Working In The TV/Film Production Industry
January 20, 2023 7:37 AM Subscribe
Two weeks ago, I asked about returning to school, which got me thinking about film school, and the local university's well-respected film department was remarkably receptive at having an old guy join their ranks; but, looking from a practical standpoint, I don't know much about the industry today.
Background: I basically was my high school's "TV" department in the 1990s, I've done some freelance work in broadcast media over the years, and after a recent gig my wife wondered thoughtfully why I'm not doing that for a living, and the chain of events that resulted means I might actually do that.
I mean, I like the idea of just going to college and learning something cool, but making a career change is also very enticing. It also seems like there's a whole lot of remote work possible in the digital age, given one of the reasons I didn't pursue my BfA originally was that I'd have to move to a much larger city to do it, but I might not have to now.
I'm not an auteur, I'm not an actor -- I'm a writer and technician, so I'm looking forward to the screenwriting, editing, production stuff. Like, editing reality TV or Hallmark movies for a living would be my ideal job.
So, MeFites: if you're currently in this sort of industry now, or familiar with the workings, what does the job market look like? And, really, if you want to talk me out of it as a career that's great too, I'm still in the "collecting data" mode. Thanks much!
Background: I basically was my high school's "TV" department in the 1990s, I've done some freelance work in broadcast media over the years, and after a recent gig my wife wondered thoughtfully why I'm not doing that for a living, and the chain of events that resulted means I might actually do that.
I mean, I like the idea of just going to college and learning something cool, but making a career change is also very enticing. It also seems like there's a whole lot of remote work possible in the digital age, given one of the reasons I didn't pursue my BfA originally was that I'd have to move to a much larger city to do it, but I might not have to now.
I'm not an auteur, I'm not an actor -- I'm a writer and technician, so I'm looking forward to the screenwriting, editing, production stuff. Like, editing reality TV or Hallmark movies for a living would be my ideal job.
So, MeFites: if you're currently in this sort of industry now, or familiar with the workings, what does the job market look like? And, really, if you want to talk me out of it as a career that's great too, I'm still in the "collecting data" mode. Thanks much!
As a film school graduate, I'm of the opinion that film school in this day and age is utterly useless. I attended in the 90s, pre-cellphone camera and pre-youtube. The average Youtube vlogger these days has a better grasp of filmmaking techniques than most film school graduates.
I honestly believe that you can learn more about filmmaking by watching 100 Casey Neistat videos than you can in 4 years of film school.
Why does he choose to put the camera where he does? How did he do this (especially in his early videos, when he probably did not have assistants)? How would the scene/vid be different with a different angle? Same goes for sound, editing, and his use of music. How does he consistently tell interesting stories in 3 to 8 minutes? How did he do this, literally, every single day for years? What decisions must have been made before starting the shoot? Which ones were made on the fly? How did he leave room for the latter? What would have happened if he pre-planned everything or planned nothing? Etc.
The "best" part about film school is meeting other people with a similar interest. All the stuff you learn can be better learned by fucking around with a camera and watching Youtube vloggers or Youtube instructional videos.
posted by dobbs at 8:16 AM on January 20, 2023 [4 favorites]
I honestly believe that you can learn more about filmmaking by watching 100 Casey Neistat videos than you can in 4 years of film school.
Why does he choose to put the camera where he does? How did he do this (especially in his early videos, when he probably did not have assistants)? How would the scene/vid be different with a different angle? Same goes for sound, editing, and his use of music. How does he consistently tell interesting stories in 3 to 8 minutes? How did he do this, literally, every single day for years? What decisions must have been made before starting the shoot? Which ones were made on the fly? How did he leave room for the latter? What would have happened if he pre-planned everything or planned nothing? Etc.
