Check out this
article in the print edition of StudentFilmmakers
Magazine, April 2007. More photos
featured in the print edition. Click
here to get a copy and to subscribe >>
 Finding
Film Industry Employment After Graduation
To Succeed, You Must Network
by Michael Corbett
...Continued
from Previous Page
I was hired many years ago by a film equipment rental house to
drive a 5-ton grip truck from Miami to St. Petersburg, Florida
and to keep track of the equipment and expendables used by the
production. This was an equipment rental firm I had developed
as a network contact by virtue of renting equipment from them.
This was a breakthrough opportunity as I had been working on breaking
into the Miami production scene. When I completed that job and
returned the truck to Miami, I asked for and was given an entry
level job in the rental house lighting and grip department.
I sent a letter to the St. Petersburg production manager of that
job thanking him for his assistance on the job and asking him
to consider me for work in the future. A year later he again hired
one of the companies grip trucks and asked specifically for me
as the driver. After that job wrapped I again sent him a letter
thanking him for remembering me and asking for me on the job.
In that letter I mentioned to him I was interested in moving from
working as a technician into location scouting, production coordination
and production management. A few months later he called me and
asked me if I would consider taking a position as a location scout/production
coordinator on a TV commercial in the Miami area. He was leaving
the business to work with his father in real estate and wanted
to know if I would feel confident “trying-out” with this production
team.
That TV commercial production I worked on with producer Gary Learoyd
and director Bob Canning turned into a 12-year relationship that
took me all over the United States on commercials for Proctor
and Gamble, Pontiac, Kraft Cheese and many other fortune 500 brands.
About one-third of my income in those years came from working
with their team.
I applied the very same plan I have suggested to you and experienced
success. My work for the rental house led eventually to my first
position as a production manager/first-assistant-director on an
independent feature film with a $1,000,000 budget. Adapt this
plan to your situation and work it. It will lead to your success
in this industry.
This article may not be reprinted in print
or internet publications without express permission of StudentFilmmakers.com.
Photos may not be copied or reproduced.
Check out this article in the April 2007
print edition of StudentFilmmakers magazine, pages
56-58. Click here to get a copy of the April 2007
Edition, so you can read and enjoy all of the excellent articles
inside.
About the Author:
 Michael
Corbett has worked on television commercials and feature films
in roles as varied as grip-electric to producer-director. Corbett
presently serves as the Director of the Piedmont Community College
Film and Video Production Technology Program in Yanceyville, North
Carolina.
Resources:
About
StudentFilmmakers Magazine & StudentFilmmakers.com
>>
Join
the Film and Digital Networking Community >>
Post
Your Films, Videos, Reels, and Trailers >>
Discuss
Motion Picture Techniques in the Online Industry Forums >>
Get
the StudentFilmmakers.com E-Newsletter >>
Subscribe
to the Magazine >>
StudentFilmmakers magazine would like to hear
from you!
Click here
to share your comments and feedback about the magazine,
monthly editions, your favorite articles, and your favorite topics.
We always welcome and appreciate your Reader Comments.
View them here, and send yours to the editorial
team today!
|
