Cynematik

In the marine world, there is a special group of fish that survive by cleaning the dead skin and parasites off other fish. Wrasses, cichlids, catfish, and gobies are among the better known marine cleaner fishes. The film industry has its own Film Gobies.

They circulate in the industry waters, trolling for aspirants and wannabe’s who are searching for the “super secret path” into the world of the film elite. There are screenwriting seminars offering to “make your script stand out from the rest.” There are pitching seminars to teach you how to “captivate producers and get your film into development.” There are seminars on how to find an agent or manager to sell your work and “create a bidding war” for your material.

The Film Gobies are, in fact, an industry of their very own. The amount of money and time spent trying to break into the industry must rival the amount actually spent making movies. Everybody has an idea. Everybody has a script. Everybody is looking for an edge.

Last night, I got to thinking about how crazy it would be if every industry had a Gobie industry like the Film Gobies. In Wisconsin (where I grew up), I would have been seeing seminars like “How to Make Your Cornfield Stand Out from the Rest!” I could have gone to a workshop on “Negotiating a Better Market Price for Your Milk.” I might have even been able to go to an intensive on “Getting a Better Grain Broker to Maximize Your Profits.” Maybe there would be better pricing for farm goods if such workshops were available. Maybe farming would be a respected and sought after job. Now that I’m thinking about it, maybe the Gobies are performing a valuable service! Maybe they’re keeping the fringe element busy while they’re building their skills while simultaneously elevating the overall skill level of the general pool. Maybe everybody needs a Gobie.