How To Get A Job In The TV and Film Industry! | John Watts | Skillshare
Search

Playback Speed


1.0x


  • 0.5x
  • 0.75x
  • 1x (Normal)
  • 1.25x
  • 1.5x
  • 1.75x
  • 2x

How To Get A Job In The TV and Film Industry!

teacher avatar John Watts, Writer/Director

Watch this class and thousands more

Get unlimited access to every class
Taught by industry leaders & working professionals
Topics include illustration, design, photography, and more

Watch this class and thousands more

Get unlimited access to every class
Taught by industry leaders & working professionals
Topics include illustration, design, photography, and more

Lessons in This Class

    • 1.

      Introduction

      1:06

    • 2.

      Is The Industry Right For You

      10:00

    • 3.

      Misconceptions

      5:39

    • 4.

      What Role Is For You

      5:21

    • 5.

      First Steps

      3:27

    • 6.

      Work Experience

      3:38

    • 7.

      Professional Contacts

      6:00

    • 8.

      Thanks

      0:40

  • --
  • Beginner level
  • Intermediate level
  • Advanced level
  • All levels

Community Generated

The level is determined by a majority opinion of students who have reviewed this class. The teacher's recommendation is shown until at least 5 student responses are collected.

134

Students

--

Project

About This Class

This course will teach you how you can get your first job/role in the TV and Film industry. 

During the videos we will cover:

  • If the industry is right for you.
  • What role or department is a good fit.
  • Some common misconceptions about working in the film industry.
  • How you get knowledge and hands on experience.
  • What you need to show potential employers.
  • How to find contacts and what to say to land your first role.

If you are looking or have even thought about getting into the tv and film industry but don't know how, this course is for you. It doesn't require any previous knowledge and will give you an actionable process in order to get your foot in the door.

About me: I have been in the industry for 20 years, working my way up from the very bottom rung of the ladder to now being a professional Screenwriter and Director.  

Meet Your Teacher

Teacher Profile Image

John Watts

Writer/Director

Teacher

Hi All,

My name is John and I have been working in the film and television industry for 20 years. I started my career with the BBC, ITV and various Sky channels before moving over to the film industry where I am now a professional Writer and feature film Director for Netflix and others. I hold a masters degree in Screenwriting, have sold scripts in the USA, UK and China and have been a script doctor to countless more.

I am passionate about helping others get into the industry and making great stories.

See full profile

Level: All Levels

Class Ratings

Expectations Met?
    Exceeded!
  • 0%
  • Yes
  • 0%
  • Somewhat
  • 0%
  • Not really
  • 0%

Why Join Skillshare?

Take award-winning Skillshare Original Classes

Each class has short lessons, hands-on projects

Your membership supports Skillshare teachers

Learn From Anywhere

Take classes on the go with the Skillshare app. Stream or download to watch on the plane, the subway, or wherever you learn best.

