Gotham Group: Behind the Scenes of the Big Screen

Courtesy of Animation Magazine

Courtesy of Animation Magazine

Elle Raine Lavin '18, Features Editor

From this summer’s blockbusters like Nerve and Suicide Squad to classic films like Star Wars and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, movies have become one of America’s favorite pastimes and biggest legacies. One text and you and your friends can make plans to watch the latest motion picture; even now, the process is becoming easier and easier since you don’t even have to get out of bed to watch movies (Thanks Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon! Am I right ladies?). Movies are so convenient that it seems like the only downside to them are the innumerable credits at the end. However, as easy as it is nowadays to watch movies, this summer I learned  that it’s not as simple to produce them.

This summer, I interned at the Gotham Group through the Marymount Internship Program. Gotham Group is a production and management company that has been behind movies such as the hit Maze Runner and represents actors like the star of Jane the Virgin, Justin Baldoni. Over the course of 8 weeks there, I learned firsthand how movies get made; though the work was rigorous and fast-paced, in reality, it can take years before a movie in production actually hits the theatres and is seen by the public.

PRE-PRODUCTION:

The first step in the making of a feature motion picture is the establishment and creation of an idea (HINT for all aspiring screenwriters out there: the best pitches leave some leeway for a sequel). This idea can be shown to producers in the form of a pitch or a script; once the pitch is given or the script is read, production companies, such as Gotham Group, 21st Century Fox, and Sony, have a chance to buy it. From there, it is up to the production company to get a director and an actor  “attached” to it. Typically, they will send the script out to numerous people that they are interested in and wait for a reply. The better the director and bigger the star they get, the higher the chances will be that studios, such as Warner Brothers and Paramount Motion Pictures, will want the distribution rights. Once a studio buys the distribution rights, the rest of the casting and hiring can take place.

PRODUCTION:

During production, the executive producers stay on set 24/7 making sure everything runs smoothly and on time. Although the writers are the head of TV shows and the director is the queen (or king) of the film, the executive producers ultimately have the final say. A major issue that a lot of people actually don’t know is that it takes so long for women, minorities, and members of the LGBTQA+ community to get lead roles or storylines because of the international audience. Movies involving the aforementioned persons have a much smaller budget because in certain countries, like Russia, the movie is dead or wouldn’t sell due to the countries customs and beliefs.

POST-PRODUCTION:

After the movie is all shot and in the process of editing, the next step is marketing and distributing the rights internationally. Actors have to make appearances on talk shows or go on world tours to promote the movie and get the best turnout for opening weekend. Trailers play one of the biggest roles in post-production. Since it is easier to watch a movie on your phone or wait for it to come out on DVD, producers, in less than five minutes, have to be able to convince people that their movie is worth getting out of bed, purchasing a ticket, and driving to a theatre.  A lot more thought goes into picking a release date than one might think. Producers have to be aware of dates that other movies are already premiering and must consider how their movie will fare against the rest. As opening night approaches, the ratings, reviews, and selling rights to DVD and online companies such as Redbox, Netflix, and Amazon follows.

Having an inside look into the production of movies was insightful and really gave me a deeper appreciation for them. I also got to sit in on meetings in which managers discussed the progress of future movies. I really learned the amount of faith we should have in upcoming productions. I have often spoken out against the lack of representation of diverse groups in the media; although “it’s bad for international sales” isn’t the best excuse, this experience taught me that representation is not limited to just what we see on our screens. Something I appreciated hearing was whenever a movie regarding Hispanics or LGBTQA+ or other minorities did come up, someone was always sure to note that the corresponding directors should be hired or if the movie was based on a relatively true story, there should be someone there who actually experienced the event to fact check and make the movie is as true to life and as respectful as it can be.

Though credits can be tedious, especially if there’s a special clip waiting for us on the other side of them, they are important. A lot of hard work goes into the production of that 2-hour visual story, and, as I have learned this summer, incredible people were behind it at every step.