My Rant: The Job Market

Not really into the LA thing but in this industry it is where its at.....i rather the indie scene myself...try my hand at the smaller then work my way up.


Bless
 
I don't have time to read the whole thread, but from the OP I can say I went through the same thing last year. Spent 5 months un-employed, dealing with shifty companies, temp agencies, "recruiters" *shutters*, eventually I ended up finding a job in a different community and taking it.

Turned out to be a great job, after busting my hump for a year in a community I didn't really want to be in I'm now moving back to the big city...and keeping the job :D

So I guess I'll just say this, others have been in your position, yeah it sucks, but it can get better.
 
jelloshotsrule said:
very well said, munger. i can certainly say for myself that it's not my top priority to work on a feature film someday...
Click to expand...


That is my dream. I've been thinking about just up and leaving to LA and just go for the gold and get into acting (not to live there forever tho). I feel like I've been wasting my past 2 years in J.C. college (not exactly been doing the best I could, which worries me) and working some dead end job is even more depressing...
 
wordmunger said:
You joke, but you're actually on to something. That's what it takes to make it in that business, PLUS moving to LA. If you're not willing to do that, you're very likely not going to make it.

Which is fine, but then don't complain about it. That's what life in the film industry is, for all but the tip top superstars. And it's what life was like for them before they made it. If that's not the life you want, then you need to find the life you do want.
Click to expand...

I understand what the film industy entails. And as I have said in at least two posts now, that is why I am currently NOT looking for jobs in the film market. If I do get around to film, it will be indie, not being the 8th assistant to the 37th director and hoping that my coffee monkey skills will land me my big break.

Why I originally posted was to express frustration the fact that despite the fact I have a degree, none of the jobs that I have seen fall into anything that I am either qualified for or have a remote interest in. And added to that, the only employeers that have actively seeked me out want me to sell something for them.

Somewhere along the line, it was made to seem that I was looking to land my big break in Hollywood without doing any of the leg work to do it.

I don't mean to sound like an ass or anything but I just got on here to blow off some steam and instead I am made to feel that my motivation and desire is under attack.

Hell, I just want an honest job. I'm not looking for the moon.
 
LA's not so bad.

The film business, like any other creative industry, is tough to get into...but people do it every day. Yes, you'll have to work temp jobs but thats the way it goes. There always seem to be plenty of meager pay jobs within the industry...that's where you learn and make your contacts. The people you file papers with today, may be the directors you work with in the future.

Succeeding in the film busines isn't all luck, it's mostly connections. It's about being nice, working hard, eating lotsa cheap pasta;) and not whinging when things don't go your way. Everybody gets screwed...it's a rite of passage in the business. But at least in LA you can lick your wounds while sipping a nice pinot while watching the sun set at the beach.

edit: after seeing your above post..you can always work outside of your degree in LA ( or NY) and still dabble in the business during off hours.
 
Well... didn't you check out what you could do with your degree prior to working toward it?

It's called accountability. Geebus people!

It's great to follow your passion, but does it put bread on the table? :rolleyes:

(Not attempting to totally kick you around... Maybe just a little)
 
3rdpath said:
edit: after seeing your above post..you can always work outside of your degree in LA ( or NY) and still dabble in the business during off hours.
Click to expand...

am i allowed to do that in dc? ;)

not everyone looks as good as you with 3 days of scruff, sweet shades, and sandals. :eek:
 
leftbanke7 said:
I would really love to do an internship but from what other film majors I have talked to in the dept have told me, you have to intern for at least a year before any sort of paying gigs come around, or at least that was their experience.
Click to expand...

That's simply not true. You can easily get a paying film gig. Let me try to help.

First, you chose to study film studies and not go to a film school, correct? If that's the case, you're option is starting off as a P.A. It's pays minimum wage, but it gets your foot in the door and builds contacts.

If you had gone to a film school and had experience with lighting, you could be a grip or electric. The grip is paid less, but both are paid more than a P.A. They have better hours, too.

If you had gone to a film school and had experience with cinematagraphy and film (not video) cameras, you could get a gig in the camera department. It pays well, and the hours are great.

Either way, you need no experience to be a P.A. Work hard as a P.A. and you'll soon be able to get a job as a 2nd 2nd A.D., then 2nd A.D., and eventually 1st A.D. If it's a long shoot, you may be able to get promoted during the course of the shoot.

My first film gig was as a P.A. and I was quickly promoted to Key Set P.A. I was paid for both positions, by the way.

Now that we have the symantics out of the way, you need to move to a city that makes films. Your first and best choice is L.A., followed by N.Y.C, then Vancouver, BC. Good luck!
 
leftbanke7 said:
All your life you are told to go to college and get a degree and you can get a good job. Bulls**t. They should update that to say "Go to college and get a degree in any math and science related field and you can get a good job but if you decide to get a degree in any Fine Arts field, you'd better get used to flipping burgers because that's all you're worth."
Click to expand...
I'm sorry that you're only just now finding out about this, and that you're having trouble finding a decent job, but is it really that big of a surprise to you? I mean, it's been close to fifteen years now since I graduated from college, but even back then I knew that if you majored in a subject like, well, "film studies", the job prospects were pretty dismal.

Is there any chance that you could get some kind of apprenticeship? Some situation where you're not necessarily getting paid all that well, but you're gaining on-the-job experience that will help you move up to the next rung on the ladder?

Edit: OK, I see that others have also suggested looking for some kind of internship or apprenticeship.
 
