COURTESY PHOTO Chris Lee

Lee workshop
tackles reel life

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By Tim Ryan
tryan@starbulletin.com

Before you try to break into any business, be it malasadas or movies, you need to know who the major players are, what's selling, how the product is marketed, who's buying, even the jargon.

'The Business of Film' "Inside the Industry: How Hollywood Really Makes Movies," with Chris Lee Where: UH-Manoa, Krauss 012, Yukiyoshi Room When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. tomorrow Cost: $85 Call: 956-8400; the registration code is L05869

Tomorrow, Chris Lee, co-director of the new University of Hawaii Cinematic and Digital Arts program, founder of Chris Lee Productions Inc. and former president of production for Columbia/Tristar Pictures, will conduct a day-long class in "The Business of Film," perhaps better described as Filmmaking 101, a primer on how films get made.

Lee said he aims to dispel some illusions about the entertainment business's shark-infested waters while providing grass-roots advice on how to get started and "understand the game."

"I know a lot of people want to make films and really only focus on the creative side, but I don't think they actually understand the steps in the development process, how studio execs make decisions and why so many bad movies get made, which is because really good films are harder to make in an often convoluted process," he said.

Through the seven-hour course, Lee will steer the group into how to take a meeting, pitch a project, determine which executives are buying and what to avoid when you write a script.

A YEAR BEFORE Lee moved to Hollywood, he began religiously reading the "trades" -- Variety and Hollywood Reporter -- learning to read between the lines about what the story was trying to convey.

"Let's face it, Variety usually is a series of press releases, talking about what star or director was brought in for a film or something fast-tracked," he said. "What does 'fast track' mean, anyway?"

Lee said it's essential to read a Variety if you're going to work in Hollywood "so you're at least conversant with the people there.

"When I starting meeting people, I knew something about them," he said. "It's just basic research."

Then there is industry jargon, most of it created by Variety, with words like "helm," which means to direct a film or TV program: A "helmer" is a director. Then there's "affil," for a television network-affiliated station; "B.O.," for box office or box office receipts; "biopic," for a biographical film; "bird," for satellite; "coin," for money or financing; "ankle," referring to someone leaving a job; or "whammo," for something terrific, especially a box-office performance.

Another lesson is learning not to take disappointments or failures personally.

"You have to realize that making a film or surviving in this business is a long game, so you do your best and go on to the next (project)," he said.

Although Lee has had several major successes, both artistically and at the box office, with a roster of films that includes "Philadelphia," "Jerry Maguire" and "As Good as It Gets," he also has had his share of bombs like the pricey "Godzilla."

"'Godzilla' didn't work out to be the franchise it was supposed to be," he said. "The guys who made the film were friends of mine; I brought them in on the project, and they made the movie they wanted to make, though it was very different from what we originally envisioned. We made a lot of mistakes, including changing the look of the creature."

He also emphasizes that filmmaking is a 24-7 commitment "if you're going to do it right." And doing it right for wannabe filmmakers means moving to L.A.

"Until we get the film school really up and running, you have to go to Los Angeles," Lee said. "People for the most part just don't know the business and too often start off flying blind where some serious mistakes can be made."

He said that some of the most powerful men in entertainment -- including David Geffen, Barry Diller and Michael Ovitz -- began as trainees in talent agency mailrooms. Lee started at Tristar Pictures as a freelance script analyst but prior to that worked with acclaimed director Wayne Wang on his film "Dim Sum."

Their success should be inspiring to those without the right connections ... yet.

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