Transcripts

1. Introduction: Hello everyone, My name is Jon Watts and thank you for taking a look at this course. Now this is one of the questions I get asked most how do I get into the TV or film industry? It's hard to find any guidance. And it seems to many people to be like some kind of closed society that you have to whisper a magic word or something to get into. Well, that's certainly not the case. In this brief course, I'm going to tell you how you can do it. We'll go over some of the many questions you may have about working in TV and film, like whether the industry is actually right for you. What should you do within it? How did you get your foot through the door? How can you get experience? And then I'll be giving you the very simple, yet most effective secret source for getting your first professional role. And don't worry, you are in good hands. I've been working in the industry for 20 years now, starting in TV before moving into commercials and finally film. I know what it's like to be in your position. I remember how it felt and I'm going to share all the things I learned in order to make the process easier for you. I think it's gonna be a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to chatting to you guys. And so without further ado, come and join me on the inside. 2. Is The Industry Right For You: The first question we should address, and one, a lot of people fail to do so is, is this industry actually right for me? Is it a good fit for your life in your personality? You see the TV and film industry can be quite hard on people for a number of reasons if they don't go into it with their eyes open. So let's just spend a couple of minutes going through this. I'm not trying to put you off here. These are just things you need to consider, okay? It's a wonderful industry and I would recommend it to anyone who is creative, but I don't want you to enter it under any illusions. That's all. Firstly, it can be a long old road depending on what you want to do. To start with the pay usually isn't very good. I mean, for instance, it can take ten years plus to become a director or producer. You tend to start at the bottom and work your way up. We'll be talking more about that in a bit. But this isn't the case for all roles or industries, but it is true for many. So you really have to want to be in the industry to get anywhere. You can't do it for a year or so and then give up because you're not directing Star Wars yet. If you're in, you have to want to stay in for the long haul. Make sure before you start that you do really want to do it. Second, it's not a nine to five job at all. Shoots can take place anytime of the day. You can be working 12 hours a day and it might be in a different city or even country where you apart from your family for weeks or sometimes even months. It really is a lifestyle choice. For example, one of my friends, he's a fantastic camera man and DOP, he goes and filmed in nature programs or TV. He travels all around the world and spiral barred in the Arctic Circle to the jungles of Borneo to I think the latest one was diving in the reefs of the Maldives. He loves it, but he's away from his family and his little boy for six to eight weeks at a time. And sometimes this can be quite hard. I mean, he has got used to it over the years and so where's his family? But for some people, they may not be able to handle it. Having said that, there are roles that are based in one location, like some studio-based roles, editing or post-production stuff. For example, if you can't be more than nomadic or don't really like the idea, there is still something for you. It would just mean you have to move to within commuting distance of the studio or facility. Next, you have to want to learn the industry technology and techniques are constantly changing and you have to be the type of person who loves learning, constantly improving yourself, and wanting to progress. When I first started, all movies was shot on film rather than digital. It was what we trained on. And I remember the first Red camera coming out and telling my DOP friends about it. They never thought it would catch on. And now look where it is. Digital is absolutely everything and everywhere. So whatever role you want to do, you will need to learn and adapt. You cannot know everything and you've never ever will. Completely the wrong kind of mindset, even the very best to learn. And I personally loved this aspect both within my normal job and outside of it. For example, I love learning visual effects. I'm a real geek with it. I've been doing it for years and this has helped me along my journey as well. Like my special skill that adds to my normal skills. And it's how I could stand out above the competition in my area. Always look to be learning. Moving on, The majority of roles within the industry will hire you on a freelance, self-employed basis. Now this might vary from country to country and some roles, but usually it's not a full-time guaranteed income type of industry. As you progress, the Pays quite good and so there is a benefit there, but there may be times where you don't have another project lined up for a period of time such as we saw with the pandemic. And so you won't have been getting paid during that time. If you are someone who is not good managing your personal finances, then this is something you may need to consider. It can also be a bit stressful when you first start and the uncertainty of work. Therefore, getting the money hits you. But you do get used to it over time. Something that would terrify the average office worker becomes nothing to you. So don't worry. It just means you need to plan ahead your money, your projects, and you need to keep on getting yourself out there, marketing yourself to make sure you have future work lined up. The inverse is also true. It means you can take time off whenever you want and spend time with your family without having to go through your boss and have the set four weeks holiday a year. If you've backed tobacco, a couple of projects, for example, and wants to take two months off. Well, as long as your finances can