Self Promotion

[Richard Ulivella]

I'm a professional full-time gaffer working in the New York City area for three years now...or at least, I'm trying to. I've worked on a lot of no/low pay shoots for great scripts and interesting visuals (such as lighting up the Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queensboro Bridges at Night) but finding the "full pay" jobs has proven difficult. While my skills have grown my ability to make a living has almost remained the same. Often times I've had to take other freelance type positions in other businesses to make my living. This would be acceptable but I've been told and firmly believe that I am an excellent gaffer - my reel, satisfied DoPs, and even satisfied ADs and Producers tell me this frequently. I also love being on set and being responsible for helping the DP execute his/her vision. I'm capable and commited - this should be my primary source of income!

 

So, I think that my problem is an inability to promote myself to those who hire (DPs, Prod. Co.'s, etc.) who are working on projects that could pay me acceptably. Many of the DP's I worked for in film school, though tremendously talented and skilled, are not yet working at a level where they can hire me for a livable wage as they are struggling themselves! Forget G&E budgets, they are now struggling to get their salary in the budget.

 

How does one promote oneself in New York (or anywhere) as a below-the-line creative professional? As an AC, Gaffer, Key Grip, or even DP you've got to get the message to those who are hiring for your position that you're out there, skilled, and professional. However, who is it that you send something to and what? DPs and some Gaffers and Key Grips have reels, but do you send just that and a resume? Do you call in advance? Do gaffers call DP's and just ask them for work? I've never tried it but I can't imagine this would work or be considered normal behavior.

 

I've read the posts in and around these forums and I know you guys have success and failure stories! Wiser ones shed some light upon this subject - please!

 

Thanks,

Richard Ulivella

Gaffer/Chief Lighting Technician/Lighting Designer

New York, NY

[Phil Rhodes]

Hi,

 

All I'll say is that in the UK, it's been said that if you spend 70% of your time doing something else, you're actually doing quite well. I think this is pretty normal unless you're some hugely big player (Paging Greg Irwin?)

 

Phil

[Richard Ulivella]

True - I have heard similar sentiment from those here in the US, though many people I encounter are working for big dough on set. When I ask them what happened, most claim that a DP they work for got a good break or they got a miracle call from a great gig and they've had work ever since. They didn't have to be proactive - my Manhattan rent and Italian appetite requires me to be a bit more active in my search for work.

 

-Richard

[Phil Rhodes]

Hi,

 

Actually I don't think proactivity works. What I think happens is that you bish about for a while and eventually get lucky. I have a feeling that even if you sat at home watching bad daytime TV, it'd be exactly the same. I've recently had a big batch of (mainly postproduction) work from someone whose acquaintance I can actually trace through having rented some equipment for a freebie, but I think that's pretty much a fluke.

 

However, at least you have a decent union setup over there. You do have some kind of marker after which you are effectively "in." Here you can mess about for years - I have - without any real indication of if you're doing the right thing and pleasing people.

 

Phil

[Rob Belics]

Where I live there is a film commission that has a website listing all the producers/directors/production companies, etc. I just give them a call or send them a note to let them know I'm around. Eventually they start calling you instead of the other way around.

 

Sometimes you make the call at just the right time creating your own opportunities. Twice I got jobs that were "impossible" to get because I called anyway.

 

1) The producers secretary would have told me nothing was available but she went to the bathroom and he picked up the phone. Found out we lived in the same neighborhood and invited me over for dinner that night.

 

2) A different place. The producer answered the phone again. Someone had a heart attack earlier and could I start right away.

[Michael Nash]

Yeah, it's a weird business. You do have to be proactive, but that only accounts for a small percentage of the work (but you still have to do it). Lucky breaks account for a certain portion, flukes make up a small portion. Quality work and dedicated service earn a small portion. In other words, it's all the little things that add up and get you work. You have to work EVERY angle you can, all the time.

 

But three years is still kind of on the entry curve for this business. Stick with it and allow yourself some time to let your connections, reputation, and skill grow. It's like planting seeds; you won't see a benefit for a long time, but when you do it will all be based on the work you do now.

 

Reagrding being proactive, solicit as many jobs as you can with whatever means are appropriate for the job (resume, reel, a simple reminder of the job you did with the client previously). Be forthright in saying that you're looking for work, and that you'd like to be considered for their next project.

