Question for everyone in LaLa Land

H

HomerS3

After I finish with my Film Studies major in college I am going to be packing up and moving to LA. (I'll actually be doing my last semester in Los Angeles). I plan on putting it all on the line and diving in head first. So here is my question for those of you out there. How easy is it to find a job in the industry? In other words, will I be able to find a paying position in the film industry fairly easily or is this step a crapshoot like everything else seems to be?

Ideally I would plan on taking a low level position until I have the opportunity to move up, or my writing starts to sell.

Any advice for facing the battle I'm about to walk into would be greatly appreciated!
 
HomerS3 said:
After I finish with my Film Studies major in college I am going to be packing up and moving to LA. (I'll actually be doing my last semester in Los Angeles). I plan on putting it all on the line and diving in head first. So here is my question for those of you out there. How easy is it to find a job in the industry? In other words, will I be able to find a paying position in the film industry fairly easily or is this step a crapshoot like everything else seems to be?

Ideally I would plan on taking a low level position until I have the opportunity to move up, or my writing starts to sell.

Any advice for facing the battle I'm about to walk into would be greatly appreciated!
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I knew when you referred to it as "La-La Land" you were not from the west coast ;)

It is a crapshoot that is not impossible, but I would STRONGLY suggest you IMMEDIATELY look for a real job to pay the bills and look for film work on the side to build up the resume. There are thousands in LA willing to prostitute themselves simply to be a PA with a free meal let alone pay the bills with some paying job. That said about 75% of those people are not intelligent or street smart, so if you're either of those you'll probably build up credits and meet people quick.

The best way to do so is to have a regular job and find student films being shot and volunteer to work on those.
 
WideShot said:
I knew when you referred to it as "La-La Land" you were not from the west coast ;)
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Far from it!
<--

Thanks for the advice, I cringe to think about volunteering for student films. That's what I have people doing for me currently. Twisted irony!
 
I;m not from hollywood but I can tell you that the industry isn't short of people wanting to turn up and make something of themselves and from any point of view is extremely competative. Write, call or email in advance, ask for runners positions or the like and get your name out there. If you turn up without any prep work done expect to end up waiting tables in benny's.
 
Put at least 6 months of cash away...

HomerS3 said:
After I finish with my Film Studies major in college I am going to be packing up and moving to LA. (I'll actually be doing my last semester in Los Angeles). I plan on putting it all on the line and diving in head first. So here is my question for those of you out there. How easy is it to find a job in the industry? In other words, will I be able to find a paying position in the film industry fairly easily or is this step a crapshoot like everything else seems to be?

Ideally I would plan on taking a low level position until I have the opportunity to move up, or my writing starts to sell.

Any advice for facing the battle I'm about to walk into would be greatly appreciated!
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And then find an internship.

Every week I am amazed at the amount of internships available in the industry. These are outstanding positions that can often lead to becoming a player.

Only problem of course is CASH to pay your bills... Hence, the reason I recommend going to Los Angeles with at least 6 months worth of living expenses... Easier said than done I know but very worth it if you can.

If I had it to do all over again, that's the way I'd do it.

filmy
 
There was a panel discussion at a local film festival here in west Michigan and the LA crowd mirrored Filmy's advice. I think they said a year's worth of living expenses though. Think of it as another year of tuition. It also helps to look up alum from your film school already in LA and see if they can help. Network your butt off.
 
Twisted irony indeed.

When I was just starting I volunteered on dozens of USC and AFI student films. I got the on set education from both of those schools without having to step into a classroom or pay the tuition. It's very possible you will have to do the same. And the only positions available are the skilled positions like special effects, pyro (which is what I was doing), make-up, catering and stedicam operator or the the jobs films students paying tuition aren't interested in doing; craft service, PA, runner.

Very low budget DTV movies are being made all the timer and they always need crew. If they pay, it's very low, but (as WideShot mentioned) there are thousands of people willing to "prostitute" themselves just to get on a set. I know I was one of those prostitutes. I worked for free a LOT. I'm glad I was not in WideShot's 75%.

Internships are great. And almost harder to get than a job. Every film student at all the local colleges and trade schools are on the top of the intern list. They ARE available, but here in L.A. internships rarely pay.
HomerS3 said:
How easy is it to find a job in the industry? In other words, will I be able to find a paying position in the film industry fairly easily or is this step a crapshoot like everything else seems to be?
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If you have a skill it isn't as hard as if you don't. The "I'll do anything." approach doesn't get you very far in a job interview when you are up against someone with specific skills.

I can't argue against WideShot's advice to get a job to pay the bills - but it was something I made a decision early on to never do. To this day I know too many people who took that "job to pay the bills" and have to keep putting their film career in second or third place. For 10 - 15 years. I either made a living in entertainment, or I lived on the street. Quite a motivator.

It's difficult out here, there is an astounding amount of competition, but people succeed all the time. No reason you can't one of them.
 
My advice is not to come to LA until you get some professional credits and have a war chest of money to live off until you break in. School is a good thing, but it ain't the real world. I waited several years after finishing school before I made the move. During that time I freelanced as a shooter/editor and shot some shorts. (Also, I shot two features while in grad school.)

I would try to make connections with anybody you know in LA before coming out. 90% of jobs in LA come through word of mouth so contacts are very important. (Now this doesn't mean you should pester these contacts to death.)

I had friends in LA and ended up coming three time to shoot 2 features and a short in the year before I moved out that way I had some contacts built up. Now, I came to LA as a DP which is higher up the food chain.

Check out http://losangeles.craigslist.org/ for rentals and ask your contacts in LA what is a good neighborhood. LA is an expensive place to live.

