Get a 4-year degree so that you can earn $450 / week

B

Blade_Jones

I found this ad on Craig's List. This is a microcosm of the film business. Wouldn't it be a WHOLE lot easier to invest that "4 year degree money" and then just work at McDonalds?

AUDIO Mixer / Production Assistant COMBO POSITION

This is a full time position.
You will mix audio on remote shoots do office runs, transcribe tapes and plus whatever else comes up when not mixing.

Requirements:
Film / Broadcasting degree from a major School
4-year degree
Field mixing, booming and technical experience
We use Wendt 3 mixers
Bright, Creative, Energetic, Passionate and Hard working

The rate is $450.00 per week.

E-mail your resume to

mixlouder@yahoo.com

Only respond if qualified
 
Rip off.

If I told you what I earned on my last production sound job you would flip.

The person placing that ad is a criminal and shows he knows very little about filmmaking if he's offering that little for a sound mixing job. Likewise, the person taking the job is foolish.

What he is asking for is $6.50 an hour if you work 10 hour days.

It's like that video posted here a while back about production audio rates.
 
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The part about a 4-year degree is what cracks me up.

At $6.50 an hour producers will get just that... a $6.50 and hour "sound man". Also when you low-ball that low you might get someone to verbally agree to work on the shoot, but VERY OFTEN crew people will cancel the last minute in favor of a much higher paying job. Then the producer is freaking out and scrambling to find someone.
 
It looks to me like it's more of a paid internship than a real job.

I tell ya, people just want slave labor these days, but you don't get a middle class unless you pay your workers enough to buy your cars. So to speak.
 
That kind of pay is fine (to me) for an internship - someone
just starting who is willing to do office runs, transcribe tapes
and whatever else comes up. But for a person with a 4 year
degree from a major film school? Likely in the neighborhood
of $100,000 in debt.

You're right, ROC, only a fool would take that gig.

And I'll bet he got over 50 replies....
 
@rik Yeah - I know, right? That's the sad part.

It seems like there was an identical ad like that in Craig's List posted on here a few months back.
 
Here's another one for any makeup artists in the forum. No college degree required!

Hair/Makeup Artist needed for comedic SAG TV pilot shooting monday oct 4th - friday oct 8th. Must be avail for the entire week.
Must have your own gear. No special F/X. Just simple straight hair/makeup.
Must be able to make it to and from set on your own.
Pay is not amazing ($50 per day) but there is a chance to work with seasoned industry vets and build working relationships with cool people that can turn this job into much higher paying gigs in the near future!
 
Blade_Jones said:
Here's another one for any makeup artists in the forum. No college degree required!

Hair/Makeup Artist needed for comedic SAG TV pilot shooting monday oct 4th - friday oct 8th. Must be avail for the entire week.
Must have your own gear. No special F/X. Just simple straight hair/makeup.
Must be able to make it to and from set on your own.
Pay is not amazing ($50 per day) but there is a chance to work with seasoned industry vets and build working relationships with cool people that can turn this job into much higher paying gigs in the near future!
Click to expand...

So you can be union for actors, but not for makeup artists? I thought a project is either union or it is not?

Don't get me wrong, if I was trying to break into doing makeup for film, I would take this gig. At least it pays something and doesn't require you to be 100,000 is debt to get the job. :)
 
Well, it's funny. There's the projects where actors are SAG, but crew are non-union. I don't really know the details, but there is some sort of "low" "ultra-low" "kinda-low" "low-en-brau" and "low-down-dirty-shame" structure to budgets in the 6 figure to maybe 5 million range? Okay, so I made those last three up. :) Others here probably know more specifically how that works.

CL is sort of the bottom of the barrel for gigs, at least up here. Most are non-paying, occasionally someone will come to town and post a rate somewhere between token and okay - but those are rare and probably get six hundred responses. Also some other worthwhile projects from time to time, and the "TV" jobs are usually from legit companies. I've had mixed experiences with CL gigs; it has its uses, but lots of reason to use caution too.
 
ROC said:
@rik Yeah - I know, right? That's the sad part.

It seems like there was an identical ad like that in Craig's List posted on here a few months back.
Click to expand...
If you're talking about the editor's gig Blade posted,
I knew the guy; I had worked for the guy. So I called
him about the notice - teased him about shutting me
out because I don't have a degree.

He got over 300 resumes - about half from people with
a degree from a major film school.
 
@Rik oh my god. That's disgusting.

I'll say it again: You don't need a degree to be good in any aspect of filmmaking.

That is such an arbitrary... Quite sad.

He's missing out on a good editor without you, Rik.
 
My whole purpose of this thread is to demonstrate for anyone who is considering going to film school to change their major. It's nothing but slave labor unless you can somehow work for a big network or big film. How much does it cost to go to USC? Talk about throwing away money! I contemplated starting up a mixing studio, but it's just not worth buying all the equipment if the "going rate" in town is like $10 an hour.
He got over 300 resumes - about half from people with
a degree from a major film school.
Click to expand...
LOL. That says it all.
 
Let me play devil's advocate...How is it any different that asking actors to work for free or for extremely low wages?
 
Let me play devil's advocate...How is it any different that asking actors to work for free or for extremely low wages?
Click to expand...
Their situation is even more bleak. Actors make $50 - $75 a day, whereas crew make $125 - $150 a day.
The only people who do alright and don't get low-balled are studio teachers and dwarf actors. Pay a dwarf less than $300 and they will flake out more often than not. That's why I never write children or dwarfs into scripts.
 
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