PG&E commercial shoot in San Francisco. Don Forschmidt, Director, Colin Ducey, Director of Photography (DP). Photo is of Colin Ducey looking into the camera from behind his own camera.
Why is it that some people dream of working in film but never really break in? Whether they graduated from Film School or High School, they never were able to make a career in film. Instead they find themselves waiting tables, stocking shelves or working in a lumber mill.
There is nothing wrong with any of these jobs, but if having a career in film was the original dream, what happened? How do some people find a fantastic career in the entertainment industry and others don’t?
Most people would love to go out and land a job in their chosen profession (acting, producing, camera) right away. They want a real job with benefits, regular hours and interesting projects. Maybe there are those kinds of jobs in television stations or production companies, possibly in a larger market such as Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Chicago or the Bay Area in California. But keep in mind, most of these entry-level jobs are hard to find and the competition for these positions can be fierce.
a Step-by-step plan to break into film
When someone has a dream, a career that they want to follow, one of the reasons they don’t break-in is they don’t know how to start or even where to start. They don’t have a step-by-step plan. How To Be A Successful Production Assistant gives you that plan of how you can make your dream of working in film into a reality.
Becoming a Film Production Assistant (PA) is an entry-level position and is similar to an apprenticeship, where you’ll have the opportunity to get experience in the business AND you’ll get paid. You’ll start working in film by getting a gig not a job. Then you get another gig, and another, and so on. You’ll build up your reputation and your client list. You either continue as a freelance contractor or someone will eventually offer full-time work and you’ll have a job.
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you need to be seen on a film job… working
Opportunities arise when you’re on the job, working on a film set. If you’re running errands on a film shoot, directing parking, locking down a set, putting up signs, or directing foot traffic, your chances of getting a real job gets better and better. The old saying it’s who you know is true, but it’s also about who knows you! If you’re not on a set, the Film Community won’t see you, they won’t know who you are. But if you’re working with people and they like what they see, your chances just got a lot stronger to land a job.
be a known entity
Once you break into the Production Assistant world, if you’re on your game, work will start coming your way because they now know you, they’ve seen you perform your job. You’ll get your first gig and then from there you’ll get your second gig and so on. People hire people they know and like to work with people they’re familiar with.
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Interviewing ranchers on the Border near Douglas, Arizona. New Group Media, Chris Salvador, Director. Film crew set up to interview ranchers with camera, boom microphones and reflectors.
get on that crew list!
It’s about availability. When assembling a film crew there’s usually a list of choices for every department. First there’s the “A” choice and if they’re not available the producers will hire the “B” person, etc…Being a KNOWN ENTITY is key to getting on that list.
Meet new people
When you change the direction of your life you also change WHO is in your life. Working as a PA, you’ll develop relationships with crew members, clients and vendors and those relationships will often develop into some of your most important friendships. Working in film is not just a job it’s a lifestyle. Every job has a story or a challenge, something special and these stories and friendships will be what you remember.
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Reputation is everything
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A person’s reputation is everything, even a slightly tarnished rep is better than no rep at all. If you’re lucky people will remember you, so use that to your advantage by leaving a good impression of how great you are to work with. Whatever their impression is of you, remember, that memory follows you and after a period of time either takes you up or takes you down in your career efforts.
You don’t have forever to perfect your ability to do this job. At some point you will get a rep, it only takes a little bit of time. But that’s good news because it also means that the better you are, the better your rep, the faster you move up into a career you love. In general, the Production Assistant position is transitional, it’s a way to get into the industry and find a career.
be your own boss
As a freelance Production Assistant, you’ll have to hustle your own work, do your own billing, market your services and make it all happen. But you‘ll also have the freedom to either work for a client or not, to take a gig that you like or not. As you climb the ladder and get better and better at what you do, you will be attracted to teams that you work well with. The process will become natural.
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Typical Field Production Crew: In Douglas, Arizona getting prepared to film a Border Entry Station. New Group Media, Chris Salvador, Director.
