The age-old question anyone fresh out of college finds themselves wondering...lucky for us creatives we are actually needed in a lot more places than you might have originally thought.
In this episode, I go into detail on how you can use the film and production field to leverage you and your individual creative skills and aspirations.
Link to Online Course: "Friends in Film "
https://www.friendsinfilm.com/
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00;00;08;00 - 00;00;24;25
Catherine
Hello there. My name is Catherine and I am 23 years old, working as a full time freelancer in the media and entertainment industry. And welcome to the How I Diaries podcast. I'm here to debunk all your fears and doubts surrounding the topic of freelancing and more importantly, get you on your way to a happy and stress free lifestyle.
00;00;24;25 - 00;00;40;16
Catherine
Doing that creative passion you love. So if you find yourself stuck at a job that you hate, you're wondering how to get your dream started. You might have heard of freelancing before, but you're skeptical about what it entails. I'm sharing everything I wish I knew earlier and the tips and tricks I gain every day for my own freelance work.
00;00;40;20 - 00;01;10;17
Catherine
So if you follow me on Instagram and even just all of my previous episodes, you know that my main line of work and creative skills are in the media and entertainment industry. That's what I say in every intro. But in my experience thus far, in getting to interact with other people on set and networking in general, I can tell you that 90% of the people who work on film sets are also creative in other ways that, you know, don't have to do with film, TV, production, broadcasting, all of that.
00;01;10;17 - 00;01;45;23
Catherine
And what is great and why you find so many of these people on set is that's the great thing about production. There are several departments where your creative interests overlap. And not to mention the pay is pretty damn good in most cases. Pay rates, production assistant rates start anywhere from 200 to $300 a day, plus overtime, all the way to the coordination and department head roles, which can be flat rates anywhere from $5000 to $100000, you know, depending on the budget of the project and how good you become at your job, especially if you're in a big city.
00;01;45;23 - 00;02;05;07
Catherine
And, you know, don't worry if you're not in a big city. Still keep an eye out. And, you know, ultimately, if this is something you'd really like to pursue, then you have to invest in yourself, which may mean moving to one of those more popular cities. Production also has labor unions to help with standard pay rates and safe work environments.
00;02;05;07 - 00;02;25;24
Catherine
So let's get into it. There are some gigs that require specific degrees and TV film and, you know, media, but if you've built your resume up like I talk about in my resume episode, there really is a lot of wiggle room because there are entry level things out there and jobs postings where people are willing to train the right person.
00;02;25;28 - 00;02;49;00
Catherine
Like I keep saying, go put yourself in those damn Facebook groups and introduce yourself as someone with X, Y, Z skills who is interested in getting film and set where lots of people are willing to give even more advice that I'm giving you right now. So again, go join those groups and also the next time you watch a movie, I encourage you to sit and stay to the end and watch through all the credits.
00;02;49;00 - 00;03;19;13
Catherine
Just literally watch and see how many people were involved and how specific the job roles get. I've been doing this ever since I can remember, and that's just because it's always interested me how you know, yo, check out my other episode on manifestation. You know, this was honestly just another manifestation of my manifestation. Here's a few departments just to mention off the top of my head note there are then several different roles in each of those departments, and then there's different parts of production.
00;03;19;13 - 00;03;44;13
Catherine
There's production, pre-production and post-production. So lots of lots of lots of jobs. You know, start looking at those credits and then head to Google and find a job description. So there's a lighting department. This is for my photographers and videographers. Also, obviously the camera department there is the wardrobe department for my fashion and seamstresses and that sort of, you know, hands on tactile skills.
00;03;44;13 - 00;04;04;03
Catherine
You may have also hair and makeup for any cosmetologists or people who just love doing hair and, you know, all these other sorts of things. There's the art departments and all types of artists, you know, even my handy carpentry people who like to build and use their hands. That's a lot of what you find in the art departments is building sets and stuff like that.
00;04;04;03 - 00;04;26;16
Catherine
Then there's the sound department for my aspiring musicians and producers. Then there, believe it or not, there is a payroll department because yes, we get paid. So if you love office and admin work or have prior experience doing those things, that's a good department where you can find yourself then new to this industry are the sustainability and health departments.
00;04;26;17 - 00;04;48;05
Catherine
Obviously this is new from COVID and then also the increasing doom of climate change. And if you follow my Instagram you have seen or talked about in my other episodes, I actually do work for a sustainability company. So the work is out there and if you are in New York and you are interested in be IPA, dear me, I can add you to my roster.
00;04;48;05 - 00;05;09;19
Catherine
We can look over your resume and you know, try and create a job opportunity for you. So head over to my Instagram at how I diaries and send me a DM saying, Hey, I was listening to your episode and I'm interested in being an eco or a sustainability. Then there's also the catering and crafty departments. This is for my cooks and my event planners.
00;05;09;19 - 00;05;36;28
Catherine
You ask anyone on set the crafty department is always hooking everybody up with the best snacks. And then there's the catering department, feeding everybody breakfast and lunch. So you could literally opening up a catering company and start advertising yourself to these sets. Then there's obviously the overall supervisor roles and coordination roles. And like I mentioned before, there are specific parts of production where there are different people for each of them.
00;05;36;28 - 00;06;03;16
Catherine
So you can have a production coordinator, a production coordinator, and then they post production coordinator, all different worlds and all different people. Everything is all about teamwork. And if you are a leader and just are good with managing people, those are the types of roles you can find yourself doing well. And again, yes, some of these jobs will require you to have prior experience, but that is why the production assistant and assistant roles exist.
00;06;03;16 - 00;06;20;18
Catherine
You start there and work your way up. Go give my networking episode to listen on how to leverage there. I will also link a resource in the show notes that I've been following for a while. I haven't personally used it since I was fortunate to start working in the industry, but it's a program called Friends and Film, so go check it out.
00;06;20;18 - 00;06;40;29
Catherine
It is basically a program that is for people who did not major in film and all, you know, media. She works in film and has this course that you can pay for and take to get certified and, you know, all these other things. So go check it out, then join those Facebook groups and start exploring your options. Just remember, we are creative people.
00;06;40;29 - 00;07;00;03
Catherine
We make the world go around and there is a job market for us out there. You just have to know what and where to look for them. So that is it for this episode. Let me know what department you think you'd be interested in. And if this reaches you and you have any other burning questions or stories, I'd be happy to use this as an outlet to connect and build a community.
00;07;00;04 - 00;07;16;26
Catherine
Have you ever thought about working in production? Call me on Instagram at how I diaries and shoot medium and let me know in the meantime, go binge all my other episodes for various other topics relating to how to get started doing what you love and please. Any episode recommendations I'd love to hear. Let me know what your particular struggles are.
00;07;16;27 - 00;07;30;02
Catherine
You're probably not alone. Please subscribe to this podcast so you stay up today and when I post the next batch, give it a rating and share it with a friend who needs to listen. I post five new episodes at the end of each month, so stay tuned. And as always, thank you for listening.
