Finding Film Production Employment in the American Film Industry

Finding Film Production Employment in the American Film Industry
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Finding Film Jobs

The film industry is one of the hardest to break into, and though film school is one of the major gate keeping institutions to help you start your career it is still a difficult prospect. To correctly try to find film production employment you are going to have to really step up your skills, put together a portfolio and reel of past work, set up quite a bit of experience, get recommendations from academics and employers you have had at film jobs, and a comprehensive resume. This is all great, but you still have to find a way in to apply for film production employment that you may be able to be hired for. Here are some ways that you can try to find available film production employment.

Online Job Searching

Online job searching is one of the new standards for job searching and will be the main way that you will look for film jobs. When you are browsing for film production employment you are going to want to boil down the online job searching to websites that are either specific to film jobs or have sections that are dedicated to it. Craigslist.com has become one of the premiere online job searching tools because of the way that it roundly replaced personal and classified ads. The TV/Film/Video section is one of the main places for film production employment postings, ranging from companies that just need some type of film and video production services to large scale film production companies and studios. Mandy.com is a website that is dedicated to video and film production employment and will allow you to post your resume and look for film jobs that are posted in your general area. This will actually allow you to find film production employment in a whole range of jobs, but you will find more low or no pay jobs in the area. You may also want to check with the film commission website of the general area you are looking in, as well as more conventional job websites like Monster.com.

Film Internships

Film internships are going to be almost required before you will find a full paying job. Film internships are usually the actual “entry level” position as each department of film production employment have their own ladders to upper level positions. In many companies, and specific film production departments such as creative programming or post-production, you are going to have to have a film internship first. This film internship can also lead to a job shortly after completing the duration of the program at the same company that you interned at. If you are looking for long term film production employment you are going to need to go after film internships to start out with.

Connections

Unfortunately much of your film production employment is going to be the result of connections you have and not just raw talent and skills. Once you have had some experience in the field through film internships, film school, or entry level positions you will need to begin contacting them to see what is available. Make yourself known in different film production communities since film production employment is going to be up to the decisions making abilities of those in executive positions. Unless they know of you, your resume is going to look like just another one from the large mass that is coming in.

Film Festivals

If you are putting together independent or student film work then this is one of the best ways to shoot out your calling card and receive film production employment. You will often be offered jobs once you have shown your films at film festivals, which are often filled with film industry professionals with the ability to hire and fire at film jobs. If you have been producing some projects then try to get them out to as many high profile film festivals as you can and this may be one of the best routes to film production employment.

This post is part of the series: Film Jobs

Here are different articles that concern film production employment.

  1. Film Production Employment
  2. Finding Film Production Internships
  3. How Much Does a Film Production Coordinator Make?