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Creative Careers in Hollywood
By Laurie Scheer
Allworth Press
Paperback
240 Pages (6 x 9)
$19.95 U.S.
ISBN: 1-58115-243-4
Publication Date: November 2002
The general public has a
fascination with all things Hollywood. Because of this fascination, movies about
the movie industry - and the people working in it - often flourish. From d-girls
to movie moguls, many positions in Hollywood have been the subject of a film at
one time or another. Of course, because movies are supposed to be "make believe,"
you have to ask yourself: "How much of the career portrayed on-screen is
real?" According to Laurie Scheer and her new book: Creative Careers in
Hollywood, what you see in the movies is pretty much what you get when you
go to work in Hollywood.
In Creative Careers,
one-time assistant, producer and network vice president Laurie Scheer examines
a variety of jobs in Hollywood and how they're portrayed in the movies. Each of
the book's ten chapters is broken into three segments.
First Scheer rates the
job in accordance with its importance on the food chain, and provides a background
about what the job entails. She also rates how desirable the position is (or isn't)
and how long people stay in it.
Next the author scrutinizes
the movies highlighting the position; some of which date back to the time of the
silents. She weighs what the movie says about the job and how accurate the message
is, or isn't.
Lastly Scheer interviews
real people in the real positions. Her comparisons of the people and their lives
prove that, when is comes to Hollywood jobs, what you see on the screen isn't
all that different from what happens in real life.
What a fun book! Anyone
with an interest in the movie industry will find Creative Careers in Hollywood
enjoyable, informative and thoughtful. Careers is a wry, and sometimes
dark-but-affectionate look at Hollywood through Hollywood's eyes. The book also
shows that the movie industry is pretty much like other industries: There is a
hierarchy; a strong work ethic is a must, collaboration is the norm and huge egos
are still a pain to those on the lower rungs of the ladder to success. Of particular
fascination to readers interested in Hollywood careers is how the positions have
- or haven't - changed through the decades.
A nationwide lecture series
based on Creative Careers in Hollywood is scheduled to start in spring
of 2003 and is titled "From Extra Girls to Errand Boys." Scheer has
also worked as a Hollywood career coach and will be posting quarterly updates
to the book on her web site at: http://www.lawscheer.com
About
This Author
Sable Jak is a former actress and dancer and has, like so many
others writers, been writing ever since she can remember. She’s a columnist
with Absolute Write and has radio mysteries running on Virtually American. She
is also president of The Screenplayers http://www.screenplayers.net.
and may be reached at: Sable Jak
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