whats the best way to find paid crew work?

Ryan Bajornas · February 11, 2006

new to the group, joined because it seems like a talented and very supportive community and i know that i can learn a lot from you all. i was really surprised and impressed how everyone is so helpful.

anyway, let me first explain my situation. i have taken a leave of absence from film school, and plan to return next summer. i've gotten a lot of experience while in school: shooting many student movies (16 & dv, docs & narrs), including my own, shooting a promo video for the arts, helping on several local commercials, and working as a camera assistant on 2 features. my next move is to go to china to shoot a short student film in may. until then, i'm looking for work. i figure a crew position on set would satisfy the short-term job, which is the beauty of this field, but i'm having problems finding a shoot to work on.

i know that i can shoot more student films and add that to my reel, but more importantly, i need money. i'm not being stubborn and only looking for dp gigs; i'll work as ac, gaffer, grip, i just need to get paid. but it seems that anything that pays is gobbled up by all of you, the ones with much more experience.

does anyone have any recommendations for someone like me who is somewhat new, or have suggestions as to where i can look for a crew job that pays? i don't need to be making thousands of dollars a day, just needs to compete with the wages for washing dishes at the restaurant down the street.

problem is, there's too many of us fighting for too few jobs.

thanks for any help,

ryan bajornas

Patrick Neary · February 11, 2006

does anyone have any recommendations for someone like me who is somewhat new, or have suggestions as to where i can look for a crew job that pays? i don't need to be making thousands of dollars a day, just needs to compete with the wages for washing dishes at the restaurant down the street.
problem is, there's too many of us fighting for too few jobs.

welcome to filmland-

I have a friend who moved cold to LA 2 years ago with very little grip experience, but doggedly pursued any kind of grip work he could get and within two months or so hooked up with a small rental outfit and was very busy. Too busy, in fact, I couldn't get him anymore on my shoots! He had great attitude, was really fun to work with and worked his butt off no matter what the circumstances. Another friend who is very busy as an editor/director of TV stuff said he figured out that if you want to make a living doing this, you have to take all the poop work that no-one else wants, and hopefully the work eventually gets better.

If I was looking just make money, I think I would expand my search a bit outside the "industry"...good luck!

Ryan Bajornas · February 11, 2006

thanks for the reply. i understand that once you get involved, you should make a name for yourself and find more and more work.

my problem is, i know what i'm doing a few months from now, and will then be staying busy for a while afterwards, i just hoped to find something until then. it's hard for me because i can't move somewhere to make a name for myself, only to be leaving within a few months of arriving.