take it, then you can do it. You have a freedom. And that is a big draw to a lot of people. Well, his loving your job was not a lot of people can say. Next you have to be a personable person. Well, at least most of the time anyway. I mean, think about it. No one wants to work with a grumpy so-and-so will someone who's really arrogant in this industry, you are only as good as your reputation. And if your reputation is of a moody old SO2 bulbs, they're going up the wrong way. You are unlikely to be hired for the next project. We are hard a lot of time by the same people or people that know those people, If that makes sense. Being someone who everyone says, Oh, yeah, johnny is a really nice guy, awesome to have onset. You need to get him just as important as he's really great at his job. Now this doesn't mean you have to be super extroverted or be the loudest person there and stuff like that. Most people on set, really quite normal. I myself, I'm naturally an introvert. I mean, social things like networking events or the last thing I want to do, I will avoid them like the plague. But when it comes to being on set, I tried to make sure I'm very personable. I know people whose names I thank them for their work. I have some band room, make sure we all have other laugh and have fun. I mean, after all, a nice working environment is the best thing to go to in the morning. And actually it makes people on the crew work better as well. So there's an extra benefit. You'll also be collaborating with people as part of the team. So you'll be calling each other up in different departments to coordinate, or you'll be wanting to get their opinions, etc. So you need to get comfortable with talking on the phone with people. Maybe you don't know or go into meetings with new faces. So if you are someone who just likes to work quietly on your own and don't like meeting new people. You may need to have a think or choose a role that is quite solitary. Something in a studio or post-production, something like that, maybe. Finally, sometimes you need to have a bit of a thick skin. There's quite a lot of rejection in the industry. And whether that's being rejected for a role on a specific shoot, someone criticizing your work or having your idea rejected. It's not always fluffy bunnies remain beause. I'm sorry to say. It hurts when someone says they don't like what you've done, but remember, you will never ever please everyone. And we are involved in the creative industry, highly subjective industry when one person loves and other person hates. You can take this from watching a film or TV program with friends that you know, someone that something that you love they might hate. It's very, very subjective. And it's happened to us all a bit. You can't take it to heart. People are not criticizing you as a person. It's just the faceless entity of the project. Now this can be quite hard to grasp early on, as none of us like to be told some, someone that doesn't like our stuff and we inevitably take it personally. But think about it when you watch your last TV Shewell film and thought, yeah, it's great or Wow, that's terrible. You may have said so on Twitter or whatever, but when you criticizing the person who made it directly, you probably don't even know their names. You're criticizing the project. Now to the person who made it and read stack comments that they will take it to heart if their inexperience, it may even put them off of working in the industry. You do need to have a thick skin realized people are not having a go at you directly. Instead, brush it off, see what you can improve and you carry on. As you can see, it can be harder work in this industry, but there are so many positives which I think greatly outweigh any potential negatives. I for one wouldn't want to do any other job in the world except for maybe being a Formula one driver, I would want to do that. But I loved this job. When I was growing up, I had so many random jobs to make a bit of money for my rent. For example, I was a groundwork, I worked in Pizza Hut, was a painter, decorator, supply teacher. Think, wow, I was a double glazing salesman for it for a day or just one day. I did lots and lots. And some are better than others. But when I finally got into TV and film, I knew it was for me. I've always loved films, making up stories and writing, but you never know if the expectation is the same as reality. However, when I started working, I knew that yes, this was it, even if it was gonna be a hard road and I wouldn't have a lot of money to start with. This is what I wanted to do. No matter what your position you are making stories come true and that is absolutely amazing to me. I couldn't think of anything better. I'm like I can't believe it's an actual job and I'm doing it so I feel very, very privileged. One of the other great things is that new quickly become part of a film family. You spend a lot of time together on shoots or collaborating. You meet new people and you gain friends all over the place, all over the world most of the time that you'd never have done otherwise, you can travel which some people absolutely love. The prospect of good pay is very real as you progress. You can provide for your family. It's so much fun, which is really, really important. I mean, you spend 40 plus years of your life working to enjoy working in my mind, it is extremely important. Finally, it's also an ever-growing industry. The thirst for more and more content is always increasing. That comes more streaming platforms, Netflix, etc, that booming over the past few years. And so there are plenty of production's going on all around and I can't see this trend slowing down. So now let's dig a bit deeper and see where you can fit in and how you can achieve your career goals. 