Khalid Khan

Ok firstly trainee isn't an 'intern' here in the UK trainee is just the lowest paid rank , we are training but on the job and getting paid (fairly well by starter salary standards ) . That said discussion into internships isn't null and void I admit as undoubtedly they do exist and get exploited . I just happen to have had the luck of only ever doing a grand total of about 10 days work experience before people started paying me.

 

Freya reading it back maybe I came across as slightly harsh then , I wasn't really criticising the feedback , I just thought I would let it be known that it isn't my personal experience , balance the books as it were as I would hate to think people would give up or be put off if positive feedback didn't have an online

 

Pavan - I'm not sure where I sit on this one , because I certainly am middle class but I don't think my class has much to do with me getting ahead . And in addition to this I've met a hell of a lot of very respected working class people in my brief time in the industry so far , if anything I would say my class has been a disadvantage as some sparks find it a bit off putting when they think you're a right **(obscenity removed)** toff and have been to private school etc . (I haven't at all ) .

 

Miguel - no in fact perhaps you already know this but the people who have been helping me get my work and that I'm working with again on this one were very much involved in a good few of those titles .

 

Regardless all I wanted to do by following this up is to bring some balance and show other young hopefuls that however hard it is possible . And yes I know my work may dry up at some point but so far Ive had quite the roll .

Exactly, good job mate. I've seen your IMDB account. It's quite impressive. Its a shame I'm living in the North West. Keep on working and you'll be the 2nd AC in no time!

Hi all, I hope everyone is doing well. Here is a bit of an update.

I have managed to secure a camera trainee placement in my home-town, however, the company I work for focuses on corporate/wedding videos, so I'm not going in the right direction yet but its something for now. In addition to this, its also part-time, so I'm not on the run 24/7 with them.

In my spare time, I've managed to get some work experience lined in Panavision (Manchester) however when I was on the phone they told me to ring them back in a couple of weeks time as they said they were busy. I guess this was around peak season as I rang them in early September. I waited for approximately 4 weeks until I rang them last week and bam ! Same story again, although they said to ring them (Panavsion) this week. The last thing I wanted to do was to leave an impression that I was pestering them. I emailed them a couple of days ago and I haven't had any response, as a matter of fact, I emailed the person that was charge of my work experience. I also spoke to her on the phone. She was kind enough to give me their (Panavision's) database with all their camera operators/dops/grips/camera trainees etc With their contact email address and phone numbers etc, she told me to email some of the people. I'm obviously not going to email anyone at this stage as I don't have experience being on set, let alone having experience with cine cameras.

This is what Panavision said to me;

"Hi Khalid,

Please find attached a copy of our crew list. As mentioned on the phone do feel free to give us a shout in a couple of weeks about coming in to go over equipment.

Kind regards, Panavision"

I emailed back Panavision but I haven't heard anything yet. So what should I do?

In other news,

I emailed Arri (London) and they told me to get back to them in January as they are fully booked until the new year.

And lastly, I have been watching and learning how ARRI, RED, and CANON cameras operate on YouTube (workshops) and coming from a DSLR background, most of cine cameras operate very similar to DSLR cameras. I am also familiar with the principles of how these cameras operate such as setting exposure, shutter rate, ISO also called EI (Exposure Index) in RED cameras & ARRI cameras, REC 709 colour space, C-LOG, prores codec, raw metadata recording, some even have ND filters built in and so and so forth. So you get the point.

Does anything know what I can do? In terms of Panavision & any other general stuff. I am still learning how to drive as that's a MUST in this industry.

Many thanks

Khalid.

I hate to say I told you so.

 

Unfortunately, if you want to get involved in the sort of single-camera filmmaking that most people have in mind when they start to think about this sort of thing, your chances are very, very remote.

 

P

I'll prove you wrong. You might have experience but ill try.

Hello,

I'm here to tell you guys what has happened so far.

Things aren't looking too good. I have applied at every rental company I could find near me. Most gave me an email back saying ' Unfortunately we don't have any positions available at the moment, but I'll keep your details on file, should the situation change' or the one that is a bit scary is 'We don’t unfortunately offer work experience due to insurance rules.' Please understand,I am applying for work experience at the moment, I dont want a job offer for obvious reasons. So what do I do now ? I am working in a Fish & Chips shop (on weekends) at the moment because I am literally doing nothing at home and I am waiting for my passport renewal so can hold a driving licence which will take a couple of months to pass. I applied to a camera trainee feature film 1 year stop motion job offer but didn't hear anything back because they probably wanted experience. I am even willing to work for free even though its advised not to.

Many thanks

Khalid.

Maybe one way to make this work is to get an internship locally at a rental house, work your way up to prep tech, do that for about a year to gain experience and live with family to save money.

 

Then apply for a job as a prep tech at Panavision UK using your work experience. With a job secured in London, rent a cheap apartment with flat mates using your savings, and make a go of it until you can learn the gear and meet enough working 1st ACs to get them to take you on as a camera trainee, PA, loader, etc. Then start working on set, keep meeting people, work your way up the ladder. Possible?

Yes, very much so. I suppose I will only get an 'internship' once I hold a diving licence. In the process of trying to get one. I asked 'work experience' because it sounds cheaper than 'internship', (I'm talking financially here) I believe I don't need to get paid If I am getting work experience whereas internship you have to get paid. And by this i mean, some rental houses might not have the money to facilitate me as in internship. Who knows, I might be wrong here. I'll try my best.

1 more question guys, what is the name of the job role called if one is working in a rental house ? 'cleaning equipment, scrubbing cases, moving boxes around, learning the inventory' I need to get work experience first not an internship. Whats the name called if youre not working as a internship but you're cleaning equipment, scrubbing cases, moving boxes aound etc.

Thank you.

I am quite late to ask but how was the experince ?

Are you trying to become a cinematographer or work in a rental house?

A cinematographer, I didn't want to sound like another kid trying to become a cinematographer.

There is no best or fastest route. You need to have a demo reel to get work. And you need contacts in the industry on the crew side and the production side. Not to mention the skills and experience on set and managing a crew. This usually takes people about 10+ years to develop these three things to the level where you can get high enough budget work to make a living at it. Some do it quicker by working extra hard or being in the right place at the right time.

 

The best thing you can do is constantly put yourself in a position to meet the people who are at the level where you want to be. Which means moving to an area with the most opportunity to grow, usually a big city industry center like LA, New York, London, Vancouver, etc. And then working as a camera PA or rental house tech so you can meet working 1st ACs who might take you on set as a loader or 2nd AC. Or if you want to go towards the lighting side, then work at a G&E rental house and hope the rental manager will send you out as a Grip or Electrician once you learn all the gear. That's probably the most common path, but DPs also come out of the VFX and post world, the still photography world, all kinds of places.

Thank you! I'll let you guys know if anything happens.

Best thing would be to talk to the rental house and ask what they are looking for in general.

I have heard the taking the DIT route is the best course of action to take when becoming a cinematographer? Or is it all about nepotism ?

Perhaps the contours on the mans face is making you feel like its sharp ?

Hi guys,

I have a bit of a conundrum to ask.

What sort of experience does one need to get work experience at a rental (kit) house. I recently found out that to work as a camera operator, for films or TV etc you need to work your way up as a camera trainee. Getting a camera trainee internship for film is one thing but getting entry level work experience to work for rental is another. I have worked for the NHS and TEDx whilst studying at University, but I feel though as this might not be enough to get work experience at rental kit house.