Do you want to work in film but don’t know where to begin? Here is a way to get your first job in the film industry.

Instant Internship

You may have heard about the old ironies and difficulties of breaking into the film business.

No film experience? You can’t get an interview.

No Interview? You can’t get the job.

No Job? You can’t get the experience.

You need experience to achieve the experience. Trying to break into the film business can go on and on—around and around. Despite all, people do break into the film business, and you can, too.

It takes a simple film business plan.

Film Business Plan

Film production companies look for people willing to work for free because they are new to the business and need experience. They’re called internships and are often part of a formal course of study at a four-year college.

The colleges and universities that offer such internship programs are UCLA, USC, San Francisco State University, the University of Texas, and New York University. If you are interested in pursuing this career path, contact the college’s admissions office for more information. Or, you can Google “film internships NYC” if you want to work in NYC.

Some in the business consider pursuing film production internships a noble move because it suggests you’re committed to the industry. You are intensely committed enough to work for free.

Though the fact is that many film industry jobs require training and a certain number of years of work experience. That is where the film production internships apply. Most professional jobs in the industry do not require a college degree. They need you to be an intern for a time to gain the technical, creative, and managerial skills necessary to function effectively in your chosen film career.

If you are considering an internship in the industry, it would be advisable to prepare for your specific area or areas of interest. If, for example, you’re thinking about interning as an editor, it would be a good idea to take a few editing classes at a film school. Such experience will make you more attractive as a candidate and more valuable once you’ve begun your internship training.

Film Business Jobs

Make sure you have business cards.

Sometimes people get lucky in the film business and fall into jobs, but it doesn’t happen very often. As a rule, if you want it, it will happen, and you will have to make it happen.

One way to make it happen is to arrange an internship with a production company connected to a film school. You can also approach other film organizations, like marketing, law, digital media, or social media. A film production internship is an unpaid position that helps you build your resume, gain experience, and develop industry contacts.

However, internships can be hard to find and nearly impossible to secure due to intense competition in the field.

Offer the production an internship for yourself. This technique works because film production companies are amenable to accepting free help during peak “rush” periods. Some gained employment and kick-started their careers by approaching a production company and asking for work.

Remember:

• During such “unofficial” internships, the contacts you develop are invaluable to building your career.
• Before you start approaching people in the film business for work, you have to have film business cards with reliable and up-to-date contact information.

Contacts Lead to Contacts

There are several ways to arrange an internship. Sometimes, people approach film crews while in production and offer to help. While the offer gets refused, it doesn’t hurt to ask. If you’re persistent, the chances are they’ll eventually give in and let you do some work on the shoot. It may not be the kind of work you had in mind, but once you get on a set with a production company, you have the opportunity to meet people who can help you get a “real” job in the film business. And then, pass out your business cards.

Whatever tactic you choose, or try to use, to get your first job in the film business, make sure you keep at it with the right attitude. Odds are you will eventually run into someone who will take you up on your offer.

Once you get an internship, get to know as many people on the production team as you can.

Remember:

• Contacts lead to contacts and, eventually, the job you want in the business.
• In the film business, it’s all about networking, and the more people you get to know, the more likely you’ll find work in your chosen field.
• People make it in the business because they asked, searched, persisted, and finally landed a job on the set.

Where Crews are Hired

In addition to full-time and freelance jobs, there’s a third way you can work in the film industry—for free. It doesn’t sound like a good idea and certainly not something you want—or be able—to do for too long, but it is a way to get a foot in the door.

In fact, there are film productions where crews are “hired” for no pay at all. In such instances, the producer may offer the crew shares in the film or some other form of deferred payment—the chance to make money if and when the movie itself turns a profit. If nothing else, the opportunity to share in the film’s profits serves as a considerable motivation for the crew to do its best and help maximize the film’s chances for success.

Although the arrangement appears exploitative, it benefits both the producer and the crew. How else can a filmmaker with little or no production budget get a team? How else can inexperienced crew members get experience? Ultimately—whether the film is a success or not—both sides get what they want: the filmmaker gets his movie made, and the new crew members gain valuable experience they can add to their resumes.

Working on the Film Set

Making a film career requires patience and perseverance. The production manager says, “No,” don’t take it personally. Keep working at it until you find a crack in the door, and you get your big break.