#55 - Shaun Of The Dead: An Appreciation

Blog Post link: https://battleswithbitsofrubber.com/54-approaching-workshops/ Folio under your arm, at some point you may wish to appeal to those who could give you a job.

It's nervewracking to be judged, but your folio is maybe pages of your heart and soul now made visible for others to assess and rate.

The main way anyone gets work is simply by having a portfolio of good work and then show that to someone who pays for people like that to solve a problem they have. There isn't a single path or trick to game the system. You are not likely to be given a job you are wholly unsuited to - the work is too precious to those who are looking to hire, and there is a pretty robust system of hiring.

Here we discuss some main points to help you get your head straight. Think through what you could mean to them rather than what they can do for you. Listen to the podcast for the full monty, but the key points are listed below!

1. How much to charge.

• Know your worth
• Know how much it costs you to stand still for a day and do nothing.
• How much do people get paid? Check with trade union pay rates for your region to compare and see what is current.

2. The film industry isn't looking to take you on and train you. It doesn't need another mouth to feed.

• The machine which is the film industry isn’t looking to take on someone, spend time training them only to have them up sticks and work for someone else. The ‘industry’ isn’t a single entity, so much a mass of small companies, individuals and private interests.
• For anyone to take a chance on someone unknown, share their contacts, processes and the inner circle is quite a thing to undertake. The risk is you could take that and use what you have learned to help a competitor, so it’s a peculiar situation to be in.

3. Waiting to be picked.

• Someone waiting to be picked V an independent self-starter.
• Evidence of motivated and talent.
• Show evidence of your desire to do the work. A chef doesn’t require a fully fitted kitchen before making their first omelette – make what you can when you can to the best of your ability. Doing so will give you practice and display your journey to an interested party. The people you are trying to work for are like that and they know their own. If you want to do it for a living then you should be doing it whatever.

4. Awareness of the state of the industry.

• Do you know about the industry? About current artists names, credits and back story? We have taught at many places where students didn’t know the masters or even watch films to have an awareness of what went before. This is something your potential employers will notice as they DO know and care about it.
• How good are those currently working and do you measure up?
• What can you do to improve?
• What do people pay for? ... People pay to have their problems solved.

Whose problems do you solve?

• Do you know the industry well enough to know that and how you can fit in to it?
• What can you provide and where do you fit in the workflow?

5. Actual ability levels.

• Are you an asset or a burden? Are you asking to help them or are you asking them to help you. Conisder their needs first, and how it will shape your approach.
• Does your folio show examples of what problems the employer will need you to solve?

6. How Busy is the film industry right now?

• The industry sweeps between crazy busy and deathly quiet.
• Are they too busy to see your folio?
• Not busy means they may have time but they are not hiring either.
• How can you find out and what questions should you ask?
• It is easier to turn down an email than a phone call. Hard copy letter is something not too many do so maybe that is an option. You can’t game the system – good work and a good attitude will win.
• Some will hire because of the right attitude and whether you can fit into the organisation as it currently stands. They will pay for someone who is competent enough to do what is asked.
• Chances are they already have their key players in place, so they are not looking for a Jedi Master. They need enthusiastic and capable people they can slot into an existing framework and who will do what they are asked to do.

7. How close do I live near the work? If you don't, consider the following points.

• Travel costs
• Accommodation costs
• Loss of income from previous job you may leave
• See it from employers’ point of view
• Language/visa/immigration issues to consider

8. Luck.

• Right place, right time.
• The harder I work, the more good luck I seem to have.
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