I'm not trying to dump on you nor belittle your choice of school. You said you were frustrated that with a fine arts degree, you couldn't find jack. All I'm trying to do is point out options that you have available.

When I graduated college, I was the house manager at a large movie theater chain, but I quit this job, and took a 30% pay cut to do graphic design. Yes, it sucked for a while, and the hours were long, but after a few years of hard work, I was able to surpass what I was earning previously. And I was a lot more satisfied doing what I liked.

While I was in school, I did 2 internships, an apprenticeship, worked a full time job and maintained a full course load at the university. And I was in the National Guard to boot!

It wasn't easy, but I'd do it all again to work in the field I'm in now.
 
Dude, the film industry is getting ready to explode out here in Arizona (based on new AZ tax laws geared toward bringing more films out here, as well as conversations I have had with several Hollywood directors and producers who have moved out here). You should head out this way and get in on the ground floor. There is an organization called the Arizona Film Institute that will soon be offering industry-level classes to train people to work in film. If you don't want to work in film anymore, there are all sorts of jobs down here in general. I moved here from Chicago 4 years ago when I had trouble finding clients for my freelance web/graphic design business, and now I have so much work I don't know what to do with myself.
I know how you feel, though. I graduated with a music degree (probably even more useless than a film studies degree) and am currently not doing anything in music (hopefully that will change someday, though).
 
jelloshotsrule said:
not everyone looks as good as you with 3 days of scruff, sweet shades, and sandals. :eek:
Click to expand...

it's a curse, it really is...


and I guess you can do it in DC...but there's no beach.;)
 
leftbanke7 said:
[rant]

So I graduate from college next week and I have spent the last month or so looking for decent work. Well, for somebody who is getting a degree in Film Studies, there isn't s**t out there. I knew that getting into film wasn't going to easy so I have been looking elsewhere. Pretty much trying to find anything I may be qualified for.

HA!

There isn't crap out there for anybody who has a degree in a Fine Arts field. Well, there is but you have to sell people crap. I couldn't sell a man dying of thirst in a desert a bottle of water. I dislike the thought of bothering people trying to sell them stuff. I hate it when they do it to me.

I've looked at all the shipping companies (DHL, FedEx, UPS) having done that sort of work for around 8 of the last 10 years but they aren't hiring anybody or at least not me as all of my resumes have gone unresponded to. In addition to that, I have resumes posted all over the place and the only responses I get are from companies that won't even tell you who they are and what exactly they do. They link you to an automatic web interview page. The only "legit" response I have gotten is from some model and talent scouting agency looking for an administrative assistant but, again, I don't feel 100% comfortable with this company as something about it just doesn't feel right.

And being that I am in the ever so wonderful situation of having student loans which have already had their 6 month grace periods used up, come June, I have to start paying them their money. Luckily I have 6 months for a majority of my loans though.

So this is really ***** frustrating. All your life you are told to go to college and get a degree and you can get a good job. Bulls**t. They should update that to say "Go to college and get a degree in any math and science related field and you can get a good job but if you decide to get a degree in any Fine Arts field, you'd better get used to flipping burgers because that's all you're worth."

So I imagine that this time in two weeks, I will be doing some menial task for 10 bucks an hour and realizing that college, for me, was a real big waste of time and money.

[/rant]
Click to expand...

I say move to LA and get a production assistant job. Learn the biz and claw you way up. I have a friend in LA who did just that and is doing pretty well now.
 
I always though intern get paid. In the degree I am getting right now inturn make pretty good money (10-15 bucks an hour or more). Yeah inturns do get paid as much as the pro and the full fleg ones but they do get paid since they are doing work.
 
leftbanke7 said:
[rant]

So I graduate from college next week and I have spent the last month or so looking for decent work. Well, for somebody who is getting a degree in Film Studies, there isn't s**t out there. I knew that getting into film wasn't going to easy so I have been looking elsewhere. Pretty much trying to find anything I may be qualified for.
[/rant]
Click to expand...

There's not much out there for anybody who doesn't have a good business degree or engineering degree.

The best thing to do is get really good at job searching, interviewing, etc. I recommend the book Resume Makeover. My mom spent a long time looking for a new job and got one two weeks after reading this book and applying it. When I got out of college I searched unsuccessfully for several months -- working a crappy job to get by in the meantime -- and then got a job two weeks after reading this book. Corny , I know, and merely anecdotal evidence, but it is a really good book.

I also recommend MonsterTRAK for upcoming/recent grads. It was much better than my school's recruiting program. Apply to lots of jobs, write good cover letters, and knock their socks off during the interview.

Edit: I just noticed you said you've been searching for a month. Ha! If you found a job in a month that would be insanely fast.

When I was job searching last fall I got lots of hoax responses. Anything that looks even slightly sketchy, do some research. Hoovers.com can tell you about some businesses. Also learn how to use whois.net and what to look for. If they contact you out of the blue, its probably a hoax. No offense, but nobody is scouring the web looking for a recent film grad. Of course, I got one response that my mom was 100% convinced was a hoax, and it turned out to be Ameriprise :) They were job searching a few months before they launched their PR campaign. A high school friend works there now..alas
 
If you're interested in shipping, become a truck driver. Lots of trucking companies will pay you to get 'jo license, and you'd get to go all over the country. Better yet, become a merchant marine. They pay you to go all around the world. It's a wicked cool job!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Back
Top