For anyone who is considering a "career" in film

B

Blade_Jones

This is for anyone who is considering a "career" in film. I pulled this off of Craig's List. Typical slave labor gig. You could earn about the same working food service with no education...

EDITOR – FINAL CUT PRO

Final Cut Pro editors – Day & Night shift.

We have four positions available.

This is a full time position.

Requirements:
4 year degree
Film School major
Final Cut Pro experience
Bright, Creative, Energetic, Passionate and Hard working

The rate is $450.00 per week.
 
Blade_Jones said:
This is for anyone who is considering a "career" in film. I pulled this off of Craig's List. Typical slave labor gig. You could earn about the same working food service with no education...

EDITOR – FINAL CUT PRO

Final Cut Pro editors – Day & Night shift.

We have four positions available.

This is a full time position.

Requirements:
4 year degree
Film School major
Final Cut Pro experience
Bright, Creative, Energetic, Passionate and Hard working

The rate is $450.00 per week.
Click to expand...

4 year degree AND Film School major for essentially minimum wage??

I don't know alot about the inner workings of the film industry, but for that amount of experience required I would think they should be offering more. Or is it really THAT hard to get into a studio( just wondering if the same experience could be acquired by someone without all that education by interning....)
 
LOL That is like a joke! If you already HAVE your degree and experience minimum wage really seems unreasonable ESPECIALLY for an editor
 
I couldn’t get that gig.


Even though I’ve been editing on FCP for 10 years, have cut 7
documentaries, 16 features, several dozen trailes, music videos
and promotional pieces, I dropped out of high school. I wonder if
they would really turn me away...

But this is what waits those who complete 4 years at a major film
school. Believe it or not, this is a really good offer and they will get
hundreds of applications.

Franlky, I’d rather work 50 hours a week ($8.18/hr) editing than
40 hours($11.25/hr) a week in food service. I suspect someone
with 4 years at a major film school might feel the same.
 
directorik said:
I couldn’t get that gig.


Even though I’ve been editing on FCP for 10 years, have cut 7
documentaries, 16 features, several dozen trailes, music videos
and promotional pieces, I dropped out of high school. I wonder if
they would really turn me away...

But this is what waits those who complete 4 years at a major film
school. Believe it or not, this is a really good offer and they will get
hundreds of applications.

Franlky, I’d rather work 50 hours a week ($8.18/hr) editing than
40 hours($11.25/hr) a week in food service. I suspect someone
with 4 years at a major film school might feel the same.
Click to expand...

My film education is 1 year of Media Fundamentals. For me it's not the work as much as its the qualifications. I mean, if the Ad said "Filmmaking experience, 1 or more years of Media and/or related skills), yea I probably would jump on it. I've talked to people who have done the 4 years plus type thing-and yes they WOULD jump on this, because those visions of coming out of school and landing that 6 digit figure a year gig with a studio-well, reality hits pretty quickly I'm told.
 
Same in my field direktorik. I am a Systems Analyst/Database administrator. I am the sole developer and administrator for ALL the financial systems for a company with nearly a billion in gross sales. I have designed and administered databases with thousands of tables holding data that if lost or corrupted could literally destroy that company, all with one keystroke. BUT I only have a minor in computer science, no microsoft certifications, etc... wouldn't qualify for 2/3 of the entry level positions out there.

You are also right that they will be swamped with applications from people literally begging for that job.

My editor is a film school grad. On my last film he paid his own expenses to fly here from Florida, edited a 35 minute film including titles and color correction, and was on set 12 hours a day for 5 days dumping the footage and backing it up. All for $1000.
 
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People with unrealistic expectations are pervasive throughout the indie industry. I'm in the same boat as DirectorRik; I don't qualify for some gigs even though I've got award winners under my belt. I came across an ad on Mandy that Randy Thom himself (with eleven Oscar nominations and two wins, not to mention dozens of other awards) would not have qualified for. Some potential "clients" are completely clueless. I had a guy call me a few years ago who wanted me to do the audio post on his 130 minute feature. "I've got $75 and I need it done in two days."

My particular peer group (audio recording and post facilities owners) have a reverse type of problem. Kids come out of the diploma mills like Full Sail and expect to make $2k a week to start and be running sessions; they refuse to fetch coffee, vacuum and other basic interning jobs. (I must say, however, that there are some studio folks who abuse the intern system; they want a free janitor and do no mentoring whatsoever.) The problem with many of these kids is that when you finally do toss them into the fray they are completely lost; they have no practical experience and horrendous people skills. They are also hidebound; "We didn't do it that way at school" or the mic (or whatever) they used in school isn't available. Even worse, many have no work ethic. There are, of course, exceptions, but they are too few and far between.
 
