Jump to content

Sending Resumes w/ experience in different areas


Recommended Posts

If you were looking for grips or an AC and I sent you a resume would you be more interested in:

1) a list of numerous projects Ive worked on UNDER the respective title

- So I'd just list project names I've worked on, the more specific role I did, and the year

- example:

Grip & Electric:

- Key Grip, "Project Name" Year

My concern about this way is even if I have a good handful of projects I've worked on and the roles I've done, someone I'm sending it to might look at this and say "so what? I haven't even heard of that project?" and that it's not substantial enough

or

2) a list of the responsibilities and experience of equipment and such I HAVE under that respective title instead?

-example:

Assistant Camera:

- "Title"

- 1st AC- responsibilities; equipment worked on

Which of these would be better to go with? I originally went with the first one and then had a separate section down below listing the equipment I've worked with.

Also my other question is, If I don't have a substantial list of either category "Assistant Camera" or "Grip" but have a lot of experience, should I still put them on separate resumes even though they'd be shorter (for now)? I've always been told not to put Assistant Camera and Grip on same resume

Thoughts?

Edited by Mario Bosanac
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Option 1 is what I do. I generally only include credits in the department of the job I'm applying for (ie, that low budget commercial where I jumped on as a non union 2AC because I had a slow week, or my first on set job as a locations PA) doesn't belong on my resume for set lighting jobs.

 

I would suggest that short films (at least those that haven't won major awards) or videography gigs should fall off the resume as soon as you have 8-12 professional/industry credits.

 

If you have some niche skill (like scuba training, rock climbing, extensive experience with high speed cameras, infrared photography), I'd list it in it's own category ("Other Skills"). If you have a few professional credits under your belt, it must be taken for granted that you're experienced with the most common equipment encountered in that role.

 

Hopefully, once you get the ball rolling, you'll get most of your work through recommendations, and the resume will become less important, but always good to keep it up to date.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you for responding with feedback Matthew, I really appreciate it!

 

I will keep that in mind about the professional credits. I do have more than a couple indie-features under my belt but what would constitute as professional and fall under non-union gigs?

 

Another main question I have is, if I do version 1, I feel that even though I'm listing credits with the same role over and over, with the project names, the people reading it are going to be like "so what? I haven't even heard of that project?" Thoughts?

 

 

As an update, most of my work comes by recommendation or referral nowadays but I understand your point about the resume being less important overtime and up to date.

 

Thank you again!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you for responding with feedback Matthew, I really appreciate it!

 

I will keep that in mind about the professional credits. I do have more than a couple indie-features under my belt but what would constitute as professional and fall under non-union gigs?

 

Look up some comparable films to the ones you've worked on. Films of equal budget that maybe were distributed by the same company. Or follow the producers of the film and see what else they've done. Then look at the crew names, google those names, find the websites or online profiles and download their resumes to see what format and information they're including.

 

The NY Production Guide has a list as well of professional crew you could try googling. Not everyone will have a website where you can download their resume but some may. But to narrow the search to relevant results, try the steps prior to that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

By professional, I just meant paid work. Or even "freebies" of good quality that achieved some visibility. You just don't want to try to pad your resume with student films or wedding video or something.

 

I don't distinguish between union and non union work on my resume. If you're an IATSE member, go to meetings and network that way, and pay attention to your local's rules with regards to accepting non union work.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mario,

In full agreement with pretty much everything Matthew said...just include your position, the project name and the year, but at a certain point you won't really need it. At this point I get most of my work through referrals or through the union, the only time I'm ever asked to submit a resume is if I'm gaffing an indie feature for an out of town DP i've never worked with before, and even then i just sent an email with a list of credits I've done...I haven't done a proper resume in years, and in this line of work it really is just a list of projects you've done and position, because no matter where you go in the country your job is pretty much the same and any potentially hiring producer is going to know exactly what you did on a job if you put down "grip" or "gaffer" or whatever...they know what your job is, usually when they're asking for a resume they just want to gauge your experience at it to determine if you're the right fit for the production.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

There's three things I want to see in an AC/Grip's resume: a list of credits, a list of the skills you have and equipment you're familar with (can you load film, are you familiar with remote focus systems, what sort of rigging are you capable of etc.), and a list of references.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...