Film Career Paths

Becoming a Makeup Artist

Laura decided she wanted to make this her film career, so she contacted some notable studios. However, they wouldn’t hire her because she wasn’t a union member, and she needed a job to join the union – a common problem for most who want a film career.

But she never gave up. She got smart and contacted several independent movie companies. She did her homework and found out that those who work on independent films are not necessarily union members. With persistence, she talked her way into a job as a makeup assistant on a biker movie, helping the makeup artist do whatever they needed.

As these things happened, one thing led to another, and eventually she got a job working on a horror film, helping to create and apply the monster’s makeup. Although the work wasn’t easy, she enjoyed herself.

She still works for independent film companies that produce horror, science fiction, and biking movies. She doesn’t have a union card, but she makes a good living doing what she does best: creating monsters in film.

Laura advises those who want to do special effects makeup to get a job selling cosmetics. “Once you learn the basics,” she says, “you can offer to do makeup for school and community theaters or talk to your friends into letting you practice on them. The important thing,” she asserts, “is to practice your craft.”

Career in Film Production

ADR/Foley Sound Recordist

Mike came out to Hollywood from Chicago. He had no definite plans yet knew he wanted to work in film. So Mike wandered around, working in temporary jobs in the film business, going to productions, feeling awkward and confused, making many hesitations and some embarrassing mistakes. He worked as a production assistant until someone offered him a job as a camera assistant.

The camera assistant suited Mike well. He was responsible for tracking camera shots. He also learned to set up the “road map” for editors and other post-production people. The experience helped land the job he has now, an ADR/Foley sound recordist. He was fortunate to be trained for this position, and it is now his permanent job. He is a success story of making it happen in Hollywood.

When Mike started working as an ADR/Foley sound recordist, his company was non-union. Later, the local sound union stepped in to organize the company, and Mike was able to join. Joining the union opened the door to many opportunities for many different jobs. But his love is ADR/Foley because it requires patience and attention to detail.

What does ADR/Foley involve? The hours are super long. Mike sometimes works a 15-hour day. But he is a union member and is compensated with overtime pay. He came a long way from being a confused and awkward production assistant.

ADR/Foley Sound Editors

ADR/Foley sound editors are part of the Motion Picture Sound Editors Guild. Being a part of the guild ensures proper wages and health care benefits while watching your back.

To get into the union, you need a job in any production. Sometimes, directors are looking for temp work. Like, they have a big production and are coming to town.

They need someone in the office at the desk, making thousands of calls to secure five hundred extras for a major shoot in a couple of days.

It might not be what you want to be or do in the industry, but it gets your foot in the door.

Film Career Websites

Multiple film career websites offer details on how to get into the industry. You can Google “film career,” and the list is endless.

The sites offer more than the fundamentals of breaking into the business. Experts or non-experts provide feedback and any information they want to share with the visitors.

I noticed the sites deliver knowledge and terms used in the business, including links to other websites. You can find data on any profession in the film industry by googling it.

How to Do Special Effects

Learning Hollywood visual and special effects is a way for you to work with animation and model building for film, television, and video and computer games.

Every medium uses special effects today. Learning about Hollywood special effects can open the door to a magical, artistic career that influences millions of people yearly. Apply the following steps to gain knowledge about Hollywood’s special effects.

Movie Special Effects

Become familiar with the fields of Hollywood visual and special effects. Visit bookstores, look over, and study the magazines on visual and special effects. Even subscribe to a couple of magazines that stand out with vital and informative articles about visual and special effects. Take the time to visit websites that pertain to the topics. Get to know the industry so you know these fields in Hollywood.

You can find vocational schools or colleges that offer special effects technology. You get hands-on training in subjects like Basic Motion Picture Techniques for Animators, Screenwriting Fundamentals, Introduction to Film, Video and Computer Animation, Contemporary Animation, Animation Production, Directed Studies in Animation, Case Studies in National Media and Film and Related Art.

How Relationships Work

Based on what you have learned during your vocational training, establish a relationship with a special effects post-production house. Students often take on internships through their schools and get in the door that way. If you are more of a maverick, you cold call, offering your knowledge and skills to independent film producers.

The nature of filmmaking tends to create instant close relationships. You share the drama, trauma, madness, and magic of creating images and stories that move people. It isn’t hard to keep the relationships up once “that’s a wrap,” but it does take some effort. Projects change, companies move, and people freelance around. You become forgotten if you don’t keep in touch.

Film and Gaming Careers

Working in game design overlaps with the film industry because there are similarities with movie franchises, developing a game like Jurassic Park, or a game becoming a movie like Tomb Raider.

A bachelor’s degree in Game Design prepares students for the competitive computer and video game industry. They can join game development teams in studios like LucasArts, Electronic Arts, Nintendo, and Sony, and even work in the military, architectural and educational fields.

Even though designing games is not the same as creating special effects for a movie, they are similar and require computer engineering and great imagination. You work in state-of-the-art hardware and software locations where you immerse yourself in all aspects of computer and video game design, from storyboards to polished products.

The software game industry growth is not slowing down, and revenues are steadily increasing. According to DFC Intelligence Studios, they are looking for talented game designers to join their development teams.

Giganews reported that salaries in the computer and video game industries vary widely. Prominent designers earn significantly higher wages than the average, depending on job requirements. Research by placement companies suggests that the average annual salary for designers ranges from $35,000 to $75,000.

Hollywood Studios

Just watching the latest Hollywood movies tells you that the big players are putting a lot of time and money into visual and special effects, which span movies, the Internet, and video and computer games.

Other careers in the film industry include makeup, hairstyling, costume, set painting, and more. Whatever your career path, your success depends on building lasting relationships with those you work with on each production.