Alcove Audio said:
People with unrealistic expectations are pervasive throughout the indie industry. I'm in the same boat as DirectorRik; I don't qualify for some gigs even though I've got award winners under my belt. I came across an ad on Mandy that Randy Thom himself (with eleven Oscar nominations and two wins, not to mention dozens of other awards) would not have qualified for. Some potential "clients" are completely clueless. I had a guy call me a few years ago who wanted me to do the audio post on his 130 minute feature. "I've got $75 and I need it done in two days."
My particular peer group (audio recording and post facilities owners) have a reverse type of problem. Kids come out of the diploma mills like Full Sail and expect to make $2k a week to start and be running sessions; they refuse to fetch coffee, vacuum and other basic interning jobs. (I must say, however, that there are some studio folks who abuse the intern system; they want a free janitor and do no mentoring whatsoever.) The problem with many of these kids is that when you finally do toss them into the fray they are completely lost; they have no practical experience and horrendous people skills. They are also hidebound; "We didn't do it that way at school" or the mic (or whatever) they used in school isn't available. Even worse, many have no work ethic. There are, of course, exceptions, but they are too few and far between.
Click to expand...

Were you polite enough not to laugh over the phone and hang up right away? I mean, I don't know going rates or anything, but even *I* would be like:weird: Ahhhhh....no.

As far as the "kids" question, my jaw drops when I see the budget some of the younger ones come in here with for equipment-2,3 5 thousand for a first cam and equipment?! Where can I get that type of dough!:lol:

I think it's that feeling coming out of school, like "I've got a ABCDE degree under my belt in filmmaking! Tarantino will be begging me to join him." Then the first time the hiring guy/girl says "What type of outside school experience do you have?"-I can imagine the faces on some of them.



This is not a dis on any who might be reading this, BTW. I think it's great they are getting involved and I'm happy to give them my (limited) advice, and I don't mean to paint them all with the same brush. Its just sometimes expectations are......heightened shall we say. ;)
 
It's easy to calculate my rate for guys/gals still in or just out of film school. Take 0 and divide it by 0. Your payment is getting to put my film on your resume. My DP is a 20 year pro from LA, he gets paid, my makeup is a 15 year pro from LA, she gets paid, my 1st AC owns the camera and teaches videography, he gets paid. Film school student recent graduates are PAs, ADs, Associate producers, etc... they get a really nice lunch and regular bathroom breaks.

That is the producer in me talking. Which reminds me of a joke...

Two producers walk into a bar and sit down. A beautiful young lady is sitting at the other end.

Producer 1: I could screw her.
Producer 2: Out of what?
 
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Introductory positions and interships are opportunities for people who need experience to get their foot in the door. If feeling exploited, simply don't do it. I never felt that way. When I took for first job in TV at 3 bucks and 35 cents an hour as a studio cameraman/floor director for an ABC affiliate, I saw it as getting paid a little to learn a lot more than when I was paying a lot to learn a little.
 
well i look at it from a point of view like this: You spend so much money and then when you're out a job like that won't pay your bills for you. Me, if I were qualified it wouldn't be enough money for me to live off of....so then I would have to go to the food service instead if they pay more...but that's just me I made some decisions that prevent me from affording a gig like that.
 
Blade_Jones said:
EDITOR – FINAL CUT PRO

Final Cut Pro editors – Day & Night shift.

We have four positions available.

This is a full time position.

Requirements:
4 year degree
Film School major
Final Cut Pro experience
Bright, Creative, Energetic, Passionate and Hard working

The rate is $450.00 per week.
Click to expand...

There are actually a lot of syndicated broadcast TV shows (Like FIFTH WHEEL) that live off of offers like this. They churn out 5 half hour shows a week and they can net a profit by paying little and there are college kids and others who would do it because it looks great on a resume. If you work a show like this, get your name in the credits, then parlay that up to a better editing job on a better show afterwards.

If this offer is NOT for a broadcast show, it would be simply a learning experience as a professional and again, parlay into something bigger or better.

I couldn't work that cheap, but 10 years ago I could and would have.
 
Blade_Jones said:
This is for anyone who is considering a "career" in film. I pulled this off of Craig's List. Typical slave labor gig. You could earn about the same working food service with no education...

EDITOR – FINAL CUT PRO

Final Cut Pro editors – Day & Night shift.

We have four positions available.

This is a full time position.

Requirements:
4 year degree
Film School major
Final Cut Pro experience
Bright, Creative, Energetic, Passionate and Hard working

The rate is $450.00 per week.
Click to expand...

I don't get it. Is this a scare tactic to make someone not want to pursue a career in film?

Look what I can do to aspiring culinary artists...:


FOR ANYONE WHO IS CONSIDERING A "CAREER" IN FOOD PREPARATION, I FOUND THIS ON CRAIG'S LIST:

Workers wanted: Taco Truck.
Hours: 2AM TO 8AM
Driving around in front of Los Angeles Clubs
LESS THAN MINIMUM WAGE WITHOUT BENEFITS AND YOU HAVE TO WEAR AN ORANGE APRON.
Don't try to be a chef in this town. This is the only job available and you will never be as good as Wolfgang Puck.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hega09t0s40


Give me a break, man... Don't try to wreck the dreams of filmmakers. It'll bite you.
:grrr:
 
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