The "best" part about film school is meeting other people with a similar interest. All the stuff you learn can be better learned by fucking around with a camera and watching Youtube vloggers or Youtube instructional videos.
posted by dobbs at 8:16 AM on January 20, 2023 [4 favorites]
As a counterpoint to the previous comment - if you believe the structure of a film school course would be more conducive to learning than just observing YouTube videos, going back to university is a good option.
There are also options in between self-study and a university class - you can find MOOCs on sites such as Coursera and Udemy, which is basically distance learning. You can try before you buy on these platforms by auditing the course (watching the lessons but not needing to submit assignments/actually participate/you won't receive a certificate) in case you're not sure you would benefit from a course.
posted by wandering zinnia at 8:50 AM on January 20, 2023
There are also options in between self-study and a university class - you can find MOOCs on sites such as Coursera and Udemy, which is basically distance learning. You can try before you buy on these platforms by auditing the course (watching the lessons but not needing to submit assignments/actually participate/you won't receive a certificate) in case you're not sure you would benefit from a course.
posted by wandering zinnia at 8:50 AM on January 20, 2023
Best answer: I work in post production in reality tv and hire editors so I can speak to that aspect. Much of the work has gone remote, which is great for people who have established networks and like working independently, but I’ve observed it’s really difficult for new people/recent grads/etc to get a foot in the door. It’s also generally agreed that we’re going to face down a tough year as an industry - the streamers are not green lighting new projects and cable is responding by tightening the budgets even more because they are aware people are going to take what they can get. Even in good years, the work is freelance and you live and die by your network and contacts.
That being said, wfh has made it really hard to staff reliable editors. A lot of people are double dipping on multiple projects or just checked out. If you’re good and consistent as an editor, it’s entirely possible to get staffed as a long term freelancer on an ongoing show or at a company with a lot of work and be somewhat insulated from the market fluctuating. This will most likely be a 1099 job with no benefits whatsoever, although if you’re in California there are some places who pay as a w-2 and offer subsidized health insurance if you stick around long enough. I haven’t worked enough in other states to speak to how that works. There are also union editing jobs on reality shows, but I don’t work on them so can’t speak to that either.
You don’t need to go to film school to edit reality tv shows. You need to learn avid media composer and then either go the story or edit route. The first step is getting literally any job on the post staff of a show - post PA, logger, and clearance coordinator are common entry level positions. I haven’t been on a show with a post PA or logger in years even pre-COVID, but they do exist. From there you need to leverage your way into either an assistant editing position or something in the story department. Then you ask every editor you know to throw you extra work which you will do in your off hours, and if you’re good then boom you’re an editor.
Rates fluctuate wildly but I would say the going rate for a decent editor right now is between $3500-5000 a week. The entry level positions prior to that will be minimum wage or slightly more. Hope this helps!
posted by justjess at 9:44 AM on January 20, 2023 [5 favorites]
That being said, wfh has made it really hard to staff reliable editors. A lot of people are double dipping on multiple projects or just checked out. If you’re good and consistent as an editor, it’s entirely possible to get staffed as a long term freelancer on an ongoing show or at a company with a lot of work and be somewhat insulated from the market fluctuating. This will most likely be a 1099 job with no benefits whatsoever, although if you’re in California there are some places who pay as a w-2 and offer subsidized health insurance if you stick around long enough. I haven’t worked enough in other states to speak to how that works. There are also union editing jobs on reality shows, but I don’t work on them so can’t speak to that either.
You don’t need to go to film school to edit reality tv shows. You need to learn avid media composer and then either go the story or edit route. The first step is getting literally any job on the post staff of a show - post PA, logger, and clearance coordinator are common entry level positions. I haven’t been on a show with a post PA or logger in years even pre-COVID, but they do exist. From there you need to leverage your way into either an assistant editing position or something in the story department. Then you ask every editor you know to throw you extra work which you will do in your off hours, and if you’re good then boom you’re an editor.
