work for free so you can learn from that individual and gain some experi-
ence. "If you're going to be a producer, you have to work your way up
from the bottom."
Professional Profile: Clarke Gallivan,
Producer and Partner, Ruckus Film
Although she enjoyed taking film study courses in college, Clarke
Gallivan had never considered filmmaking as a career. It wasn't until
after she had earned a degree in political science that she began to have
second thoughts about going on to law school. Undecided about what to
do next, she returned home to
Nashville in the mid-1970s and
took a job assisting a photogra-
pher who often worked with
the music industry. The pho-
tographer introduced Gallivan
to several filmmakers, who
hired her to shoot production
stills of their projects. Through
this experience she discovered
that she had more interest
in film work than in still
photography.
She began finding jobs as a
production assistant on com-
mercials and anything else she
could get as a way to learn the
business. She later apprenticed
as a film editor under directors
Jim May and Coke Sams. For
the next several years, Gallivan
worked as an editor of com-
mercials, documentaries, tele-
vision shows, and movies.
When country artists began
making music videos in the
early 1980s, she found herself
editing them by the dozen.
Growing tired of sitting alone in a darkened editing room, she began
directing videos as well. Later, inspired by the work of another video
filmmaker, she decided she could be more creatively effective as a pro-
ducer, and from that point focused her career in that direction.
What do you like
least about your job?
"The most frustrating
part of being a music
video maker is that in all
other aspects of filmmak-
ing, even commercials,
the film itself is considered creative content.
Many [record] label people view video as a
necessary evil. They see the song as the cre-
ative content and the video is seen as a lesser
adjunct for selling the artist and selling the
song."--Clarke Gallivan
What do you love most
about your job?
"What I like best of all is being involved in
making something that touches people, and is
also entertaining. Film is a very, very power-
ful medium. It is a huge thrill to be associ-
ated with making something that people
respond to. That's why I do it. Plus, it's a
team sport. You get to put together a great
team and work with some amazing
people."--Clarke Gallivan
VOICES OF
EXPERIENCE
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