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.