Rates fluctuate wildly but I would say the going rate for a decent editor right now is between $3500-5000 a week. The entry level positions prior to that will be minimum wage or slightly more. Hope this helps!
posted by justjess at 9:44 AM on January 20, 2023 [5 favorites]
Best answer: I'm an ex-film school/entertainment industry person. Mr. BlahLaLa is a below-the-line industry worker and has 40+ years in IATSE.
Everyone I know who is still in production is basically miserable. If you're local to LA/NYC and you can finagle your way into IATSE, you can make decent money with horrible hours. Even with that, you're almost always going to be entirely disposable. Every IATSE member also has to hustle every time a job ends, and the jobs always end. Whether it's a commercial shooting in a single day or a feature film or a series with multiple seasons, you go into every job knowing it's going to end and you'll need to find the next job. Non-union just makes it all the worse because it's even higher stress levels with less monetary benefit.
Of the jobs you mention:
Screenwriting: okay, sure, this can be done remotely. Writing it is different than selling it. I think the screenwriter/director John August has some good writing on why it's extremely, extremely hard to do that outside of LA/NYC.
Production stuff: not exactly sure what you mean by this but let's assume it's not going to be done remotely. The most I'm personally familiar with is documentary research done remotely, but those jobs are few and far between. There are a small amount of field producer positions out there. They usually go to people who have a ton of experience in LA/NYC and then they've moved their lives elsewhere and they can do very part-time work when producers might need something coordinated in this new place.
Editing: I have many friends who are experienced editors with resumes full of credits. Some of them moonlight at places like Walmart and with Uber/Lyft. I wish I was joking. Any remote job is going to rely on you having top-of-the-line equipment at your disposal which is going to cost you $, and which will continually need to be upgraded. And more than that, you're going to compete with a million others for those jobs, many of whom are in their early 20s, with no mortgage/family/other needs so they'll take rock-bottom wages. I have a friend who's an LA-based editor for the NFL, which keeps something like 40 editing suites running 24/7 during the football season. They carefully craft their schedules so nobody works 40 hours, so nobody's full-time, so nobody's earning full-time benefits.
I'm sorry I'm so discouraging but the entertainment industry has always been a slog paired with a hustle. If it's what you want, you probably are happy to get through the slog and hustle, hustle, hustle every damn day for basically the entire rest of your working career. A handful of people get fame and fortune. A whole lot of people work really hard, make an okay living, and never see their spouse/children during daylight hours (or even at all; ask me about the time my husband worked 9 months of 18-hour days). An enormously large number of people do not "make it" by any stretch of the imagination.
posted by BlahLaLa at 9:48 AM on January 20, 2023 [11 favorites]
Everyone I know who is still in production is basically miserable. If you're local to LA/NYC and you can finagle your way into IATSE, you can make decent money with horrible hours. Even with that, you're almost always going to be entirely disposable. Every IATSE member also has to hustle every time a job ends, and the jobs always end. Whether it's a commercial shooting in a single day or a feature film or a series with multiple seasons, you go into every job knowing it's going to end and you'll need to find the next job. Non-union just makes it all the worse because it's even higher stress levels with less monetary benefit.
Of the jobs you mention:
Screenwriting: okay, sure, this can be done remotely. Writing it is different than selling it. I think the screenwriter/director John August has some good writing on why it's extremely, extremely hard to do that outside of LA/NYC.
Production stuff: not exactly sure what you mean by this but let's assume it's not going to be done remotely. The most I'm personally familiar with is documentary research done remotely, but those jobs are few and far between. There are a small amount of field producer positions out there. They usually go to people who have a ton of experience in LA/NYC and then they've moved their lives elsewhere and they can do very part-time work when producers might need something coordinated in this new place.