3. Misconceptions: Let's go over a couple of common misconceptions. First one is that you must live in LA, London, Paris, Berlin, or, or whatever to get into TV or film. You don't. I mean, if you want to work at a specific studios or company, as we've said, yes, you might need to move within commuting distance of that location. But if you are working on productions themselves, it doesn't really matter where you live. You'll be staying with the crew on location anyway. I mean, I live in a small city in the middle of the UK with no discernible film industry at all. It makes no difference to me and I chat with producers in there, lay on WhatsApp, get the train to London if I need to, or I'm flying off and being with the crew anyway, during a production. Not living in a big city does not count you out. Another misconception is that you have to go to film school. Now let's just take a moment here to discuss this. I, myself went to film school many years ago because I know I'm very old and at the time it was the only way to use the kit. Film cameras and editing and equipment was vastly expensive. And so you could only really get hands-on experience with it. Film's score. Plus I presumed at the time only there would I learn what I needed to know. Now today, that just isn't the case. There are thousands of resources to learn online these days. You can get kicked yourself to practice on. As the cost has come down so much over the years. And by joining local groups and volunteering with film film groups, which we'll touch on later. You will learn the practical side of filmmaking which you would've done at uni and use the more high-end kit. The best part of, for me about film school was making the friends and contacts which I still have today. But would I say I had to go to film school? Probably not. Now there are some amazing script was Don't get me wrong. If you can get into and have the finances to go to the best ones in the world then yeah, fantastic do it. But for the majority of us, that isn't an option. And I'm here to tell you that is all right. You can still get an industry without having done it. Other thing to think about, if you are considering film school, are checking the lectures or actually any good and have the experience to back it up. I know that sounds crazy, but a lot of the time people don't. Having met many lecturers in my time. Some of them haven't worked in the industry for years or even decades sometimes. And some only made a couple of shorts or wrote a script once. They're academics and they know a lot of theory, but perhaps they don't have the practice. Now some do, definitely, but some don't. I was given an old saying by my first boss who was a production manager and add a TV studios. And I told him I was going back to you need to learn film. And he said, Look, just be careful. If those lectures were that good, they wouldn't be teaching. There'd be making millions in films somewhere. Now some of the really great film scores have the best guest lectures and lectures themselves. I mean, I know, for example, that Roger deacons has gone to dielectric, the National Film and Television school in London along with many others. So you can't get better than that. But they tend to be the exception rather than the norm. I mean, the other thing to consider is what industry contexts, contacts has university or film school that you're thinking of going to have. This is really important because especially at the start of your career, it could be worth going into the school just for this alone. Film school does however, allow you to gain experience in a hands-on sense. It should provide you with up-to-date techniques, good motivation, and a primer for the real world of film. And you'll also get your hands on better, more industry standard kit practice on the New would have normally. As I have said, it is great for meeting like-minded individuals, some that you will have for the rest of your life. But just remember, you don't need to go to film school to be part of this industry. I know plenty of people that didn't and they are very successful. It may just take a bit more effort and determination on your part. Everyone's journey is different from every other persons and no way is right. I started as a runner in the entertainment department of a TV studios when I was 19, which is often the first position you'll get, whether it's in film or TV. In the States, I think this is called a PA. Now, this job involves making lots of t, being the first-person onset and the last person to leave and getting the jobs that most people don't want to do. But it gave a really good overview of how everything works. And I think everyone should experience what it's like to be on the bottom rung of the ladder. I then did a masters degree in screenwriting and producing. As my goal was then to work in the film industry while still working freelance in TV. Following this, I started making corporate video and commercials, learning how to direct, doing the editing, VFX, things like that. And I found out during this process what I liked, what I didn't, and that you have to keep learning all the time in order to progress. Now this was the period where I had to really push myself to improve. At the same time, myself and my writing partner, Thomas wrote numerous scripts, but it would take many years before we sold one and then a few more before I became a director as well. Now I'm very grateful to be where I am, but it did take a long time, lots of hard work and dedication when the pay in ours weren't so good. I do however thing I could have cut down the time it took to do all this if I'd asked myself the right questions and focused on that. So let's do that with you now. 4. What Role Is For You: First of all, something most people don't even think about it, but you really should, is what role do you want to do to specialize in what sector? Now this seems very obvious, but if you ask most people, they just don't know. They'd say, I just want to work in TV or film. Now that's okay to start off with. But you're better off finding an answer sooner rather than later. Because this will save you a lot of time and heartache. Now if you don't know, you can always change your mind when you're in, maybe you see another role and divert into that and that's completely cool. But to have an initial idea of the role or department is very important. There are hundreds of different jobs you can do in loads of different departments. There's