Help for a Friend's stepson

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

A friend of mine at work has a 16-year old stepson who is looking for a career in the film/television industry. Any idea of resources that might point him to contacts or information of positions (entry level type jobs or internships) in the North Texas area?

[u2roolz]

Hey Crow Daddy,

 

I'll try to list off as many possible ways to help.

 

OK. 1st off it would probably help if he did some volunteering at the local public access channels to gain some hands on experience. Obviously, you don't get paid and it is extremely helpful to network. They may even offer free classes to train him.

 

Secondly, I'd recommend going to film school (much like I did) to network. Not only do you get to go to classes with your peers, but you also select an internship site. Any big production that you can think of usually needs a good amount of production interns.

 

I know that in Boston we have NewEnglandFilm.com. I'm assuming there's something similar in Texas with Austin being a big film city.

 

Craigslist is decent to look through for internship jobs. They even have a special section for it. Although, there's a lot of mistrust amongst people looking through there because they aren't very upfront about wages.

 

A friend of mine actually interned at Wes Anderson's production company a couple of years ago.

 

Even being a film extra might help to get contact info for "big" people in the area.

 

Edit: Oh yeah, and probably a good starting point would be to look into the Texas Film Commission.

I rarely use the one in MA because I learn about a lot of the jobs in other places that I mentioned.

 

Edit: Make sure that if he works on some "indie" productions that probably won't pay him much to get a DVD of the actual end product. This helps in making a Demo Reel. Nowadays most industry folk put their demo reel onto a website. It's usually 2-4 minutes of some of the stuff that they worked on. And if they can't pay their crew, then they better fucking feed them.

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

Hey Crow Daddy,

 

I'll try to list off as many possible ways to help.

 

OK. 1st off it would probably help if he did some volunteering at the local public access channels to gain some hands on experience. Obviously, you don't get paid and it is extremely helpful to network. They may even offer free classes to train him.

 

Secondly, I'd recommend going to film school (much like I did) to network. Not only do you get to go to classes with your peers, but you also select an internship site. Any big production that you can think of usually needs a good amount of production interns.

 

I know that in Boston we have NewEnglandFilm.com. I'm assuming there's something similar in Texas with Austin being a big film city.

 

Craigslist is decent to look through for internship jobs. They even have a special section for it. Although, there's a lot of mistrust amongst people looking through there because they aren't very upfront about wages.

 

A friend of mine actually interned at Wes Anderson's production company a couple of years ago.

 

Even being a film extra might help to get contact info for "big" people in the area.

 

Edit: Oh yeah, and probably a good starting point would be to look into the Texas Film Commission.

I rarely use the one in MA because I learn about a lot of the jobs in other places that I mentioned.

 

Edit: Make sure that if he works on some "indie" productions that probably won't pay him much to get a DVD of the actual end product. This helps in making a Demo Reel. Nowadays most industry folk put their demo reel onto a website. It's usually 2-4 minutes of some of the stuff that they worked on. And if they can't pay their crew, then they better fucking feed them.

 

Thanks. I had already mentioned the Texas Film Commission site to him, but I am a bit out of my depth in terms of actual resources. I forwarded the info to his step dad.

[u2roolz]

And I think it would help to know what type of guy he is. Is he a technical whiz kid? If he is, then I'd probably rather have him go more into volunteering at the local public access channels to start. He can learn how to use a camera, work with mics, direct a show, fiddle around with studio lighting, edit, and maybe get some ideas to produce his own shows. Heck, they even let you rent out the equipment for free. Actually, some of this hands on experience helps some people get their start at the broadcast news level.

 

A lot of the Production Assistants on big film productions don't really do much more than crowd control, move heavy items, set up offices, get coffee etc. Nothing really technical. In fact, most PAs move up to a Unit Production Manager which is a manager of the film's day to day administrative duties such as budgeting and scheduling etc.

 

Most of the technical stuff on a film is mostly done by Union folks. Although, most non-Union folks can be an apprentice to the Director of Photography or the Rigging (lighting) crew. I mention this and the above paragraph because he may get bored and discouraged, if he spends a 12 hour day standing around doing not much of anything.

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

And I think it would help to know what type of guy he is. Is he a technical whiz kid? If he is, then I'd probably rather have him go more into volunteering at the local public access channels to start. He can learn how to use a camera, work with mics, direct a show, fiddle around with studio lighting, edit, and maybe get some ideas to produce his own shows. Heck, they even let you rent out the equipment for free. Actually, some of this hands on experience helps some people get their start at the broadcast news level.

 

A lot of the Production Assistants on big film productions don't really do much more than crowd control, move heavy items, set up offices, get coffee etc. Nothing really technical. In fact, most PAs move up to a Unit Production Manager which is a manager of the film's day to day administrative duties such as budgeting and scheduling etc.

 

Most of the technical stuff on a film is mostly done by Union folks. Although, most non-Union folks can be an apprentice to the Director of Photography or the Rigging (lighting) crew. I mention this and the above paragraph because he may get bored and discouraged, if he spends a 12 hour day standing around doing not much of anything.

 

Thanks...your insight, ideas and input are greatly appreciated