Editing: I have many friends who are experienced editors with resumes full of credits. Some of them moonlight at places like Walmart and with Uber/Lyft. I wish I was joking. Any remote job is going to rely on you having top-of-the-line equipment at your disposal which is going to cost you $, and which will continually need to be upgraded. And more than that, you're going to compete with a million others for those jobs, many of whom are in their early 20s, with no mortgage/family/other needs so they'll take rock-bottom wages. I have a friend who's an LA-based editor for the NFL, which keeps something like 40 editing suites running 24/7 during the football season. They carefully craft their schedules so nobody works 40 hours, so nobody's full-time, so nobody's earning full-time benefits.
I'm sorry I'm so discouraging but the entertainment industry has always been a slog paired with a hustle. If it's what you want, you probably are happy to get through the slog and hustle, hustle, hustle every damn day for basically the entire rest of your working career. A handful of people get fame and fortune. A whole lot of people work really hard, make an okay living, and never see their spouse/children during daylight hours (or even at all; ask me about the time my husband worked 9 months of 18-hour days). An enormously large number of people do not "make it" by any stretch of the imagination.
posted by BlahLaLa at 9:48 AM on January 20, 2023 [11 favorites]
Best answer: Don't worry about my method for getting good at it; once I'm good at it is there a job for me?
I work in commercial/social/digital production and post production in New York. I think by the time you are 'good at it' after learning the skills and investing in the equipment/software to do the work, you're looking at what the industry looks like in 5-10 years, not what the industry looks like now. It's constantly evolving, and you are only as good as the most recent work you can show and the people you know.
To BlahLaLa's point, it's a young person's game. The more successful people I know in the industry started out working grueling hours (at multiple jobs) for little money, spending years and years building their network, continuing to evolve and hone their skills, and hustling hard. And usually only really got a solid boost because of some combination of extreme talent, charm, timing and luck.
Maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones, but if you are at all risk averse, the ROI isn't the best.
posted by greta simone at 10:29 AM on January 20, 2023 [7 favorites]
I work in commercial/social/digital production and post production in New York. I think by the time you are 'good at it' after learning the skills and investing in the equipment/software to do the work, you're looking at what the industry looks like in 5-10 years, not what the industry looks like now. It's constantly evolving, and you are only as good as the most recent work you can show and the people you know.
To BlahLaLa's point, it's a young person's game. The more successful people I know in the industry started out working grueling hours (at multiple jobs) for little money, spending years and years building their network, continuing to evolve and hone their skills, and hustling hard. And usually only really got a solid boost because of some combination of extreme talent, charm, timing and luck.
Maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones, but if you are at all risk averse, the ROI isn't the best.
posted by greta simone at 10:29 AM on January 20, 2023 [7 favorites]
Best answer: I work in documentary and turn down more work that I take. But, if you’re just starting out and you’re not in a major production hub, it’s going to be very, very tough.
You might want to think about your local PBS stations, or historic organizations that could use someone to conduct and edit oral histories or digitize and edit local visual archival materials for a YouTube channel or museum installation or even family digital scrapbooks/videos.
Editing a Hallmark movie is a gig for someone with lots of experience, connections and representation. Reality-based is a bit easier to get an entry job, but you’ll start as a logger, then assn’t editor.
posted by Ideefixe at 12:38 PM on January 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
You might want to think about your local PBS stations, or historic organizations that could use someone to conduct and edit oral histories or digitize and edit local visual archival materials for a YouTube channel or museum installation or even family digital scrapbooks/videos.
Editing a Hallmark movie is a gig for someone with lots of experience, connections and representation. Reality-based is a bit easier to get an entry job, but you’ll start as a logger, then assn’t editor.
posted by Ideefixe at 12:38 PM on January 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
In Boston and New York, and my impression is in other big cities in the U.S., the cable monopoly giveback to the community is public access TV. To use public access TV, people need to learn how to use the equipment, which is why they all offer free or very cheap classes and equipment where you can learn the basics, as well as hone your skills on your own TV show, or someone else's. Some of these shows are terrible, but not all, it really depends on the luck of the draw. The facilities for this sort of thing in NYC are absolutely amazing. In Boston, they were more modest, but they still provided access and experience on a variety of equipment. I've heard of several people getting jobs based on their experience at these places. You might look into what is near where you live, and while you're taking a few classes you can start to learn about the full scope of your options with better skills. I've known people who worked as A/V specialists in-house at museums and businesses. I've known people who made freelance training films. I've known people who've worked in film archives. There are many different kinds of jobs where film skills are needed at a professional level.
