Most film schools will teach you how to MAKE movies, not how to get a film MADE. If you want to successfully raise financing for a film, you need to learn the language of the business: Market trends, an actor’s name value in the market, a general knowledge of budgeting and scheduling, etc. Without an understanding of these, it will be difficult for an investor to take you seriously.
As a part of our series about creating a successful career in TV and Film, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Nicholas Gyeney, filmmaker/ founder, Mirror Images LTD.
Nicholas Gyeney enjoys filmmaking, eating delicious food, watching movies with loved ones, and writing biographies in the third person. He was born to Hungarian parents, and quickly immersed himself in cinema with the guidance of his father, Ors. When Nicholas’ father tragically and suddenly died in 1998, Nicholas dove deeper into movies, and soon discovered his dream of making movies.
Since graduating from the University of Southern California’s film program, Nicholas has produced and directed several independent feature films, each furthering and refining his skills as he continues his path towards his dreams.
With the recent completion his biggest film to date, an emotional supernatural thriller called The Activated Man, Nicholas is hard at work assembling a slate of projects with some of the most talented and successful people in the film industry by his side. He is the founder of the film production company Mirror Images LTD.
The Activated Man — 4K “The Fedora Man” Trailer (DARKNESS)
The Activated Man — 4K “Louis” Trailer (LIGHT)
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
Growing up, I watched movies with my dad. It was how we bonded, and how I got to know him — for a brief time. Because when I was 12 years old he died very unexpectedly, and that changed everything overnight. I found myself watching movies more intently, deeply. I dove in, escaping the pain of life without my dad for 2 hours at a time. My dad always had a great love of movies, and a great vision. I think this calling came from him, and his death forced me to acknowledge that head on, right away, as a 12-year-old boy. I knew very early on in life what I was going to do.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
It happened very early on. I was directing my second feature film — The Penitent Man. The indie sci-fi drama starred Lance Henriksen- who film history buffs will know was the original choice to play The Terminator, and was eventually cast as a police officer once it was decided the role would be played by someone… larger. Now, if I’m not the biggest Terminator fan on earth, I’m definitely close. The Terminator story has resonated with me throughout my life. And The Penitent Man was in part inspired by that story. So, when I cast Lance in the lead, and he found out what a big fan I was of the Terminator series, he came to set a couple days early with a little gift for me. See, when James Cameron pitched the original Terminator film, he had painted an original work of Lance Henriksen AS The Terminator to show his vision. James later gifted that priceless piece of film history to Lance… and many years later, Lance presented it to me.
I own the first piece of concept art for the Terminator franchise. The painting that started it all. It hangs in my office, and I look at it every day as a reminder to keep fighting for my dreams.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I was 19 years old. Directing my first feature film, on a shoestring budget. And that means wearing MANY hats. I barely had a grasp of how to run a film set. Let alone the complexities of every production position… When I got to post-production, I discovered the gain was too low on the audio recorder, and possibly 80% of production audio was basically unusable. So, I spent a couple months having every actor come to my little bedroom and sit on the floor to re-record EVERYTHING. It was a disaster. It killed the movie… and now my eye twitches when someone says the word “ADR”. All subsequent feature films have used 99% production audio for dialogue. There are quite a few lessons there. I think they’re obvious :).
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I have a spin-off/sequel to The Activated Man that’s basically ready to shoot, and a conspiracy theory that I’ve been developing for a few years. Time will tell which one takes off first.
You have been blessed with success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
If there is anything else IN THE WORLD that will make you fully happy and fulfilled, do that instead. This dream of making movies — it’s a disease. I am afflicted with this disease. It is the only pursuit that will fulfill me and make me whole. And that’s the only reason why I’ve been able to make 8 feature films in the last 18 years. I wake up many mornings and wish I would have wanted to be a doctor or a teacher or a lawyer. But this is how my story is written. The pursuit of the most narrow pinhole of success imaginable. I actually envy those who can give up pursuing a career in filmmaking and find happiness and peace doing something else. What a gift.
We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
A diverse crew, diverse cast, diverse film — it just simply reflects the reality of the world. The more of it we see in film and television, the more we will learn and understand that no matter what race, gender, religion, or politics we represent, we share this world with so many others who are different — and there’s nothing wrong with that. There is room for us all.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?
Most film schools will teach you how to MAKE movies, not how to get a film MADE. If you want to successfully raise financing for a film, you need to learn the language of the business: Market trends, an actor’s name value in the market, a general knowledge of budgeting and scheduling, etc. Without an understanding of these, it will be difficult for an investor to take you seriously.