 

Probably the most important factor is your people connections (since that's where all the jobs come from!). Brush up on your networking skills and again be patient while planting those seeds.

[Phil Rhodes]

Hi,

 

I think what screws me up is being a jack of all trades. I shoot, I edit, I grade, I have operated Steadicam, even directed a bit on certain shoots. You'd have thought that this sort of combination would be useful, but in reality it just limits you to crappy bottom-end do-everything-yourself shoots. I'm not sufficiently experienced (although I'm probably capable enough) in any of these grades to get high end work doing them. I'm not quite sure about how to get out of this situation.

 

Phil

[Rob Belics]

So, Mr. Franklin, you're a statesman, an inventor, a scientist, a farmer, a publisher...what's the matter with you, can't you hold a steady job?

[Michael Nash]

I think what screws me up is being a jack of all trades.

 

You'd have thought that this sort of combination would be useful, but in reality it just limits you to crappy bottom-end do-everything-yourself shoots.

 

I'm not quite sure about how to get out of this situation.

(And I do appreciate the humor of Mr. Belics' response) :P

 

I can sympathize with this, although there's another contributing factor: the market you're working in.

 

When you're in a small market with little production work going on, you HAVE to be a jack of all trades. There's no one there to hire you as a specialist. You have to be able to "turnkey" projects for less than they're really worth (and less than you're worth) just to survive. The demand is simply too low for anything else.

 

When you're in a large market like Los Angeles or New York, it's the opposite. The demand for product is so high and the competition from other producers so high that you have to turn out high quality product -- forcing you to hire specialists. In general, the jacks-of-all trades in large markets end up doing lower budget work, since the customers who want that type of service are the ones who can't afford high-end production.

 

There does come a point where you need to pick a "core competency" and focus on that, even while continuing that multi-service approach. Practice and bolster that discipline (shooting or editing, for example) until you're good enough to offer your services as a specialist in a market where there's adequate demand. You can use your skills in other areas as a "value added" service to your core service. For example, it's not uncommon for DP's to also be Steadicam operators, giving them a unique edge over the competition for the right project. Or a DP with telecine color-correction experience. Director-DP's are especially valuable in the commercial world, and for second-unit work in features.

 

A good friend of mine from my home town in Florida is a perfect example. He's been a producer, director, shooter, and editor in a small market for maybe 20 years. He's made a decent living and pleased countless clients with his ability to marshal all the elements needed to hand over a finished Digibeta master. Now that his kid has graduated high school and is onto college with a full scholarship, he's ready to make the jump to LA. I've been trying to impress upon him this very concept, that Hollywood doesn't want versatility, they want experts. Through the years his real strong suit has always been post, and out here he's probably going to clean up as an Avid editor and/or post supervisor.

[Phil Rhodes]

Hi,

 

Current problem is that post seems to be a pretty closed shop - you can't get Inferno experience unless you're an Inferno artist. I'll never be an Avid editor because I don't have access to Avid, because I'm not an Avid editor. So I'd rather focus on production, but most of my work is post. Circle of doom.

 

Phil

[Michael Nash]

"Doomed. DOOMED!" (like the FedEx commercial) :P

 

It doesn't have to be a circle of doom. You of all people should know how quickly technology changes, and how much high-end work is filtering down to desktop level as the technology improves. Circumstances change quickly, meaning there really is no circle.

 

And besides, if you want to get to the next professional level you sometimes have to take a small step back in order to make the transition. So you can't jump right in as an Inferno or Avid operator. Yet you need that experience to move forward in your career. So you worm your way into an apprentice or assistant situation where you can get your hands on the gear. Invest the time, impress you employers with your intellect and ability, and before too long you're working at the next level on the latest gear. Repeat the process as necessary throughout your career.

 

I went through the same thing with cinematography in the small Florida market where I started. There was a small amount of high-end commercial production going on, but the 3 local film DP's had the ad agencies sewn up (and anything bigger than local, the agencies had the national/international cinematography pool to choose from). So rather than wait for someone to retire just so that an opportunity would open up, I decide to move to where there were more opportunities.