posted by Violet Blue at 12:40 PM on January 20, 2023
posted by Violet Blue at 12:40 PM on January 20, 2023
Best answer: I'm going to be really honest with you: there is probably no chance of you turning this into your new career, degree or not. But study it if you love it and can afford it! Intern at local places! Connect and learn online! Immerse yourself in the Fargo/Moorhead arts community! Start a YouTube channel with friends! If job opportunities open up, then great. But most people don't earn enough to support themselves, regardless of how talented or awesome they are. A BFA is cool but does not really open many doors like we wish it would. Remote work does exist but the major production centers are LA and NYC and you have to make those connections first. A lot of technical stuff is outsourced to other countries where they can pay workers less. Again, keep your dream but also keep your day job.
(I am not in the entertainment industry but I have a close relationship with someone who is and have heard all this from them.)
posted by smorgasbord at 1:00 PM on January 20, 2023 [4 favorites]
(I am not in the entertainment industry but I have a close relationship with someone who is and have heard all this from them.)
posted by smorgasbord at 1:00 PM on January 20, 2023 [4 favorites]
Best answer: Filmmaker and Film Professor here.
I think that if you're just starting out and you want to work on larger productions, you will have to leave Minnesota. Without a network, the kind of work there will be for the local TV station, wedding videos, corporate videos, local commercials. Or, of course, you could start a YouTube Channel and try to be Mr. Beast, but very, very few YouTubers are able to make enough to quit their day jobs.
There are two ways to think about film school. One is about learning skills and ways of thinking. The better the school, the more you will learn this, but it's certainly possible that you could learn hard production skills in Minnesota. But the other thing you get out of film school is a network and connections, and the better the film school, the better the network and connections are.
I remember when I first started out in production, I had taken some film classes and was thinking about going to get my MFA. I remember working with an older, experienced Assistant Director on my first paid show. I asked him what he'd do differently in his career, if he had to do it again. He said he'd go to film school at USC, UCLA or NYU. These days, UCLA is a bit depreciated, I'd now include AFI and Chapman on that list, but there is an absolute benefit to going to a top film school.
I went to USC, and all of my initial jobs were directly because of connections I made as a student - through both faculty and classmates. Either people bringing me along on jobs, recommending me for jobs or otherwise connecting me. My thesis film got noticed and got me a manager at least partly because of where I went to school, etc.
If it's a good film program, ranked highly, there are definite advantages. You're not going to get those networking advantages going to an unranked film program. But know that getting jobs is an ongoing hustle as a freelancer.
The parts of postproduction where it's marginally less job-to-job are post houses that have staff editors - think places that cut trailers, commercials, etc. They are a bit more stable and long term. But, until you build a network of producers who know your work and want to hire you, it's real work making those relationships that keep you employed.
But you might be able to find work doing corporate video where you are. There are definitely larger companies that have in-house video production. But it's a different kind of work from what you're describing.
posted by MythMaker at 2:13 PM on January 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
I think that if you're just starting out and you want to work on larger productions, you will have to leave Minnesota. Without a network, the kind of work there will be for the local TV station, wedding videos, corporate videos, local commercials. Or, of course, you could start a YouTube Channel and try to be Mr. Beast, but very, very few YouTubers are able to make enough to quit their day jobs.
There are two ways to think about film school. One is about learning skills and ways of thinking. The better the school, the more you will learn this, but it's certainly possible that you could learn hard production skills in Minnesota. But the other thing you get out of film school is a network and connections, and the better the film school, the better the network and connections are.
