[Watch the video interview on YouTube here]
Film Courage: Do you think a lot of new filmmakers realize how much the industry is about waiting? I think you’d mentioned that in a previous interview.
Joe Burke, Filmmaker/NYFA Instructor: There is. Yeah, there is a lot of waiting that goes on in the industry.
Do I think filmmakers realize how much waiting goes on?
Well, if they don’t realize it, they’re going to realize it, right?
It’s one of those things where again teaching film school, love teaching. One thing I don’t think I really learned in film school as a student myself was actually how the industry operates.
I grew up in Ohio. I’m watching movies. I’m seeing the red carpet. I’m seeing the Oscars. I’m watching the premier and I just want to be a part of that.
Then you get out here and you kind of start entering this the industry and you start sort of seeing behind the curtain and you just sort of see how decisions are made and people operate and the way people treat each other or the way you know what’s being financed or this or it’s just there’s so much behind the curtains of actually what’s going on that it blows your mind.
You’re like this is how this town operates? This is how this industry operates? This is how this movie star who I love actually acts on set or this is how they talk to their assistant or this is how late they are or this is how this is?
What’s getting financed or there’s a million things that you really don’t think about until you live it.
I think that the learning about the waiting for a career or waiting for things to happen does come from just going through it. I personally am tired of waiting and I don’t think that’s the only way you have to go.
I think that I have sat around. I’ve written a couple scripts over the last five, six years that we did wait. We waited to get this sort of two to three million dollar cool little thriller that we wrote off the ground to get this big movie star attached that you wait for three or four months for them to even read a script and then eventually they say no and you wait for this and you wait for this and you wait for a meeting or you have a meeting set. Hey, we’re free in five weeks, we can do a Zoom call.
All right, five weeks. Okay. And then a day before they push another five weeks.
You’re like, “All right, now we’re 10 weeks in on a Zoom call. It’s going to take four minutes to get an answer about something so small, right? …(Watch the video interview on YouTube here).
About:
Joe Burke is an indie filmmaker and actor best known for his new award-winning movie Burt, Four Dogs, Another Cancer Movie, House Sitting and more. As an actor, he has appeared in numerous national commercials and television shows, including Freeform’s Good Trouble, and the critically acclaimed Showtime series Ray Donovan, acting opposite Academy Award winner Jon Voight. Originally from Toledo, Ohio, Burke moved to Chicago after high school to study filmmaking and theater at Columbia College Chicago. He later relocated to Los Angeles, where he earned his MFA in Directing from the prestigious American Film Institute (AFI).
WATCH ‘BURT’ TRAILER
MORE VIDEOS WITH JOE BURKE
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About New York Film Academy:
Founded in 1992 by Jerry Sherlock, the New York Film Academy (NYFA) provides an accessible, hands-on education in filmmaking, media, and the performing arts. With a mission to make the film industry more accessible to all, NYFA empowers students from diverse backgrounds to tell powerful stories through a project-based, immersive curriculum. Students work closely with industry professionals, gaining invaluable mentorship and real-world experience while building creative, technical, and collaborative skills. NYFA’s global community includes students from over 160 countries, fostering a network of passionate storytellers. From day one, students dive into creating projects that refine their craft and prepare them for successful careers. With a focus on practical experience and individualized support, NYFA equips students with the tools and confidence to excel in the competitive world of filmmaking and the arts.
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Nyfa.edu/location/nyfa-los-angeles
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