By By Tiffany Ayuda
The standards of Hollywood are critical and unforgiving. Even the most talented actors, actresses, directors and producers are in a constant battle to maintain their fame and reputation. There are people who who push the envelope – they strive to challenge what is traditionally favored and force their audience to embrace the inconceivable.
Christopher Picone, a 1994 University graduate, is one of these people. Working in the post-production department at HBO, he is responsible for fixing any audio and video problems on all original programming, such as “Entourage,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Sopranos,” “Deadwood” and “Rome.” His most important role is to stay within the budget and schedule. In addition, Picone is an independent filmmaker.
“The client must always be happy,” Picone said. “Whether it is a viewer at home or hired by the company.”
Picone graduated with a bachelor of arts and double majored in communication arts and television/film production. He also minored in English in the area of creative writing. The detailed classes at the University have helped him understand the world of television and film, he said. They taught him how to meet deadlines and how to be responsible.
Picone was also very involved in the University; he was in the film club, AREMAC (camera backwards), where he served as the club’s president for one semester. Picone said being in a club gave him the experience of working with different people and learning what the film industry requires.
“I enjoyed the organization very much because I met a lot of great people that work in the industry that I keep in touch with today,” Picone said.
He remembers taking television courses with Professor Randy Hildebrande and film courses with Dr. Sybil DelGaudio.
“Both were excellent professors, and I have a huge respect for them,” Picone said. “I enjoyed their classes because they were very thorough with their lesson plans. I have recommended others who are interested in this industry to go to Hofstra because of them.”
However, film students have always wondered what they can do to get their foot into the industry; writing, producing, directing, or production assistant. But the answer has always been through internships.
During the summer of his sophomore year, Picone interned at a commercial production company called Director’s Alliance. It was a production house with five directors, so there were always shoots going on. He also worked on a Cinemax commercial, a car commercial and two documentaries. Interning at Cinemax really helped him because his supervisors provided an excellent recommendation, which aided Picone in getting his first job after graduating from the University.
“I interned during college and I also purchased the Hollywood Reporter,” Picone said. “I would look in the back at films in pre-production and if they were local, call the production office and ask them if I could work as a PA for free. They usually never turned down free help. I highly recommend doing that if you are not able to find an internship.”
To those in the business film and television are very different.
“I like that it’s [film] not as restricted as TV,” Picone said. “Television always has the standards and practices you follow. With film, you can push the envelope and not have to worry about a TV network complaining.”
The most preconceived notion about film is that if it has a good, famous director, then the movie will automatically be great. Picone said it doesn’t always work that way. In fact, it never does. The most important part of film is the script.
“A good movie is definitely judged first by the script,” Picone said. “You can have a great director and a huge budget, but if the script is not a good story, it is a waste of your time.”
When asked if he felt like he accomplished everything, Picone said he is happy with where he is today. He has directed music videos, two commercials, an award winning film and completed a feature that is being shopped around by possible distributors.
“But there is more to do,” he said. “I just started my own production company with a producer, and we are now looking into new projects. So I’d say my passion is [to create] more features in the future and also have a sitcom in development.”
However, things were not always so easy for Picone. On his way to the top, even he had “pushing the envelope” and challenging his viewers.
“My greatest fear was that this was not school anymore,” Picone said. “The work I was doing now [was] for a professional network and the slightest mistake could be detrimental to the quality of programming. Entertainment is a very competitive field. Always keep your head up and have a positive attitude. It is great to think outside the box. Differentiate yourself from others and you will stand out.”
Picone never knew how long it would take for him to get noticed in the industry, but he was patient and passionate about what he was doing and that is what really drove him to success.
“I just never knew how long it would take,” he said. “There is no formula to working in this industry to be successful. I think it deals with having a boss or supervisor who believes in you and is willing to give you a chance.”
His best advice to film students at the University is to take the initiative and do not be afraid to take risks.
It is up to each individual if they want to become one of those people that “push the enveloppe and use their careers to make a difference in Hollywood.