Film Students - Insider Film Job Tips
Film Students graduating from college take heart! I’m
going to give you something that will put you, as a film school
student, way out in front of the pack of film job-hungry students.
(Hint: it’s not the usual tips of joining the Director’s
Guild, etc. – it’s not what you think...that I know
from experience).
Let’s acknowledge that there are thousands of film school
graduates every year from many different programs throughout
North America and Europe. Finding work really is a daunting
task that takes fortitude and perseverance. Fine. Now, how
do you present yourself on top of the stack?
There’s no need to be gloomy…yet. I’ve been
in the film business for a long time (since 1985) and I can
tell you that tons of film school graduates get work and I
can tell you what that person in front of you (yes, that person
who has your future in your hands) is looking for.
But first, how do you get to the interview to begin with?
That’s where the perseverance comes in. Getting interviews
for work in the film industry is very much a numbers game.
It may be a little embarrassing to present your body in front
of an extremely busy production office person with a resume
that’s mostly being a Film Student and working in your
dad’s store over summer breaks, but that’s what
you’ve got to do. Again and again and…. You get
the point.
How you present yourself to the interviewer is key. Let me
relate the following story first.
I saw Clint Eastwood being interviewed recently on a PBS
program. He said that student actors should be trained to
go on stage in front of their peers (other actors) and do
nothing but BE. He said they’ll be embarrassed about
it at first, maybe fidget around and feel out of place, but
after doing it for a while they’ll get comfortable not
trying to be entertaining – to just ‘be’ in
front of others.
Well, that’s the practice that you get by presenting
yourself in front of others, cap in hand, asking for work
in film & video productions. At first you may be nervous,
fidget a bit, try to be someone you’re not. After a while
you’ll just BE, and NOW you’re in business. Please
be assured that working filmmakers, including most producers,
don’t fit the image presented by Hollywood. We’re
VERY practical people who very quickly say s__t when we’ve
got a mouthful. Any pretension is spotted immediately; from
a distance.
So, what do you say in those interviews that you’ve
dug up with blood and sweat? Well, simply stated, you’ve
got to be able to spot what the interviewer believes are his
problems and you’ve got to present yourself as a solution
to his problems.
When you’re on the internet you’re looking for
a solution to your problem, right? If you want curly hair
straightened, a particular kind of software, a tip from a
film director, etc. etc. you want to go “Ah HA!”.
If you land at a site that doesn’t offer that kind of
a solution to your problem, you throw that web site away and
look for another one.
So, ask yourself this question before every interview, “What
are the problems that the (position interviewing) would have?”
Then you say to yourself, “How can I present myself as
a solution to that particular person’s problems?”
You don’t need to get complicated about it. I’ll
be telling you what types of problems most interviewers have
in film production universally.
Mailing out letters is also a very effective way to get interviews,
and even get a film job in some location out-of-town; not
as effective as presenting yourself in person, but it still
works. Mail your resume with a cover sheet to every Unit Production
Manager, Producer, 1st Assistant Director and 2nd Assistant
Director you can find on any list anywhere. Your letter needs
to be HONEST and bright. You need to state on the cover sheet
every way you can think of where you ARE a solution to his/her
problems. Put yourself in that person’s environment when
they’re in production. What are their real life problems?
I’ll tell you some common problems that I’ve witnessed
many times on film productions:
Producer – Wants a ‘blue tooth’ cell phone
and doesn’t know how to get reimbursed for it. (Producers
are notorious for not wanting to appear like they don’t
know something – he doesn’t know how to set it up
either).
Director – Can’t remember the name of the last
steadicam operator he worked
with (read as, doesn’t know the value of surfing on the
net).
1st AD – can’t remember his hours worked when he’s
trying to fill out his time-card at the end of the week. (1st
AD’s like to feel that they’re not really union
people, but the DGA insists on honest timecards for rest violation
purposes).
2nd AD – she lost her receipts from her petty cash
and is now short $50.
Production Office Coordinator – She’s harried beyond
belief with preparing Production Reports, photocopying Call
Sheets, is being asked to fill out PO’s (purchase orders)
and she has computer problems. She needs an Office PA who
can think on their feet and won’t faint at the thought
of typing a full-blown Daily Production Report or writing
up a PO.
UPM (Unit production Manager): Wants a Set PA (production
assistant) who is NOT a Film School Student - She wants someone
who doesn’t lose their petty cash, can take direction,
knows how to prepare a timecard, doesn’t pout when they’re
not ‘close to the camera’ and in general, doesn’t
behave like a ‘student’.
They all sound pretty lame, huh? But…that’s the
kind of problems working professionals want solutions to.
I know it’s not the sexy stuff you went to film schools,
at hefty tuition rates, to learn. So…go work somewhere
else; or, just get with the program.
Here are some of the attributes that you need to put down
on your resume that will blow most working filmmakers away
(as long they’re true):
-You’re computer literate, especially with Word and
Excel, and you’re ‘up’ on the technology
of cell phones, computer hook-ups, cell phone walkies, etc.
-You’re familiar with how to fill out a timecard. (Timecards
are an integral part of every working crew’s life).
-You know how to prepare a petty cash form and understand
how a petty cash ‘float’ works. (The term ‘petty’
cash is used loosely in the world of film production; most
of the film projects I’ve worked on use anywhere between
$20,000 to $75,000 a week of ‘petty’ cash, depending
on the size of the movie production. So, the control of
that much cash is on everyone’s mind as a potential
problem in their working life.)
-You’re savvy enough about business in general to understand
how Purchase Orders and Check Requisitions work.
In my experience on over the 40+ film projects I’ve
been on, not one film school student has graduated already
knowing how to prepare a Deal Memo (that’s the first
thing you do when you sign up for work on any film and video
production anywhere in the world), how to ask for a Petty
Cash Float, how to account for Petty Cash properly, how to
fill out a Purchase Order or a Check Requisition, etc. All
of those terms, or some of them, are probably unfamiliar to
you, although I’m sure you kind of get the drift. They’re
ALL common terms in every working filmmakers vocabulary –
believe me!
You would positively blow away the UPM, 1st AD, Producer,
and even the Film Director, if you dropped these terms casually
in an interview.
Do you want to get the edge over the others looking for that
film or video production job? Get a copy of my book and study
Part IV. That particular section is dedicated to showing you
real life examples – it’s a complete training guide
to all of the forms mentioned above, as well as the Daily
Production Report and the Call sheet.
See my web page Book Info for
more information on what the book is about.
Throughout the book I've inserted some of the juicier real
life pitfalls that I've personally witnessed, reported on,
or unwittingly participated in.
See Story #8
for one such story.
If You Work In Film Production
(or want to) This Book Is For You
This book started out as an effort to answer a question that
Ron Howard had put to me back in 1993. (You can check out
the question in Chapter 1). The purpose of the book expanded
from that question into a way to help Directors understand
that 'Talking Money' is a simple, but necessary, tool to use
during the film production.
See the page about
Direct the Money - Walk The Talk.
Many of my subscribers are international. To avoid shipping
charges I made the book available as a digital download to
your own computer. This EBook also allows me to offer you
a reduced rate.
Download
the EBook for only $22.50 - immediate access
to a practical guide with173 pages of experience to help you
make it in film.
An added aim of this book to give an insight into the world
of Production Managing. To my knowledge and research, exposure
to this type of information just isn't available anywhere
else. This book is vital for film crew who want to become
a Production Manager.
See Crew-It's Cool
To Walk The Talk.
I've written a series of 7 articles summarizing the book
for Film Directors, Producers, Film Crew and Film Students.
Check them out:
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