Stacey Garratt

Thanks; that's really good advice... even having heard it before, it's good to hear it again.

For the third time this month, I've gotten hired for a freelance camera op gig, set up times to go to production meetings, scouted the location, exchanged a million e-mails... and then the gig vanishes into thin air. Frequently cited reasons have been "funding fell through", "my friend/brother/hairdresser will do it for free", "I want someone who owns [some expensive piece of equipment]", or the schedule-then-fade-out. Worse is when I've declined shoots because one is already scheduled and the first one flakes out at the last minute. I've only been back in the city and working since May, so most of these gigs are Mandy/iCrewz/Craigslist born, rather than through established contacts with anyone. And it's all ultra-low budget features, shorts and music videos. But still, frustrating doesn't begin to describe finding out this morning that Friday's promised fat check is never going to appear. I get the impression that these are fairly common early-career growing pains, but I'm wondering if anyone here has any advice on working with client flakiness. Any thoughts?

I use the Pro-Am jib (from Ebay). It's a cheap option, but it does tend to twist up in the tripod head. I'd be too chicken to use it without someone spotting at the camera end. The tilting is really stiff as well and I haven't found a way to loosen it up safely. Guess it's that old adage about getting what you pay for? It does break down easily and can go in the back of a cab or subway.

I'd check the mission statement firstly. They should be fairly upfront about whether their primary goal is to prepare you for entry-level positions on-set, in post, et al, or if their primary goal is fine arts application in media. I don't think one is necessarily better than the other; it just depends on exactly why you're going. For example, NYFA's is "a unique educational institution, devoted to providing the most focused filmmaking, acting, and animation instruction in the world. Our film school's workshops offer an intensive, hands-on experience which gives students the opportunity to develop their creative skills to the fullest extent possible." Versus Tisch Arts: "to educate its students in the history, art, craft, and technology of film, television, new media, animation, and sound production, integrated with a strong liberal arts education." And no, they're not my alma maters....

Hi Ben! If I were you, I’d try to figure out if the program leans more toward the professional/industry side or the fine arts side. I went to a fine-arts focused school and while I appreciate what I got from it, only about half of it is immediately applicable to post-grad jobs. (Nobody wants to read a Maya Deren thesis paper? Crickets?) If you want to be in academia, they’re amazing, but you can definitely get stuck in them. (To be fair, I took it a step further and started teaching film/writing right away, so now I’m applying for the same production jobs I would have fresh out of film school. Sigh.) <_< Also, a lot of larger companies are fairly adament about earning college credit for internships, so it seems very worth it to explore these options before graduation. As far as cost goes, I know in my Midwest hometown the cheaper film program has most of the same equipment as the insanely expensive private art school… and sometimes its adjunct faculty.