Film Courage: A producer gave you some advice that was pretty lasting?
Shaun Paul Piccinino, Filmmaker: Yeah, I was a personal trainer at the time and I was still I was
doing short films and all of that stuff. I think I was making my first feature which was a back alley
group of friends putting their credit cards into the pot and just making a making a film. I think
I was doing that at the time and he was somebody who was very integral developing the Fast and
Furious franchise as well as the show 24. He just happened to be one of my clients and and
we became friends from the whole thing and he was gave me some great advice.
One of the things he he told me was number one he said don't be a meanie that was one of the biggest
rules so this business is so small that if you're a jerk it's going to come back around so that was
one of the first things he told me he's like and he was very colorful in the way he explained it
but he's like that pa that you're working with on set one week a year later they might be producing
the show that you're working on it's that that's the way this business works so if you're a jerk
to that extra they might be the star of some show in a year or two so you just never you
should never treat people poorly and especially I mean that's just in life but especially in this
business because it is really so small you're end up going to have to work with the same
people again most likely and the other thing he told me was if I really wanted to pursue being a
creator a storyteller a filmmaker to never be a no job is too small never be afraid of
of being the coffee runner or being the in charge of extras or whatever it is and also to diversify
so the business was changing so much at that time it was when digital was just coming out
it was kind of taking over everything and even dvds and that whole blu-ray everything that was
the industry was just shifting and shifting and shifting so he told me to diversify or die those
were his exact words if you want to make it and survive in this business diversify or die
and I took that to heart and that's why if you look up my credits you'll see I've done
so many different jobs is because I basically adopted the attitude of
Just not turning down a job so if I was offered a job and I had the ability to do it and I had the
time to do it that I would do it and and again it goes back to that viewing it as
an education he's like oh I'm going to learn about this and he also told me that same thing of
look if you learn what it is to be a grip and if you learn what what it takes to be the the
art department if you learn those things it's going to make you a better director because
you'll understand what it takes to do those jobs and you'll understand what they're going through
to do those jobs in the same perspective it's very important for a director to be understand acting
because you'll then be able to understand the process or understand that there is a process
with actors and be able to sympathize with them or help enable them tell their truth in that role
same thing with editing as a director I think it's so important to understand editing because
you understand what you're shooting there are directors who are not editors but I think you
need to have a certain understanding of that in order to be effective it helps you with
time management on set it helps you when you have your scene you don't need to shoot four
more angles that you'll never use and be on the cutting room floor because you have the scene
it's there you've got all the pieces you need so those two things I already knew were important to
be a director but I didn't think about the other stuff the the what is the gaffer doing what is the
grips doing what are the makeup and hair and kind of learning all those different departments it's
only going to help you become a better director is what he told me and and so I took that to heart
and I took every job I could take I did everything I could do and and just felt like it was a
an education for me and and would just help me be better at the job that I was trying to
pursue do you ever feel guilty turning down work you mean now yeah my sense is that you're eager
and you love what you do that if if an opportunity comes up you almost feel bad if you can't take it
because maybe totally committed to something else yes yes yeah for sure and what's interesting and
and topical right now is that I had to back out of directing a film overseas because of the pandemic
and actually I was over there when it started getting really bad I was over there prepping and
it's going to be a fantastic film I am now kind of jealous that I didn't get to direct it but
when this whole thing first came up I started getting bad and and was definitely really worried
about getting home because it became one of those things of at the time they're like what you could
just stay a couple extra weeks and wait it out and then when it's safe to travel again it was
one of those and but what what ended up happening was the international flight started cancelling
like just stopping all international flights and I went oof I think I'm going to have to go home
because I can't get stuck here I've got a family and all that so I did I ended up getting home
and the last weekend where those international flights were flying
I got home and did the quarantine did all that stuff got tested and I was fine but the
it the whole thing got pushed because of it and but then it came down to this thing when they
wanted to shoot it still was just not a safe time to be to go and travel and and the worry of being
able to get home was so just too big of a worry it was just too much to be able to commit and go
there and do it and I felt horrible turning that down because I had committed to doing this project
with with these wonderful filmmakers and some of which I had really dreamed about working with for
a long time because they were a big part of asian cinema like with with Jet Ley and Jackie Chan and
all that and so I had to turn it down I felt so so bad but obviously it's not under my control
it was out of my control the whole situation so but yeah I think I do feel that way because
I just enjoy I enjoy creating and helping tell stories in whatever the capacity whether it's even
if it's stunt coordinating that's still your part of telling that story you're part of telling the
the story of the action of how it's happening and unfolding and I just love I love that process so
and I think there's also that element of feeling like you might be able to help somebody
and then not being able to having to say no I can't help you because I get those those calls
fairly often it's it's somebody usually when they're calling me because they need your
piece of expertise or something that you might be able to be that puzzle piece for them and
then when you're not available obviously that's that sucks but I always try and
recommend somebody I'm like wait call this person or I'm definitely that that way as well I really
love to to if I can't do it get somebody else the work what I mean and so I do that.
Question For The Viewers:
How much do
you believe in diversifying your skillset in the film industry?