 

Part of the equation here is where your heart leads you. It's hard to sustain enough passion to really excel at something you're not interested in, yet you can't NOT pursue something that really stimulates you. I used to be a director/cameraman/editor, but started to get burned out. Through it all I couldn't get enough of the cinematography aspect, and realized I had to focus on the one thing that interested me and let the rest go. But it wasn't an easy decision or transition. You have to continue to make money, you have to figure some form of strategy and plan for your career, all without the benefit of a crystal ball. But there comes a point where your passion becomes apparent and your path becomes clear. Don't discount the value of this of soul-searching process, because the convictions you come up with are what will keep you motivated and on track. Like the Joe Jackson song says, "You can't get what you want, 'til you know what you want."

[Brad Grimmett]

I went through the same thing with cinematography in the small Florida market where I started. There was a small amount of high-end commercial production going on, but the 3 local film DP's had the ad agencies sewn up (and anything bigger than local, the agencies had the national/international cinematography pool to choose from). So rather than wait for someone to retire just so that an opportunity would open up, I decide to move to where there were more opportunities.

I did the same thing when I was in FL. I wanted to operate full time, but most of the work was taken before I even knew about it because many of the operators there have been working as operators for 10 or 20 years. I knew that I would have to take scraps for a long time before I was in the position that all those other operators were already in. I didn't want to wait, so I moved to LA.

Michael, where were you located in FL?

[Phil Rhodes]

Hi,

 

Well, it's interesting to find out that it's not just here where you have to move if you want to do decent work!

 

US immigration procedures are an absolute bind, though, and I really ditched that idea some time ago. The frustration is that while it sounds like it's a rather pressurised meritocracy in LA, at least being good at what you do is recognised. Case in point: I'm a pretty mediocre, unpracticed Steadicam operator, but I'm a hell of a lot better than some people whose work I've seen on broadcast TV here. It seems more to do with how long you worked for the BBC and how grey your hair is, and little to do with ability. Some of the photography on what would be considered our "big shows" is just dire. There seems to be no sensibility to the fact that the work that's being done is simply uninspired, and that's the most crushing thing about it. Getting better at what you do doesn't help here.

 

Phil

[Michael Nash]

Getting better at what you do doesn't help here.

I'd bet that Geoff Boyle and Towny Brown would disagree! :P

 

I don't doubt that production opportunities in England are vastly different than they are in LA. And I don't know the realities of the industry there. But doesn't England have a robust commercial industry? I know they've consistently turn out some pretty good product, and the DP's I've mentioned have surely paid their dues and gotten better to enjoy that kind of work.

 

Besides, it's not just your skill level or talent that gets you ahead in your career -- that's the premise that started this thread. Equally important are your industry contacts, your resume, and plain-old business savvy. I doubt you've given up on improving those aspects of your profession. So even if quality doesn't matter in your market (which I still doubt), that still doesn't mean you have no opportunites for advancement. Sometimes part of the challenge is just figuring out the game and how to play it.

[Michael Nash]

Michael, where were you located in FL?

I was in the Tampa Bay area (St. Petersburg). Born and raised there. I worked primarily in the corporate video world, some film jobs ocassionally, '89-'98.

[Phil Rhodes]

Hi,

 

What you say about commercials is probably true, but I don't think that kind of super-high-end work is ever going to be available to most of us so it's a rather moot point!

 

Phil

[Nate Downes]

Michael, where were you located in FL?

I was in the Tampa Bay area (St. Petersburg). Born and raised there. I worked primarily in the corporate video world, some film jobs ocassionally, '89-'98.

I'm in the Royal Palm Beach area, I see how competitive it can be. (not as bad as Tampa tho, not as large a talent pool) Doesn't help that I work with Film rather than DV.

[Michael Nash]

What you say about commercials is probably true, but I don't think that kind of super-high-end work is ever going to be available to most of us so it's a rather moot point!

Well, how do you think those people got there? I think you're dodging the point, Phil. We've been talking about ways to bridge that gap between low-end work and high-end work. The people producing high-end commercials in England surely weren't ALWAYS working at the high end. They all had to start somewhere, and it was probably at the professional equivalent of what you've been doing, only 20 years ago. Maybe it was interning at the BBC, maybe it was documentaries, maybe it was lower budget commercials or production in other countries.

 

My point still stands that you sometimes have to take a small step back to move forward. Shoot low budget commercials for zero profit just to get them on your reel and build a reputation. Start working in the grip, electric, or camera departments on nonunion film jobs (I assume they exist in England, even if you have to go to London to find them). Invest the time, because you have to. Everyone who's doing high-end work already has. It's how you get there.

