New Dynasty said:
I've been kind of down lately, mainly cause ppl saying this will never lead to anything beneficial or this wont help me in life. So do yall think that producing is a legitimate field to be in?
See I see nothing wrong with your friends making that statement.
First of all... It's healthy to have people playing devil's advocate now and then... People who are practical and tell you what will or won't work most of the time. Sometimes it's good just to hear it, to be dissuaded for a minute. Besides, how would you go at it full speed in a virtually impossible industry when there's no one to prove wrong?
Secondly, remember that the people who are giving you this advice either don't know shit about the industry, don't know what you're capable of, had BAD experience in the industry, or are just equating the work you can do with becoming "P. Diddy Famous", which is a far stretch, but COULD happen.
Now, consider yourself lucky to be able to hear it from both (or all) sides. It is up to YOU to deduce whether it's for you. It's up to YOU to make a decision whether you want to go at this full speed, maybe spring some bucks on an education, maybe just pick up a little here and there, maybe network with as many people as you can and be as professional as you can be, or maybe just play around and have as much fun as you can without taking it too seriously.
What I can offer you is a little advice from my side...
In terms of making this a career, the majority of the business comes from corporate accounts; mostly commercials, jingles, radio ads, voiceovers, etc. Then, post production, like "mix to pix", foley editing, ADR, etc. THEN, there's a LITTLE bit of business in music. Starting with music production for TV and ads, THEN music that actually plays on the radio.
So if you were to continue a career in this industry, you can decide whether you want to take your chances on whichever level you think you might fit in. Music is HARD to make a career out of. In the end, it's more of who you know than your actual skills or experience in ANY field. So if you're making music at home and want to be on the radio, I'll say good luck and mean it, as it's pretty much like playing the lottery. But if you're out there, getting your feet wet in many different ponds, then you're much more likely to end up in the ocean. If you could make music, can work with people very well, know a little something about tech work (soldering, making cables, fixing gear), know something about timecode, and how to "clock a room" for picture, know microphone placement and can be innovative enough to create your "own sound" but can do it by the book when needed, attend a variety of parties where successful musicians, actors, engineers, producers and directors hang out, if you're on the phone with at least two people every day nurturing your network, and if you can balance all this with a regular job and still not pull all your hair out from frustration, then YOU CAN MAKE THIS A CAREER!!!
Don't let anyone's advice get you down, including mine. For all I know, you're the next Howard Shore and you'll make movie scores all your life, and live on a boat in the Bahamas.
With all that garbage said, this is the best advice that I've ever taken: Do what feels right, and pull the ropes closest to you. If you take a practical approach to something that seems impossible to everyone else, then you can swing your way to success. The only reason not everyone is successful in this field is because they see a goal that they want and the steps are too far away. Look at what's close to you and you'll eventually get to that step.
Hope this helps.
-Hypno
Sheeeit, who knows, beats dont speak in particular language so I hope to sell my shit outside of my homeland. Hope is my drive....
