Monday, 9 June 2014

The Entry Level Film Jobs NYC Students Can Do

By Sally Delacruz


There are lots of entry level positions that could be your first job in the tv or movie industry. Being one of the lucky young people who gets one of the film jobs NYC students can qualify for starts with confidence. It might not be easy to get your first position, but here are some of the entertainment industry gigs you can try for while you're still in school.

Production assistant is a catch all title for the lowest rung on the ladder of a working film set. You might do anything from tape cables to get coffee. As long as you have a lot of energy and a winning smile, you probably qualify. You can learn almost everything else on the job.

Although you won't spend all your time on set, the way you do when you're a production assistant, another interesting job is being a personal assistant for someone with a film career. You'll see a different side of daily operations in the entertainment field, which can be quite valuable. You can make lots of personal contacts in this job, so if you are good with people and have a patient personality, look into becoming the right hand man or woman for a filmmaking power player.

Movie careers aren't just about how films get made. There are lots of jobs on the film festival circuit, and Manhattan hosts some of the best annual cinema festivals in the world. An internship at a festival is a great way to meet everyone from media critics to real producers at events and galas, and the interns you work alongside may prove to be important professional partners later in your career.

Although scooping popcorn kernels at a neighborhood cinema might not seem like a glamorous job, there's a lot to be said for starting out as a staff member at a small independent cinema. You'll get a steady paycheck along with the priceless education of seeing all the latest arthouse movies, plus you'll start to gain a feel for what trendy NYC audiences like. Check out the small theaters in lower Manhattan, especially the Soho and village theaters, to see who is hiring.

Extra or background work isn't a reliable source of income, as jobs are sporadic, but the occasional day or two of working as an extra does get you on the set. Sometimes, directors will pull from the supernumerary pool to give an actor a speaking line that hasn't been cast until the day of the shoot, so who knows? You may show up to stand in the background, and end up on the big screen.

You might not have to climb the entertainment industry ladder from the bottom up. With a digital camera and youtube, you can hire yourself to make your own movie. Collaborate with other young filmmakers and build your careers together.

Those are a just a sample of the many different kinds of entry level film jobs. The more you know about the industry, and about your own strengths, the more likely you are to find the right position for your. Learn everything you can about the different career paths available in the entertainment field, and keep growing your skill set. The more things you know how to do, the greater the chance that you'll look useful to someone doing the hiring for the next big blockbuster.




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