Anyone here on the short film/movie side of things?

What school are you at? It seems you are uncertain of what area you have the most interest in (assuming you want to head into larger scale production, even indie shorts/features). If post is what you're most interested in, try going in to a post production facility in your city and asking to shadow or help someone out; this can often lead to a job if you're helpful. If it's set-work you're more interested in, pick which department has the most interest to you and try to dig up any opportunities for non-union work you can that seems legitimate. You'll start getting paid on non-union gigs soon enough (you just need to keep at it and it will happen, as long as you can make the right connections and work hard and smart). Then you'll be able to go union should you want to, assuming you've got a few union connections, which is very helpful.

There's no right or wrong way to go about it, the best advice I have is to determine what you want to do as specifically as possible (no harm in trying something briefly, then moving to something else) and just try to make as many relevant connections as possible.

Yeah, I work in that industry part time. I am an assistant to a producer and I worked as a production coordinator for a short, as a production office coordinator for a feature and and as an assistant to the producer (not an official title) on a big feature.

I got started by volunteering to PA and moved up pretty quickly. As far as being a PA, always be the guy with water and sunscreen, also, if you have one of those little battery things that charges phones you will be everyone's best friend. Seriously, just be super helpful, work really hard and have a good attitude and the sky is the limit. Lots of people start out as PA's. I worked with a girl on a set where we were both PA's, she worked really hard, everyone noticed and she ended up being the lead in a feature we shot last summer.

As far as school stuff, if you are in a really good program you will learn stuff that is useful, if you are in a mediocre program (like me) being on set and actually working will help you way more. Everyone does everything a little differently and the only way to get good at it is to practice.

One of the features and the short I was on were cut in premier/aftereffects, it really just varies company to company.

What side of production do you want to get into?

Why do you want to get into production?

gordie.What school are you at? It seems you are uncertain of what area you have the most interest in (assuming you want to head into larger scale production, even indie shorts/features). If post is what you're most interested in, try going in to a post production facility in your city and asking to shadow or help someone out; this can often lead to a job if you're helpful. If it's set-work you're more interested in, pick which department has the most interest to you and try to dig up any opportunities for non-union work you can that seems legitimate. You'll start getting paid on non-union gigs soon enough (you just need to keep at it and it will happen, as long as you can make the right connections and work hard and smart). Then you'll be able to go union should you want to, assuming you've got a few union connections, which is very helpful.

There's no right or wrong way to go about it, the best advice I have is to determine what you want to do as specifically as possible (no harm in trying something briefly, then moving to something else) and just try to make as many relevant connections as possible.

Im at a local college in ontario, this is only its second year running the program so everything is still a little experimental but as i talk to more people the more i hear be open to anything, so im not really specific at this point, as long as i am in the industry. for example my pre production prof has worked 10 years in distribution and had a goal of being a director. just about everything except for writing sounds like a good time to me. locally there is a large demand for sound guys so for the time being i might pursue that. this summer i was working non-union and there are normally about 4 movies that have local productions throughout the school year in which we have connections to go on. so i will likely be doing that, just trying to get a better sense of things and how people have worked up to where they are

cydwhitYeah, I work in that industry part time. I am an assistant to a producer and I worked as a production coordinator for a short, as a production office coordinator for a feature and and as an assistant to the producer (not an official title) on a big feature.

I got started by volunteering to PA and moved up pretty quickly. As far as being a PA, always be the guy with water and sunscreen, also, if you have one of those little battery things that charges phones you will be everyone's best friend. Seriously, just be super helpful, work really hard and have a good attitude and the sky is the limit. Lots of people start out as PA's. I worked with a girl on a set where we were both PA's, she worked really hard, everyone noticed and she ended up being the lead in a feature we shot last summer.

As far as school stuff, if you are in a really good program you will learn stuff that is useful, if you are in a mediocre program (like me) being on set and actually working will help you way more. Everyone does everything a little differently and the only way to get good at it is to practice.

One of the features and the short I was on were cut in premier/aftereffects, it really just varies company to company.

What side of production do you want to get into?