I remember when I first started out in production, I had taken some film classes and was thinking about going to get my MFA. I remember working with an older, experienced Assistant Director on my first paid show. I asked him what he'd do differently in his career, if he had to do it again. He said he'd go to film school at USC, UCLA or NYU. These days, UCLA is a bit depreciated, I'd now include AFI and Chapman on that list, but there is an absolute benefit to going to a top film school.
I went to USC, and all of my initial jobs were directly because of connections I made as a student - through both faculty and classmates. Either people bringing me along on jobs, recommending me for jobs or otherwise connecting me. My thesis film got noticed and got me a manager at least partly because of where I went to school, etc.
If it's a good film program, ranked highly, there are definite advantages. You're not going to get those networking advantages going to an unranked film program. But know that getting jobs is an ongoing hustle as a freelancer.
The parts of postproduction where it's marginally less job-to-job are post houses that have staff editors - think places that cut trailers, commercials, etc. They are a bit more stable and long term. But, until you build a network of producers who know your work and want to hire you, it's real work making those relationships that keep you employed.
But you might be able to find work doing corporate video where you are. There are definitely larger companies that have in-house video production. But it's a different kind of work from what you're describing.
posted by MythMaker at 2:13 PM on January 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Everyone I know who is still in production is basically miserable. If you're local to LA/NYC and you can finagle your way into IATSE, you can make decent money with horrible hours. Even with that, you're almost always going to be entirely disposable. Every IATSE member also has to hustle every time a job ends, and the jobs always end. Whether it's a commercial shooting in a single day or a feature film or a series with multiple seasons, you go into every job knowing it's going to end and you'll need to find the next job. Non-union just makes it all the worse because it's even higher stress levels with less monetary benefit.
This is very accurate to my experience. I went to film school in the late '90s, then moved to NYC and worked in the industry briefly. I am still in touch with some film school classmates, and a couple of them are doing well in TV... but that's after 20 years of grinding. As for me, I bailed after a year. The hours, the pay, and the uncertainty were just unbearable. My income fluctuated wildly, and the last job I worked on as a camera assistant -- my first and only feature film gig -- gave me a hernia. I was fortunate that I was on my wife's medical plan, and was able to get the surgery I needed.
After that, I started working in another field, and now pursue my creative endeavors on my own time and my own dime.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 4:16 PM on January 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
This is very accurate to my experience. I went to film school in the late '90s, then moved to NYC and worked in the industry briefly. I am still in touch with some film school classmates, and a couple of them are doing well in TV... but that's after 20 years of grinding. As for me, I bailed after a year. The hours, the pay, and the uncertainty were just unbearable. My income fluctuated wildly, and the last job I worked on as a camera assistant -- my first and only feature film gig -- gave me a hernia. I was fortunate that I was on my wife's medical plan, and was able to get the surgery I needed.
After that, I started working in another field, and now pursue my creative endeavors on my own time and my own dime.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 4:16 PM on January 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Another ex-industry person here (animation, mostly TV). BlahLaLa's comment rings very true and echoes my own experiences, as well as those of others I've known. Looking for the next gig is literally half the job and you'll need some other way to support you in the meantime. Younger people are always cheaper than older folks with families and mortgages, and people in other countries are always cheaper than those in the US; I saw the entire TV computer animation business shift toward outsourcing in real time during my career.
I haven't worked in TV in over ten years and have kept my creative pursuits on a hobbyist level ever since. Also, I no longer love Western animation; it's a minor miracle I still enjoy comics and anime.
To close things out, here is my favorite blog post about working in a creative field. It's about comics but can easily apply to other media arts. The key point is this: I heard years ago that one of the keys to a life well lived is to take your two deepest passions, make your second-favorite your job and make the other your hobby. If you make your deepest passion your job, you'll get caught up in the bullshit that inevitably crops up and you won't be able to see it in the same untainted light. If you reserve that for your second-favorite passion, you can always keep whatever it is that really excites you alive and fresh and energizing.
