ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

11 years, 8 months ago - Dan Selakovich

Hi Lisa. First, "during" is called principal photography.

If you can afford to work for free, anyone will take you. And if you know nothing, you might HAVE to work for free. I'm sure you're familiar, being an actress, with casting sites and such. Find features that are casting, and contact the producer. Offer to work as a P.A. (production assistant) for free. Explain that you're an actress trying to get into production. If you're honest and upfront, I'd hire you.

Personally, I'd stay away from shorts. Often, they are not very professional shoots and therefore not a good place to learn.

good luck!

11 years, 8 months ago - Vasco de Sousa

I agree with Dan about shorts. Shooting a feature (and editing one) forces you to be organized and plan.

I'm in the UK, and have no objection to actresses working in other roles. You know one side of the business, and can probably read a script. So, yeah, I'd tell people that you're an actress looking for a career change.

(Sounds better to me than someone who works in another industry as a manager and thinks they can start at the top without understanding film.)

You should be organized, and motivated by the final result.

Small companies employ people with little experience, 1) because they can't afford people with a lot of experience or 2) because they don't have a huge network yet. Big companies sometimes hire unpaid people, but they often find it cheaper to hire people they know.

Look for local film production companies, and offer to work for free. Don't go to just any company, pick one that makes the kinds of films you like and that you feel comfortable with.

And don't feel bad if you get rejected.

We've had a quite few people contact us for work experience placements, and two have come to work with us. And we're a pretty small company in an isolated area.

11 years, 8 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

I wouldn't tell people you're an actress, they'll always suspect you're just trying to wheedle your way into more roles! There is a bit of a division between technical and creative, the two sides don't usually cross over that much!

Production is a very different beast. Cast typically never see what the production managers go through, but it will give you a good appreciation of the industry to get experience in production. It involves a lot of spreadsheets and being very organised. Being a runner/production assistant is the first step, but whilst there, ask questions and show interest in the various departments. You'll soon get an idea what suits you.

It's not that common to cross over from creative to technical, but far from impossible. I'd suggest if you really want to do it though, you throw yourself at it and don't use it as a chance to get into castings

11 years, 8 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

Heh heh - I just know that production here are overwhelmed by 20-something aspiring actresses and so often a little cautious around them. I posted a load of ads for roles for a paid gig a while back, the male roles attracted 5-10 applications each, the one female role had 179 before I closed the ad halfway through its run. I've been to producers pre-Cannes networking events where I've been cornered and monopolised jealously by actresses when I've been trying to chat with other production guys heading out.

The skills in acting and production are clearly different - I applaud anyone wanting to get into production for good reasons - the hours are probably the longest on set/location and responsibilities absolute for sorting out the messes everyone manages to get themselves into! I know cast work hard having to expose themselves and taking expression of lines and marks from their souls, it's a different kind of tiring :-)

Production dept (to my mind) is there to hold the space so the creatives can get on and do their stuff. Nobody pays to see production's work, they pay to see the cast and directors work. There's no glory. It means having to play Daddy sometimes when people need telling off, or playing Mummy when someone's having a crisis of some sort and needs love/hospital. It means dealing with randomising demands as well as keeping the ship stable through the inevitable storms. Nobody in their right mind would get into production. Myself included.

11 years, 8 months ago - Dan Selakovich

Two different views from each side of the pond! If in the u.k., I'd listen to Paddy.