Why do you want to get into production?

i get the vibe that the program is still in its development stages, but i do have some profs that have done amazing work and have been apart of very big productions. i think for my own personal editing id like to get into premier but still deciding if i want to go mac again or switch over to windows for my first time. as for why i want to be in production, i really do enjoy working with cameras and the artistic process between editing and such. while i have only been filming/editing for 4/5 years i do find it enjoyable and i could see the traveling required in the industry a good chance to see and experience things while im young. i'm not crazy about the movie side of things right now as its so foreign to me. i always want to do my own thing aswell but i feel being on productions is a better and more consistent money source. i will admit since ive been in the program the thought of working movies has grown on me but i guess ill find out exactly what id like to do the more i get into it

gordie.What school are you at? It seems you are uncertain of what area you have the most interest in (assuming you want to head into larger scale production, even indie shorts/features). If post is what you're most interested in, try going in to a post production facility in your city and asking to shadow or help someone out; this can often lead to a job if you're helpful. If it's set-work you're more interested in, pick which department has the most interest to you and try to dig up any opportunities for non-union work you can that seems legitimate. You'll start getting paid on non-union gigs soon enough (you just need to keep at it and it will happen, as long as you can make the right connections and work hard and smart). Then you'll be able to go union should you want to, assuming you've got a few union connections, which is very helpful.

There's no right or wrong way to go about it, the best advice I have is to determine what you want to do as specifically as possible (no harm in trying something briefly, then moving to something else) and just try to make as many relevant connections as possible.

Im at a local college in ontario, this is only its second year running the program so everything is still a little experimental but as i talk to more people the more i hear be open to anything, so im not really specific at this point, as long as i am in the industry. for example my pre production prof has worked 10 years in distribution and had a goal of being a director. just about everything except for writing sounds like a good time to me. locally there is a large demand for sound guys so for the time being i might pursue that. this summer i was working non-union and there are normally about 4 movies that have local productions throughout the school year in which we have connections to go on. so i will likely be doing that, just trying to get a better sense of things and how people have worked up to where they are

cydwhitYeah, I work in that industry part time. I am an assistant to a producer and I worked as a production coordinator for a short, as a production office coordinator for a feature and and as an assistant to the producer (not an official title) on a big feature.

I got started by volunteering to PA and moved up pretty quickly. As far as being a PA, always be the guy with water and sunscreen, also, if you have one of those little battery things that charges phones you will be everyone's best friend. Seriously, just be super helpful, work really hard and have a good attitude and the sky is the limit. Lots of people start out as PA's. I worked with a girl on a set where we were both PA's, she worked really hard, everyone noticed and she ended up being the lead in a feature we shot last summer.

As far as school stuff, if you are in a really good program you will learn stuff that is useful, if you are in a mediocre program (like me) being on set and actually working will help you way more. Everyone does everything a little differently and the only way to get good at it is to practice.

One of the features and the short I was on were cut in premier/aftereffects, it really just varies company to company.

What side of production do you want to get into?

Why do you want to get into production?

i get the vibe that the program is still in its development stages, but i do have some profs that have done amazing work and have been apart of very big productions. i think for my own personal editing id like to get into premier but still deciding if i want to go mac again or switch over to windows for my first time. as for why i want to be in production, i really do enjoy working with cameras and the artistic process between editing and such. while i have only been filming/editing for 4/5 years i do find it enjoyable and i could see the traveling required in the industry a good chance to see and experience things while im young. i'm not crazy about the movie side of things right now as its so foreign to me. i always want to do my own thing aswell but i feel being on productions is a better and more consistent money source. i will admit since ive been in the program the thought of working movies has grown on me but i guess ill find out exactly what id like to do the more i get into it

I'm in my last year of my degree in toronto, if you ever have any questions about the city or the industry here I may be able to help, just ask. What college are you at if I may ask? From what else you responded my only advice would be to find the area you want to be in and don't settle for less. It's really easy to be stagnant in the film industry and not move anywhere.

Yeah, I mean my bread and butter has always been commercial work, and that was my main focus in school, but I definitely entered into some local film festivals in Oregon with some short films I had put together with people up there.

If the funding in it wasn't just kickstarter kinda stuff, I'd definitely do more of it, but it's such a task for not enough coming back in a really saturated 'market' if you will. The amount of time you'll put in for a well produced 15 minute short is incredible.