I hope this helps, and also that you can make a decision you'll be happy with.
posted by May Kasahara at 6:30 PM on January 20, 2023 [8 favorites]
I haven't worked in TV in over ten years and have kept my creative pursuits on a hobbyist level ever since. Also, I no longer love Western animation; it's a minor miracle I still enjoy comics and anime.
To close things out, here is my favorite blog post about working in a creative field. It's about comics but can easily apply to other media arts. The key point is this: I heard years ago that one of the keys to a life well lived is to take your two deepest passions, make your second-favorite your job and make the other your hobby. If you make your deepest passion your job, you'll get caught up in the bullshit that inevitably crops up and you won't be able to see it in the same untainted light. If you reserve that for your second-favorite passion, you can always keep whatever it is that really excites you alive and fresh and energizing.
I hope this helps, and also that you can make a decision you'll be happy with.
posted by May Kasahara at 6:30 PM on January 20, 2023 [8 favorites]
Best answer: For perspective: there are more NBA players than there are screenwriters in the Writers Guild of America. (Regularly-working feature writers, anyway. WGA lets you stay in for 7 years even if you don't have another sale.) There are more TV writers than feature writers but TV is also very tough to break into and even once you have, it's tough to keep getting staffed.
I'm not saying being a screenwriter is as hard to achieve as being a working actor in Hollywood -- but it's not much easier.
posted by egeanin at 1:09 PM on January 21, 2023 [2 favorites]
I'm not saying being a screenwriter is as hard to achieve as being a working actor in Hollywood -- but it's not much easier.
posted by egeanin at 1:09 PM on January 21, 2023 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Thank you for the honest answers about work in the film/TV industry today - on one hand, it is a bit sobering that there wasn't anyone who really felt positive about jobs for entering into the industry, but on the other hand my livelihood for the past twenty, thirty years has been a day job plus side hustles as time and skills allow, so it doesn't scare me away either. JustJess' comment was probably the most optimistic and in line with my intentions, so while I'm not taking away a "don't do it", I'm tempering my hopes to fit, well, every creative career path I've ever heard of. My Facebook friends list is full of old friends who started out in the arts and are now working "normal" jobs, but a few of them did find a way to find work in their art careers and are doing amazing things, so I understand the odds.
So, my biggest takeaway is the first hand knowledge from those of you with experience from all over the place and I appreciate the honesty. Thanks again!
posted by AzraelBrown at 7:50 AM on January 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
So, my biggest takeaway is the first hand knowledge from those of you with experience from all over the place and I appreciate the honesty. Thanks again!
posted by AzraelBrown at 7:50 AM on January 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I’ll add a perspective from the live TV side of things. There is currently a shortage of qualified technicians at the EVS/Tape, A1, V1, and Technical Director positions nationwide. A lot of people left the business during the peak of COVID, and gambling and streaming have increased the number of televised events. If you have the skills to edit, you might be a good fit as an EVS operator. It will be tougher for you to break in if you’re not willing to go to a major market, but the opportunities are out there right now. Feel free to MeFi me if you have questions.
posted by soy_renfield at 10:07 PM on January 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by soy_renfield at 10:07 PM on January 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
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If I were you, I'd start by identifying places opening up for interns or directly hiring. It might also be worth contacting a selection amount of studios to enquire about opportunities. You could even hit up a few people currently teaching the courses to ask about employability (and take their answers with a grain of salt).
Much will depend upon where you live, what kind of financial obligations you have, what kind of pay you are looking for and (crucially) what kind of job you are willing to do. Many kids start out these days doing ad-hoc work for social media.
But, honestly, rather than asking on Metafilter, you would be much better off doing on-the-ground research in your particular geographical area. While media people in the UK might struggle for jobs, your location might be much better off. Only you can figure this out.
posted by peacesign at 8:08 AM on January 20, 2023 [2 favorites]