn't get paid I did for free it was the first three movies I did I just used the budgets to put
it on screen and I thought a director made money off of how the movie did not that and
then I remember I got hired to direct a movie and was my first time getting paid to direct a movie
I got paid a thousand dollars to direct this movie and I was holy smarts I could get paid to do this
so I mean it's it's it's it's it's definitely the I mean the best way to fully be paid
right off the bat would be would be crew work what if someone says well I'm want to be paid
well I want to be paid my services are valuable I realize I'm brand new but I want you to pay me
for what to work yeah but as what okay I'm gonna be a gaffer yeah if it's crew work okay yeah I
want you to pay me yeah you you they would pay the person they wouldn't work for free
I mean unless it's your friends nobody's working for free I mean you gotta you gotta hit minimum
wage okay at least here in California I mean if it's your friends and you're making a movie over
the weekend together and everybody's doing favors that's when people are working for free my first
few movies I was a crew of three people it was me my my buddy and my other friend and then the
second movie I did it was just me so and then the third movie I did it was I think my friend and my
other friend that like high school friends people i'd known a long time so they didn't none of us
got paid we were just doing it for fun and and to make something cool but yeah when you're getting
in the professional business where money is being spent you can't have people working for free
unless it's a college internship program I mean you were willing to put in your time
even though some of these were your own projects yeah well see I was I was willing to do that
and and some people may be willing to do that and maybe that's possible but
the that was before if that makes sense that was earlier like labor laws have changed in California
so if you're putting together a project with some friends and it's just nobody's getting
paid and you're doing it as an art project for fun maybe that's one thing but if it's a movie
that has a budget and people are being paid to do this movie you can't really have anybody working
for free on it anymore that's that's kind of changed that's the labor laws have changed
but you would be willing to do it for free again if you were just starting out
not not now I realized if I if I rewinded and could make the same choices that I made
I would do the same thing yeah right because it what do you think about people that say well
no I have to have some financial incentive behind me I won't make these films unless I get paid
even if it's your name on it you're the director you're the screenwriter you can so you wrote it
you you wrote it and you're directing it and you won't make it unless you're getting paid I mean I
to each their own what I mean I would say if I was starting out and somebody
gave me the opportunity to make my first movie again and it was just just the money to make
the movie and I couldn't take a paycheck I would make the movie that's what I did and I
would do it again but if somebody maybe has two kids and they can't take the time off because I
everybody's circumstances are different I'm just trying to get in that headspace it depends if
you can't afford it if you're living paycheck to paycheck and you can't afford to take that
time off to do that movie to do this I understand everybody's circumstances are unique and different
have you tried to structure your life so that you have more freedom to to be able to take the
projects you want to take without having to be dictated by a paycheck somewhat yeah for sure
I've been definitely trying to get pickier and stuff but I also remember my dad always told me
that every movie that I did from now until I was 30 would always be remembered as my early movies
and so I've kind of kept that in my mind is everything that I do is this is me learning
this is my early years and then when I once I hit 30 that's when I'm okay then
that's when I'm making movies so right now I don't know if I've actually started yet
but I'll definitely be pickier the the more and more I make stuff and I'm i'm trying to be pickier
now but as as a filmmaker in general I just making movies I telling stories I being on set and it's
it's something I enjoy so it's it's hard to not want to do the thing that you have fun doing
would you say you're almost addicted to being on a movie set I mean are you almost your best self
when you're on a movie set I knew it this was an intervention we got the lights and we got
the camera it's an intervention oh yeah doctor so-and-so come out here bring out Dr. Phil oh god
it says welcome too now I see the welcome again ah no yeah no I don't love you we all we all love you
no of course I'm addicted to being on set I'm addicted to making movies I
really enjoy it and I think the thing I enjoy the most is I actually feel myself getting better
each time and so I really enjoy it's going to the gym you go to the gym and you're
like obviously I don't go to the gym that much but you're lifting weights and you could feel yourself
the next time you could lift a little bit heavier weight you're oh this is cool I can see myself
getting better at what I do I can feel it so it's I enjoy that
we love you James we love you James we love you we just need you we just need you to stop stop
making movies James take some time off spend it with martin your cat well when do that you need
to take time off or you don't because it seems with this business it's feast or famine so you
would probably have a tough time turning down work I mean when do I don't know I don't know how to
answer that I guess take time off when you need to take time off the most important thing is mental
health so do what's right for you mentally I know I had recently I had a movie that I was gonna do
and and I told them I didn't want to do it because it was gonna be my only time off in this year
and so I ended up not doing the movie because I wanted to be able to have some time off I was I
don't want to work through the holidays and this now I want to have some time off is that hard for
you to turn down work oh yeah totally it's totally hard it's totally hard because then you start
going well it could have been really cool and blah blah blah but it's one of those things with
I don't know it's it's definitely hard I mean because then I'm well what am I doing I'm sitting
at home playing video games like after three days of doing that you're all right let's get
back to work sitting at home playing video games eating subway sandwiches let's get back to this.