This document provides tips for breaking into the movie/TV industry. It notes that there are many roles across production, from cinematographers to editors. One should research what interests them and gain experience in that area. Internships and entry-level jobs are important for learning and networking. The industry relies heavily on who you know, so maintaining contacts is key. While some roles are highly paid, many require modest salaries and long hours out of passion for the work. Preparation, persistence, and taking any available opportunity are emphasized as ways to succeed in this competitive field.

1. How to make it in the movie/
film/ TV industry
Monell S.

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movie/film/ TV industry
There are so m any areas of the m ovie and TV business that there is alm ost
som ething for everyone.
C inematographers work on set all d ay surround ed by hund red s of people
while ed itors work largely alone in a d ark room long after the prod uction has
"wrapped ."
From pre- to post-prod uction there is a job to fit alm ost every personality and
skill set. K now what you're good at and where you fit in.
If you've stud ied art, then you m ight consid er prod uction d esign. If you've
spent hours splicing together your own vid eos on your hom e com puter, then
go for ed iting. But in the beginning, you should get whatever you can.

3. Be aware
 Be aware that while a few positions in the ind ustry are extrem ely lucrative,
m any m ore are less so.
 Writers, actors and d irectors are som etim es paid obscene am ounts of
m oney while grips, ed itors, and the m any people who fill out the various
d epartm ents on a film or TV series such as costum e, props, art,
photography, etc.
 G et paid m uch m ore m od estly and work very hard . H ours on the set are
long and grueling. People d o the work because they love it and can im agine
d oing nothing else.

4. Prepare
 When it com es d own to it, the tim e were you finally have the
opportunity to show what you have to som eone really im portant in the
m ovie ind ustry your going to want to have everything on hand so your
prepared and you d on`t waist there tim e which leaves a bad im pression.
 Be organized and have best work on hand . For exam ple if you want to
be a top m ake up artist , you will want photos and want good quality in
those photos to im press them
 If you want to be a m ovie d irector you want to have a professional and
again organized way of showing what you know about cam era angles
and have a strong story to go with it.

5. Business
 The business is truly all about who you know. M ost ind ustry
jobs are freelance, therefore, the m ost im portant aspect of
getting a job, be it your first or your hund red and first, is who
you know.
 G et noticed to be in this ind ustry you can not be quite and shy
you need to be d eterm ined and well d riven to get to your goal.

6. Work
 Your ego is not your friend . While it is certainly ad visable to get as m uch training
as you can before you go looking for work, the best way to learn is in on the job.
 In the beginning, get any job you can. AN Y JO B. It will be lousy pay and long
hours, but this is how you start learning and m eeting people. A fam ous m ovie
prod ucer started out as a prod uction assistant on horror m ovies.
 He spent his tim e on the set working hard and asking sm art questions. H e then
prod uced his first low-bud get horror m ovie and prom ptly got a job on another
m ovie as a d olly grip for pennies a d ay. H e d id n't turn d own the job because it was
beneath him . H e took whatever jobs he could find and it paid off.

7. Jobs/internships
 Find out what types of jobs exist in the ind ustry and which ones you are
best suited for. If you d o not live in L os Angeles, N ew York, Vancouver or
Toronto, get a sense of what kind of ind ustry exists in your area. If there is
none, consid er relocating.
 production assistants are not paid m uch but it is a great way to learn m any
aspects of the way a production works. You m ight be asked to run from
props to hair to ed iting to an actor's trailer all within a day's work also
interning is a good way to get a sense of what the job is like before you
fallow through with it as a career.
 Write a strong resum e that prom otes your strengths without being
unrealistic. There are m any crossover skills from other field s so be honest
about your past experience.

8. contacts
 If you get an im portant num ber that can help you reach your goal in the
ind ustry your going to want to have that num ber in 2 d ifferent places.
 The possibility that you loose your phone and you would n’t get the
num ber back right away can be trouble som e . H ave a notebook with
nam es and num bers of contacts and m ake sure to keep track of these
item s.
 When you go on interviews, keep track of the answers to your
questions and if your being interviewed keep track of what there
looking for.