 

We've established that the odds can stack up against you sometimes, and there's not always all that much you can do about it. But the other factor in the equation is your ATTITUDE. That's something that you CAN control, in fact you're the ONLY one who's in charge of it. If you take the attitude that you're stuck in a circle of doom or that effort is a moot point, then you've finished YOURSELF off. You've put your own brakes on your own advancement. Sure, it helps you avoid further disappointment and frustration -- by avoiding the risks necessary to succeed.

 

It takes a proactive approach. It takes time. It takes risk, and more importantly the willingness to accept failure and difficulty as part of the process. It's never easy, you've just gotta be willing to do the work that it takes.

[Phil Rhodes]

Hi,

 

> Shoot low budget commercials for zero profit just to get them on your reel and

> build a reputation.

 

Low budget commercials don't really exist here. What low budget stuff there is is uniformly awful and you wouldn't want it on your reel!

 

Actually I have shot two scenes I'm rather proud of in the last year as part of no-pay jobs, but in neither case have I ever been sent a copy.... nrgh. This is why I don't bother anymore.

 

> Start working in the grip, electric, or camera departments on nonunion film jobs

 

Nonunion film jobs don't really exist in the way you're probably thinking of them, and the overall volume of work is so low that even very insignificant shoots often end up with extremely high-level experienced crews.

 

Basically the way it works here is this: there's almost nothing going on, so even crappy shoots get great crews, and are unattainable. All that's left is the absolute dross, the PD-150-in-a-mate's-house shoots which don't teach anybody anything about professional work. To have any chance of becoming one of the bigtime players you have to have come up through camerawork at the BBC or some similar upscale broadcaster, generally in an employment model which hasn't existed since the Thatcher government dismantled unions here.

 

I came to an understanding of this situation some time ago - it's just the way it is here, which is why anyone with a route to a green card tends to decamp as soon as possible. It's rather comical watching people scraping together short films right left and centre in the forlorn hope that they'll become big shots in an industry the don't seem to know doesn't exist - comical in a "christ, this is sad" kind of way.

 

Phil

[Eric Steelberg ASC]

I shoot alot of national and have done two big international commercials out of London. I'm repped by a very well known agency. None of that really does anything for me. What does get me work is my self promotion. It's socializing with film people without talking about film. It's meeting as many people as possible and staying in touch with them. If you're a gaffer find DP's you have something in common with personally and use that as a reason to talk and get together occasionally. You just have to network like crazy. Work on everything and make some sort of contribution to the project that easily set you apart from everyone else. You will be remembered and you will be called again. Stay in touch with your film school friends.

 

If you want to shoot, shoot everything you possibly can on any format. Anything can be made to look good. And be enthusiastic. It will be contagious and people will want to work with you again. When you show a tape of your stuff, even if it's all DV, make sure you make no excuses about it being DV or Super8 or whatever. You want directors and producers to know you stand by your work and vision.

[Phil Rhodes]

Hi,

 

I don't have to make excuses for all my stuff being video - the person I'm showing it to generally does that for me!

 

"Oh, that's really very good for DV, Phil. Now run along while I talk to the professionals!"

 

Phil

[Nate Downes]

Hi,

 

I don't have to make excuses for all my stuff being video - the person I'm showing it to generally does that for me!

 

"Oh, that's really very good for DV, Phil. Now run along while I talk to the professionals!"

 

Phil

Geesh, I get the absolute opposite here:

 

"that filmwork looks nice, but let me talk to the DV-pros here" (And here I am thinking I'm out-of-touch for running a 16mm and a pair of Super8's)

 

I was told by one guy to dump my film cameras and buy a Canon XL-1.

[Riku Naskali]

Phil, if the work's so bad there, how can it be possible that there are many open jobs in England? Have a look at mandy.com production jobs. I mean, film industry job ads on the internet? That's insane. I got a total of 98 English-based fully paid positions @ mandy.com production jobs.

 

Take a guess how many open positions there are for Finland? But then again, that's not where the work is. I really should learn to network better.

[Phil Rhodes]

Hi,

 

Cor, 98 whole jobs! That'll be something like 98 this year, you understand. For the whole year. In total.

 

Phil

[Nate Downes]

Hi,

 

Cor, 98 whole jobs! That'll be something like 98 this year, you understand. For the whole year. In total.

 

Phil

Hey Phil, how many DP's do you think are in England looking to fill those 98 jobs?