production, for example, which includes producing in the management of a show. There's camera department if you want to be director of photography or a focus polar. There's the lighting department, sound department, production design, storyboarding, previous location management, costume, styling, editing, VFX, posts sound music. I can't think anymore of my head. The list goes on and on. Now some of the jobs within these departments you may not even have heard of or know of. But when you start to get some experience, something might then come to your attention and you say, yes, that's the one for me. But to have an idea of at least what department you might like to be involved with it. It's big help. It gives you direction to aim for the start. And what you can do to facilitate it. This is where film school is good because you can try lots of different roles and see what might be a good fit for you. So you what you really enjoy. If you're not going to film school, then getting onto local or free shoots to help out. And we'll give you an idea that you probably won't be able to try them all yourself maybe, but at least it'll push you in the direction that you might want to go in. And you can of course, then go back and research the job that you think might be interesting. So why is this helpful? Well, let's take an example. Maybe you really liked the idea of being a DOP, which is the director of photography, who's in charge of the camera team, makes sure the program film looks it's best. Maybe you want to do this because you love cameras. You liked the technical and aesthetic side to it. You want to be a major player in how the movie or show looks, but don't fancy quiet being the director or something. Or maybe you like the idea of being on a TV show where you go around the world like my friend does. Well in that case, you know that you will need to learn a few things. How to use a variety of cameras for an obvious starters, you'll need to learn lenses and what to use when. You'll need to learn lighting. So you can direct your gaffer or you can do it yourself on a low budget self shoot. You'll need to know the theory of composition, framing, and color. Now this may take quite a lot of time and you will need to gain experience before you can get there. But at least by knowing this is your goal, you can work towards it. Know what areas you should be concentrating on unlearning up about them. The same goes for all the other departments. I've made a list which you can download and have a look at, find the departments or the roles you might be interested in working in, research the jobs that are under those departments and see what really stands out to you. And you can see yourself doing. You can then work on the steps to get to that level. There is also the question of what part of the industry do you want to work in? I mean, I personally started in TV making entertainment shows, but I'd soon knew that I wanted to make film in the end. So I changed direction. Some people want to do commercials, some wanted to make corporate videos, others wanted to do music videos. Some people want to run their own production companies. Again, you can change between these during your career, but if you have an idea ahead of time, you can push towards that direction sooner. Targeting companies or people already in that sector. Also bear in mind that some of these roles will take longer to achieve than others and can be more competitive than others. For example, it's a lot harder to become a film director than it is to become a location sound recording. Now I don't mean harder as in more difficult technical wise. I mean, hundreds in there is more competition to do the job of fewer openings and a longer period from first starting out to actually doing that job. I mean, to be a sound record is you need to learn how to do the basics such as microphones and placement, mixing, recording, that kind of thing. But once you know that you've gained some experience, you can get the kit and set yourself up as a sound record is really pretty quickly. You can then go on to paying jobs. Whereas if you want to be a director, you have to do with the learning part. Get onto accrued a lower level, probably make some shorts, get a show reel, make the appropriate contacts, then hopefully be given the opportunity to see what you can do with the director. Will go more into this in a bit. But as you can see just with that example, the difference in timescale is obviously going to be different depending on what role and department you choose. When you may have some idea of what role you want to do and in which industry we can look at what steps you might need to take in order to get there. So that's what we'll do now. 5. First Steps: I've broken these first steps down into three categories. Number one is knowledge and hands-on practice. Number two is work experience. Number three is contexts. Number one, knowledge. We've already touched on this before, but let's go over it again very quickly. If you have decided what role you'd like to do or even if you haven't, learning will always come first. You will need to know the basics for any role you do and have a working knowledge before you get a job, you have two main options. Number one is maybe going to film school or you can learn online instead. Now taking into account what we said earlier about film school, it is beneficial here that you will be doing hands-on training with a kind of kit you will be using in the real-world. So you might be using area or read camps have some nice lenses so you can get a feel of what they do. You'll have full sound mixing gear and lighting options. The point is that you can play around without budget limit, without fear of mistakes. Because the worst thing to happen is on a real-life paid gig where you don't know how to use some specific kit or make basic carriers that can cost money and reputation. Now this is harder to do on your own, but there are definitely options you can follow. And for example, you could do a short course, whether online or preferably in person, but it's always better to do things in