9. Follow Up
 Know the business. Go to m ovies. Watch TV. Read the trad es. L earn as m uch
as you can about the workings of film and TV prod uction before you arrive on
set for your first d ay of work. K now the d ifference between a D irector of
Photography and an Assistant D irector.
 Take classes at your local continuing stud ies program . You can m eet people
this way and begin to build up a network.
 •Be professional and presentable. The m ovie business tend s to be m ore casual
than m ost, but that d oesn't m ean you can be sloppy. D ress to im press . T he
only one who gets to be the worst d ressed person in the room is the d irector.
 •Be nice to EVERYBO D Y . M ore than in other ind ustries, tod ay's lackey is
tom orrow's show runner or O scar-nom inated d irector. Sucking up d oesn't help.
K eep your d ignity and self-respect. Be helpful and d eterm ined , without
groveling or begging. Your boundaries might be tested but in the end they
will be respected.

10. Acting
 If your jum ping straight into the ind ustry yet you’ve never been in front of a
real cam era or on a film ing site your going to want practice.
 For exam ple, I took a year of acting at John Robert powers acting school ,were
you get the opportunity to read scripts, learn about if you m ess up while
film ing d on’t say sorry. K eep read ing and following the scene norm ally have
the tim e no one notices the m istake.
 Talk into a cam era and act out scenes in front of other stud ents. Also tongue
twisters is a great thing to practice “sally sells sea shells by the sea shore” the
faster you can say tongue twister with out m essing up the easier it gets to read a
script.
 While taking this program you get opportunity's to perform in front of huge
d irectors and talent agents like, IPO P, D isney channel and nickelod eon. O ften
tim es even agents looking for actors from up com ing m ovies

11. Trends
 Study trend s, what's hot the coolest places to eat ,what to were and hairstyles.
This gives you and opportunity to be up to d ate and m any tim es you can be in
the sam e place as a celebrity because trend s are everything.
 Your not going to want to show up in shoes with holes or stains on your shirt
this is not im pressive and it m akes you look unapproachable. If m oney is an
issue ,were going to go back to one of the first steps . GET A JO B! AN Y
JO B!
 Do not wear tons of jewelry. If you’re an assistant or who ever you work for
has you m oving around a lot your not going to want all that extra weight on
your bod y to slow you d own and wearing a lot of jewelry can look to flashy.
Instead try wearing flashy shoes this is a great way to be d iscreet while still
rocking hot trend s.

12. Sleep & health
 The m ovie ind ustry is fast paced and your going to want all the sleep
you can get. A lot of the tim es you'll have to work late and / stud y late
or
so if you d on’t get the opportunity to sleep m uch m ost the tim e your
going to want to grab a coffee or energy d rink to keep you up.
 I would recom m end eating healthy instead of d rinking over 3 energy
d rinks a d ay, try eating a healthy m eal. Vegetables and fruit have
vitam ins which keep your energy up and your im m une system .
 Your not going to want to be slow , groggy or call in sick while
working. To m any sick d ays can lead to getting fired and that is never
a good thing so try to keep your health and working balanced while
having a busy sched ule.

13. Equipment
 K now the equipm ent and what it d ose, how the pieces contrast. You
want to research about cam era and lighting filters and want to know
what each m ood light gives off and how to m ake a scene intense to get
your point across.
 In a d ram a you would want L ight that is d im and m akes a scene look
d ark this gives it a d ram atic effect.
 If it is a scene of love you want to have a lot of light and often tim es
this will m ake the actor look like there glowing this showing a scene of
harm ony.

14. Music
 Pay attention to what type of m usic each film category uses. L ighting,
acting, equipm ent and m usic is what m akes a film . Som e tim es there
are silent film .
 Silent film s often intensify one of the other 3 things for exam ple no
m usic in a silent d ram atic film you would want to have intense light
and em otion in your actor.
 You d o not want to put the wrong m usic in the wrong m ovie for
exam ple if it was a happy m ovie you would not want the “Jaws”
sound track playing the hole tim e.

15. How to make it in the movie/film/
TV industry.