Scott
 
scottspears said:
My advice is not to come to LA until you get some professional credits and have a war chest of money to live off until you break in.
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Honestly I won't allow myself to do wait. Primarily because I know how things can go. Life happens and I'm afraid that if I don't go now, I'll never do. I know people personally who have told me "I always planned on chasing the dream, but I got a job, then a family.....etc."
I don't want to take the risk of being one of those guys who never ran after their dream. I've got to go all out, or I'm afraid it will never happen
 
Honestly I won't allow myself to do wait. Primarily because I know how things can go. Life happens and I'm afraid that if I don't go now, I'll never do. I know people personally who have told me "I always planned on chasing the dream, but I got a job, then a family.....etc."
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I can understand you feelings. At first I felt that way, but I waited three years and I feel like I still went out without enough money, but I made it with some good times and some lean times. My biggest concern for you is that you have enough money to last out here because it just damn expensive. Rents have gone up 60% in the last five years. I just shot behind the scenes footage for a horror film and my first check bounced. Further checks are good, but being held by my bank, so I'm not getting the money around the time that my rent is due. This is a pain in the ass, but I have money coming from other sources, so I can squeeze by, but there are a couple of young PAs who just came out to LA and this is there first job so this is killing them. All I'm saying is be careful and have some money in the bank to cover the lean times. I've known people who've lived out of their car for short periods due to lack of funds and they say it ain't no fun. (How's that for bad grammer?)

Good luck and try getting in contact with anybody in LA that you know in the biz,

Scott
 
scottspears said:
I just shot behind the scenes footage for a horror film and my first check bounced. Further checks are good, but being held by my bank, so I'm not getting the money around the time that my rent is due.
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Ahhhhh. The wonderful world of freelance.

I didn't move as far when I made my "do or die" trek to LA - only about 120 miles. But I did it with $2,200, no job, a 10 year old volkswagen, no friends and no film school. It was a scary, difficult couple of years, but I'm glad I did it. And I'm gald I did it sooner than later. Even a few years older I may have realized what a stupid movie it really was. But then I would have talked myself out of it.

Different ways for different people. When do you think you'll be making the move, Homer?
 
directorik said:
Even a few years older I may have realized what a stupid movie it really was. But then I would have talked myself out of it.
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That is precisely my fear, that I will come to my senses and never make a go of it.
directorik said:
When do you think you'll be making the move, Homer?
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I go for a semester of film school (none worrth mention) in January of '08. During that time I will have my rent covered by my tuition. After that few months, I'm on my own and having to find a new place to live...
 
Personally, I came out to LA with only about 3 grand saved and a couch lined up on which to crash. I worked unpaid set PA gigs from Craigslist and Mandy.com for about 2 weeks, until I proved myself capable, and then started getting calls for $100/day PA jobs. After about 6 months, I was able to afford my share of a 2-bedroom apt ($625/mo in a nice neighborhood - Silver Lake). After another 3 months, I got offered a gig at a post-production house, where I worked for $125/day for about a year, then they moved me up to Production Coordinator ($250/day) and so on and so forth. I'm currently a post-supervisor at a 9-5 job making good money.

The ENTIRE TIME I was doing all of this, I have also been making films. While I was on the couch, I was writing and shooting part of "Bloodshed" finishing it once I moved to Silver Lake. Just produced my 3rd feature, all while having a day job.

MY personal advice is to look for jobs IN THE BUSINESS OF FILM. You WILL have lean times, but - for me - making my living in the entertainment business, even though I'm mostly in commercials, has put me in contact with every single friend and collaborator I now know. Think about it: you're making a low budget film, right? Well, if you're a PA on commercial shoots, you'll be in contact with crew that are starving for well-written, non-commercial projects. Once you're in post, find a gig at a post-house, where you'll have access to decks, editors and VFX artists. Worked for me, anyway, and saved me tens of thousands of dollars.

When I first got to LA, I had several people tell me it takes 3 years to finally feel like you're in a good spot, with a job that both pays well and allows you the freedom to do your own thing. It is uncanny how right they were.

This town is awesome, by the way. You have every opportunity to succeed at your fingertips.
 
How right you are jmac. I was working in makeup effects on a TV series. I met a first AC who wanted to be a DP, a second second AD who wanted to be a first and a UPM who wanted to produce. We made a few shorts and then our first feature.

And that 3 year thing. Almost exactly how long it took me from the time I moved to LA until I was earning a decent living in the bizz and making my first feature.
 
directorik said:
...

I can't argue against WideShot's advice to get a job to pay the bills - but it was something I made a decision early on to never do. To this day I know too many people who took that "job to pay the bills" and have to keep putting their film career in second or third place. For 10 - 15 years. ...

...
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This is me. And it's been about 15 years now, interestingly enough. I've had at least three false starts into the business. I actually did make the trek to the L.A. basin, living in Brea and Buena Park for a few years in my early twenties. I grew up in northern California so it wasn't too much of a stretch. I did some work as an unpaid extra just to get on the sets and skulk around, observing every tiny detail, while I wrote my blockbuster screenplay (everyone in L.A. has at least one, it seems). Meantime, I stuck to what I knew - Computers. It was a hobby turned career having spent half my life in Silicon Valley. Fortunately, I've kept my love of movies and all things visual as a hobby and even had a hand in making possible some of the electronic devices many of you take for granted. It definitely wasn't a waste of time because I'm making a comfortable living; it's just not the "passion". I had more fun taking a few days off work recently and editing a home-spun documentary for 10 hours a day, three days straight. It was work. Hard work. But I ran to the computer every morning eager for more.

The way I see it is you have two choices. You can run out there with guns blazing and hope you hit the target (bring plenty of ammo) or you can sit in the middle of nowhere plinking cans long enough to get the skills you'll need to hit a bullseye. As for me, I'm getting tired of plinking cans.
 
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