person. There are numerous courses and providers that do a few days course either in general or around a certain role. Some are even free of charge. So it's always good to Google what's available in your area, go to them and get some hands-on experience. That way you can see if you really liked to do it or not, and it will save again time and effort and money. Another great way is to look up and join a local film group. Now nearly every town has one, and they are always looking for people to help out with short films or promo shoots. And they usually done with very little budget. Now here you'll meet with like-minded people. You can chat about what you might want to do with and start immersing yourself in the film world. There's also student films which you can't, you can get involved with. This doesn't mean you have to be 18 to 21 either. I mean, I know a lot of people who worked on student films in their 30s, 40s, and above. Again, this is good because students usually have a limited budget and then they need all the help they can get there looking for people to help them out. They do have some good kit. So it gives you a chance to see what it's like for yourself without actually having to hire it or having to go to university to the hiring. There are some government schemes you might want to look at, which gives young people a chance to have other paid trainee role, actual professional films and shows. My last feature for example, we had a number of people in this position and they really enjoyed it there and they worked hard, found out what it was like to be on the professional set and got training in the role they wanted to specialize in. So everyone was a winner. As you can see, there are a number of ways to learn and get all of that all important hands-on experience. Wanted to see if you enjoy it and what you can see yourself doing and to, to start to get things you can show to potential employers. And that's what we're gonna talk about next. 6. Work Experience: I think it's something a lot of people have in their mind when they do a uni course or something, is that as soon as they finished, they will be hired as a director or head of department straightaway because they've got a degree. I don't want to say it's arrogance on their part, but it's just maybe naivety. This unfortunately is not going to be the case and some people can't handle this. They know they feel lost or depressed when no one is hiring them. And so drift into different jobs or become disillusioned, which is a major shame. But the fact is when you come straight out of your knowledge phase, you will need to start showing your work in order to get professional jobs. This means samples, show reels, credits. Production employers wanted to make sure you can do the job and I have something to back that up with. Now this seems like a Catch-22. How can I show experience if I can't get it? Well, at this early stage, it will be the non-paid, or at least the low-paid projects you can make and show people. Now people aren't going to expect you to have worked on high-end stuff straight away, but they will expect you to share your creative flare, professionalism and capabilities that will get your first jobs. And from there, if you add an add to your show real as you go, It's kind of like a compound effect over time, which will send you higher and higher up the ladder. You aren't going to need to get buildup of number of projects that you can highlight your work with. Now as I've said, these do not need to be paid jobs. But one student film you shot will not do either. This is where joining the local film groups can actually pay you back in dividends. You can add snippets of these projects you'll show reel, get yourself a website which is extremely easy to do these days and even I can do it, put it on there. One of the tactic that is actually quite good is to band together with others and make test commercials. You can then use all, all of you could use this for your Rails in the different roles you did. For example, you could do a 30-second product commercial or maybe one for your film courses if you were paid to make it for TV advertising. I remember doing one of these for a watch company and another for drinks brand. These are not gonna be ad and you aren't trying to sell it or anything like that. But it gives you all an opportunity to come up with an inventive short project, test your skills, and then innovate. You won't be bogged down with the company's marketing team, etc, as it's kind of an unofficial commercial. Yet if done right, it will stand out. Something great to have on your show real. Now if someone asks, you have to be truthful and say, yes, it is an unofficial add. You can't say Coca-Cola or whoever hydrogen, but you get the idea. Doing a few of these in a few students slash film group, short dramas or whatever, will really add to your show real and give potential employees or a good look at what you can do. They also give you a chance to really hone your skills without too much negative impact if things go, don't go quite right. There are great extra-curricular learning tool and pretty quick to do. That way. You'll be able to build up a real quickly and with some good content rather than one long scene from the only student project you did. Remember, people are looking for a variety of styles and content. And just to reiterate being in the industry, it means being proactive. You have to have the passion and want to go to make stuff and get out there sitting hoping someone will magically come to you, just won't work. If all this sounds like a bit too much hard work, you might want to have a word with yourself or maybe reconsider. 