Revise your script! Over and over. Ask yourself- Is this the most interesting way to convey this information, or the most interesting version of this scene? Are there any potholes? Character behavior that doesn’t gel? Pushing yourself to be critical of your own work, and striving to achieve the best possible version of the material could mean the difference between a film that’s remembered or not.
Hire an entertainment lawyer! So many indie films and filmmakers are abused in this business because they didn’t have proper representation to fight for their contract terms.
Marketing is key. Most distributors who pick up indie films won’t put the marketing dollars behind the film to really make an impact. Raising your own marketing funds as part of the overall budget is a major counter to that. If your film doesn’t have public awareness at the time of release, it’s almost always going to disappear into ether of weekly content.
Money talks. It’s the reality that no one on earth will care about your film or your vision as much as you do. So, money will get you the work your vision requires without the heartache or headache of having to ask those being paid little to work so much harder. If you have the money to pay your crew well, and can afford to hire real professionals, they will deliver and go home happier, and in turn you will be happier with the experience.
I’ve had several experiences on independent productions that have put me in that very difficult position of asking my crew to work harder and deliver better when they were working for lower than union wages. If I had the money, I’d go to all of them and offer them major bonuses for helping me get to where I am now. Maybe one day I’ll be able to do that.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
I don’t think I need to offer advice here. Those who share that affliction I spoke of CAN’T burn out. They will continue the struggle because they have no choice.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
If I could inspire anything in anyone, I’d hope it could be to find a deeper love, appreciation, and respect for the animals that we share this life and planet with. I think someone’s true character is decided by how they choose to treat those that they don’t NEED to treat well. And I think this idea especially extends to the treatment of animals. There are still so many people in the world who look at an animal and don’t see an EMOTIONAL BEING. One that feels fear, and joy, and sadness, and love — just like we do. Animals might not speak our language, or even have the same cognitive abilities — but like us they are emotional beings. And unlike humanity, which I see as a largely corrupt species with moments of light, animals are quite pure. And they need us to protect them. They need us to care. I hope I could inspire others to care.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I meet a lot of filmmakers and actors and other artists who never had the support of their parents as they pursued their dream. It’s that common scene from the movie — mom and dad telling their kid to get a REAL job.
If there is one person who has supported and believed in me the most through my life, it’s been my mother. My relationship with my mother is not perfect. She’s as stubborn as I am, and she can’t program a TV to save her life. But, as a supporter of my dream, I have been very lucky to have her. It’s not one story. It’s a life story. I can’t tell you where I’d be or if I’d even be at all if my mom had not believed in me and encouraged me to keep going.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
LIVE. IN. THE. NOW. “Stop to smell the roses.”
I’ve spent so much of my life worrying about the uncertain future, or beating myself up for past mistakes, or reliving painful memories. But all those things — those memories and fears of the future — NONE of that exists. The past is over. It’s gone. In this life that you are living right now, the past does not exist. And neither does the future.
What exists is RIGHT NOW. As I’m writing this very sentence. The NOW is life. It is what actually exists. We spend so much time worrying about the past and the future that we forget to actually LIVE life as we are living it.
That’s not to say we shouldn’t reflect and grow from the past, or plan for the future. It’s the dwelling that we lose ourselves in.
Living with this mindset is not easy. We are only human. So, I try to create a routine. I wake up in the morning and list 10 or 20 things I’m grateful for. When I take a shower, I tell myself to enjoy the warm water hitting my body. It’s stopping to smell the roses. These little reminders help center us and keep us living as we’re living.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
Without hesitation or question, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
His life story has been so inspiring to me. I grew up loving his movies. In fact, after my father died, I think in a way I saw him as a father figure. Maybe it was the accent, which was so much like my father’s strong Hungarian accent. But there was always this strong connection to him and his journey.
As I got older, it evolved from a love of his movies to also a love of his humanity. A man as human as the rest of us, who has risen up so strong and become one of the most amazing hearts and minds of our time.
To sit down with Arnold and really talk with him, a heart to heart — that would be a dream come true… And then maybe he’d want to star in the film I wrote for him too ;).
How can our readers follow you online?
On Instagram I’m @ngyeney @theactivatedmanmovie
On X: @mirrorimages
On Facebook: Nicholas Gyeney theactivatedmanmovie
Mirror Images LTD | To Entertain Is A Grand Adventure
And just in case you were wondering, it’s pronounced GENIE :).
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
Nichola Gyeney On The 5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career in TV and Film was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.