ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

10 years, 1 month ago - Alève Mine

Paddy, how about the use case where the director *is* the girl.

10 years, 1 month ago - Ross Lindgren

Thank you all for your advice. It's been really helpful. I think I'm going to go with the diary service and freelance for a bit. I'll see how it goes. If anyone has any more pointers for me let me know :)

10 years, 1 month ago - Dan Selakovich

Speak for yourself, Paddy! I love budgeting and scheduling and especially correcting other people's budgets (it feeds my unbelievably low self-esteem). Now, directing and producing on the same film? Never again. Yeah, I know your post was tongue in cheek, but still...

10 years, 1 month ago - Marlom Tander

Paddy , but spreadsheets are fun. Well I like them anyway. Unfortunately he who does the sheets is usually discovers that they know the answer to every creatives question before they even think of it. And the answer is "No, there isn't enough money". :-)

10 years, 1 month ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

Heh heh I was wondering if anyone would post that ;-).

10 years, 1 month ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

".We all tend to produce because we have to rather than because we want to. "

Ha! Yes! Very few people want to sit doing spreadsheets with zero glory compared with indulging their creative urges and being lauded. That's why they say the director gets the girl, the producer gets the money ;-)

10 years, 1 month ago - Brendan O'Neill

Try to get hold of a catalogue from a good UK film festival. It will have all the details of various producers and production companies. Likewise a sales and distribution market catalogue like the London Screenings. Work those contacts and see what you can drum up for yourself.

10 years, 1 month ago - Tony Oldham

There is not necessarily a right or wrong move, and in many respects you can only go on your instincts as to whether you feel you will genuinely be offered opportunities with the company you're in.

Unfortunately, I've found that exploitation exists in ALL industries in the sense that there's so much competition that they'll always be crew members who'll work for less. So in the mean time how do you build that value to yourself and what you do?

Ultimately, if you know precisely where you want to be 5 years from now, any opportunity to gain skills in new areas towards that goal is a benefit. Good producers with good business skills are actually quite rare to find. And BUSINESS is a key creatives need to help them in their success.

I for one would be happy to hear from anyone serious about the BUSINESS side of the industry. I produce myself, but for instance I was at Microwave this week, and there are so many writer/ directors in need of a producer with real business acumin. We all tend to produce because we have to rather than because we want to.

I say if the job doesn't exist, as they say at Harvard, you go out and create it. Become a self made producer and seek to raise budgets and finance. It takes time, but in the end, you will become your own paymaster.

But learning new skills as a runner. production assistant, researcher etc, is also a valuable commodity. So jobs in distribution, exhibition, learning the legal side, the finance side, or as a researcher in TV, learning legals, permission and clearance etc. Is all valuable.

10 years, 1 month ago - Dan Selakovich

I was going to say the same thing, Marlom: sales and distribution. Get your ass to a distributor. You'll learn tons about how deals work. Even if you're a runner, just copy every contract that comes through the door and study them.

10 years, 1 month ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

Be in the right plane at the right time and get lucky! When a production needs a junior (despite your degree you're a junior) they start by looking close to home, recent applicants, interns, etc. You have to be both visible and lucky at the same time ;-)

10 years, 1 month ago - Marlom Tander

The BBC? But failing that :-

1) You know how to produce, you clearly have a business aptitude, try to learn how to sell.

Anyone interested in any business has nothing to loose by getting into the sales side. Even if you fail to sell, you'll learn a LOT for when your projects are ready to take to market/investors. (Even that is "find a good salesman, give him the tools he needs").

So if you wanted a job, I'd look at distribution or the dev/pitching side of a production house.

2) Any other business oriented role.

3) And while doing this, work on your low budget but award winning feature so that when you call in all those favours, you really make them count :-)

Basically the world is full of people who can write, or direct, or produce (project manage), but the guys who know how the money works, much rarer. You're young, invest a couple of years in becoming one of those :-)

10 years, 1 month ago - Lauris Beinerts

I'd definitely advise you to work in-house if you can get into a nice company! I'm currently working in a company in-house, and one of the runners who previously did what I'm doing now - is now a Director we represent. Another runner went on to become in-house PA, and now is in-house Production Manager.

That is, of course, assuming that you want to end up producing TV commercials and music videos (no real money in them, though...), if you want to work on film, then this might not be the best route.