7. Professional Contacts: When looking to get a job, here is the secret. Are you ready? Because it's really not that exciting, are amazing. People hire people. I know I told you it seems extremely obvious, doesn't it? But it's a 100% true. People hire people, they meet him, real life ones they like, think of good and could do a professional job. Now normally in everyday jobs that's through some kind of interview process. If you go in and sit and all those people stare at you when they asked you questions. And they're seeing if you'll be a good fit for the role. Initially, they've gone through CVs and whittled it down to the interview candidates. However, a CV is just words on a bit of paper. I'll show wheels or the equivalent CVs. They can tell if you're the person is qualified or has experienced, but that doesn't get you high. And a lot of the time, this EVL show real can be lost in the plethora of ones that gets sent every day. It's very impersonal. It's easy to miss or wash over. Sending out CVs, like sending out an impersonal e-mail with a show real link is really not the best way to get jobs. Now we've all tried it and it really doesn't work. I can tell you this noise, having a website and hoping people will come and find you. They just won't. Jobs in this industry are rarely advertise. So the best way to get out there is to meet the decision-makers in-person. They will remember you see if they like, you see if you're a good fit and your chances of being hired a suddenly raised in measurably. So how do we do that? First of all, you need to find out the people and contact details of those you'd like to target. The easiest and extremely simple way to do this. It goes to the end of a low budget film or TV show that you want to get onto, or maybe something that's coming to shoot in your town in the next few months. Look in the credits for the line producer or production manager, and then use IMDB Pro or the production company's website to find the contact details for that person, then we can approach them. Now here is the crucial point when contacting the targets you have just found. Don't try to inquire about jobs. That's right. You don't ask for a job or to be put on their contacts of DOPS or sound record is or whatever. What you do is you are getting contact. Tell them a little about yourself and then say it, you know, they're extremely busy. But if they could spare 30 minutes, you'd love to buy them a coffee and talk more about getting into the industry. You can also then send them the link to your read at the bottom. Now I know this doesn't sound like it will work, but weirdly it does. If you can't find their e-mail. And actually what's from my experience, even more successful than doing this via email is doing it by good old-fashioned letter. Yeah. It sounds bizarre. I know. The thing is when was the last time you got a letter? E-mails are easy to avoid. We'll avoid them. But I let him make you stand out these dates. You can put in a business cards, your contact details, whatever you want. You can then follow it up via e-mail further down the road. But it will make people remember you by saying you would just like to get their expert advice rather than asking for a job or to be put on a faceless list is much more effective. A job application is easy to ignore, but someone asking for your help or to give advice as much harder to say no to as people genuinely do like to help others where they can. Now you've written your email and, or preferably your letter. And now you get to meet them, have a chat and genuinely ask how is best to get into the kind of role you're wanting to do with companies like theirs. If they like you more often than not, they'll reach out and say, we've got such and such production coming up if you'd like to maybe help. Or we've got this opening coming soon. If you'd be interested in applying. People generally liked to help nice people if they can. This is a great way to meet and get to know someone. They get to know the real view and industry relations start to blush that blossom. Even if they don't have anything to offer work wise there and then you can still keep in contact with them and something might arise a bit further down the line. Word of mouth is the biggest ally in the industry. And once you do a good job on a couple of production, others will be bringing you up to see if you'd like to work on their production. That's just how it works here. So a quick side note to finish this off. Arrogance is the quickest way to not being hired. So always remember to be polite, humble, and just full of enthusiasm. This is what potential employees are really looking for. In conclusion, let's just quickly go through the steps again so you can plan out what actions you're going to take. Number one, if you know this industry is for you trying to determine what role an area you would like to specialize in. Number, to gain knowledge in your area and gets hands-on experience either through film school or online and film groups. Number three, turn your experience into a show. We'll help make a couple of short, some unofficial commercials or product videos that you have something diversity show. Number four, identify the programs, shows, or movies you'd like to be involved with. Find out the production manager or line producer details, then send them a letter or an email and asked to meet for a quick coffee and a chat. Don't ask for a job. Finally, keep repeating this until you build up a base of contact's. E-mail them to tell them what you're up to. If they need a hand on the next show, you'd love to make yourself available. That's it. Simple, actionable phases you can go through to get the job you want. And it really does work with these in mind, write down what you would do for each and then you have an action plan designed for yourself. Now, rather than feeling lost and wandering around aimlessly, you know exactly what you need to do and in what order. 8. Thanks: It really is that simple. That's all you need to do to get a job in film or TV industry. Thank you so much for watching the course. I really do appreciate it. I love making them and I hope you found something useful during this that you can use to kick off your own career. Now this is a growing course. I've tried to think of what would have been important for me to know when I first started. But if there is something that you want to know or you think I've missed or want me to expand upon, then do let me know and I can revisit the course and add things to it. Thanks again, good luck. Stay in touch and speak soon.