Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Randy Kent. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Randy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
I learned from just going out and doing it. I didn’t go to film school or anything like that, I was self-taught from day one right out of high school. I started on small productions as an actor and general production assistant where I leaned from others who were making the films I was acting in or working on in some capacity. This continued for years until I saved up enough money to do my first coupled of projects myself. That’s where I really learned!
Knowing what I know now I wish I had started even earlier and stronger out of the gate. Being a little shy and timid and also young, I should have asked more questions, talked to more people and being just generally more open to situations when I started out in my career. I think in hindsight that may not have lead me to the career I have now but, who knows?
In my opinion, the most essential skill to be a decent filmmaker is to have a little knowledge about every department and facet of the process. Knowing what every person’s job entails I think helps you be a better leader (as the director and/or producer). It certainly helps in the prep stage because you know what it takes to get this or that done and can plan and budget for it. And last but not least, most certainly knowing the editorial side is a tremendous help as a director. It not only saves time and money because you know what you need and don’t need, it also saves your sanity when you sit in the edit bay! So, my biggest advice to any young filmmaker – learn to edit!
The biggest obstacle in this career is never having enough time or money. And I’m not just talking about being on set and making a film (because every single filmmaker will tell you the same thing!). It is in life as well. Moving out on my own to Los Angeles at a young age, I had to take some crappy jobs and gigs to get by while I was learning my craft, going to auditions, doing theater, getting headshots, taking acting classes and everything you need to do to get a career in this business. What they don’t tell you is that having the time, money and energy to have a day job and pursue this crazy career is a juggling act that I still do to this day. The struggle is real!
I learned from just going out and doing it. I didn’t go to film school or anything like that, I was self-taught from day one right out of high school. I started on small productions as an actor and general production assistant where I leaned from others who were making the films I was acting in or working on in some capacity. This continued for years until I saved up enough money to do my first coupled of projects myself. That’s where I really learned!
Knowing what I know now I wish I had started even earlier and stronger out of the gate. Being a little shy and timid and also young, I should have asked more questions, talked to more people and being just generally more open to situations when I started out in my career. I think in hindsight that may not have lead me to the career I have now but, who knows?
In my opinion, the most essential skill to be a decent filmmaker is to have a little knowledge about every department and facet of the process. Knowing what every person’s job entails I think helps you be a better leader (as the director and/or producer). It certainly helps in the prep stage because you know what it takes to get this or that done and can plan and budget for it. And last but not least, most certainly knowing the editorial side is a tremendous help as a director. It not only saves time and money because you know what you need and don’t need, it also saves your sanity when you sit in the edit bay! So, my biggest advice to any young filmmaker – learn to edit!
The biggest obstacle in this career is never having enough time or money. And I’m not just talking about being on set and making a film (because every single filmmaker will tell you the same thing!). It is in life as well. Moving out on my own to Los Angeles at a young age, I had to take some crappy jobs and gigs to get by while I was learning my craft, going to auditions, doing theater, getting headshots, taking acting classes and everything you need to do to get a career in this business. What they don’t tell you is that having the time, money and energy to have a day job and pursue this crazy career is a juggling act that I still do to this day. The struggle is real!
Randy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I grew up in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia and was enthralled by show business of every kind since around 9 or 10 years old. I would sit alone in my room and create Top 40 radio shows using a tape recorder and a record player (showing my age!) or I would practice magic tricks to show to the family or write little stories and scripts, study actors and comedians and just movies in general. I experimented with everything because it was all I ever wanted to be a part of in some kind of way. I just had the bug from early on, worked hard for it and never looked back.
I started out as an actor and also did a lot of improvisational theater and dabbled in stand-up comedy for bit. As soon as I graduated high school (literally 3 months after) I took a trip to Los Angeles to give it a shot. It was tougher than I imagined because I was 18 and had no real experience doing anything but I did it. I did the standards you do as a young actor – headshots, classes, acting in local theater, student films, commercials, did a lot of background work, things like that but, the more I did it, the more I realized I liked being behind the scenes and creating the projects. When I acted on a project, I would watch what the directors were doing and shadow them because I was more fascinated by that aspect of things. So, I started writing a lot and wrote several shorts and a feature and finally got up the nerve to produce my first project. I just kept going and have been doing it ever since. I still act from time to time and I do like it but my creative energy is focused on directing at this stage of my career.
Now, being a 30+ year veteran in the business with multiple awards under my belt, I have developed this keen ability to make a little go a long way and look like it was made for a lot. I have earned somewhat of a reputation for the work I’ve created across every genre and in many different countries – from my beginnings in the Atlanta comedy world, to directing heavy dramas in India, shooting tight thrillers in the streets of Holland, making straight-up horror in Buffalo and the United Kingdom, making fantasy films in the woods of North Carolina and then smaller, more intimate work here in Los Angeles.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I think what drives me at this stage of life is keep trying to get better and hoping “that next thing” is the one that hits. You always hope that whatever project you are working on is going to be “the greatest thing I’ve ever done” and will light the world on fire. I constantly strive for that every time and the mission IS to get to that point, lighting the world on fire with a film I have done. That’s the goal, to truly succeed. I have come close recently and there are a few very promising things coming up project wise so maybe I reach the top of the mountain!
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding is the feedback you get when it’s working. If an audience is into what you are doing, whether that be as a performer or as a filmmaker, being with a crowd who really seems to enjoy something you have worked so hard on, there is nothing more rewarding. Also, being proud on my own of what I have accomplished. It is so difficult to make a film and when I can sit and watch it with a smile on my face, that’s pretty cool too.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.Randykent.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/randykent/
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/randykent1
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Timmythebagboy
- Other: Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/randykent There Is No Box Studios: http://www.thereisnoboxstudios.com/