Thursday, June 16, 2011

Getting Jobs in Entertainment question 838:I would like to work on set! I would love to develop projects!

This is a continuation from yesterday's blog. He's narrowed it down to working on set and development.

We must narrow it down further.

For working on set, what are your skills that are transferable? Are you computer savvy (DIT), can you do hair? Makeup? Can you build (sets)? Can you paint? Are you organized and a stickler for details (script supervisor)? And on and on I could go.

Your best bet, reach out to everyone who knows you personally, and see if you can find a connection to someone who works on set and can have you visit for the day. Then you can see how many people are working and what their jobs entail. Those that look interesting to you, you can inquire about. Find out what training you need, what union covers that classification, etc.

Now development. Skills: Can you write script coverage? If your answer is, "What's script coverage?" time to Google it and find out. How long can you push a rock uphill and not get frustrated? (an important question for someone working in development). Are you prepared to work at a REALLY low starting salary?

Your best bet, join an entertainment organization like FIND (Film Independent) and talk to people who are developing projects. Or, getting an unpaid internship at a production company that doesn't require you to be doing it for college credit.

And then of course there's throwing your arms up to the fates and telling everyone you know personally that you want to work for free on a production and seeing what you get thrown into. Who knows where a day of lugging sandbags can lead...


For more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, The Greenlight Coach, visitwww.TheGreenlightCoachBlog.com

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