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When are the best / worst times of year to contact professionals?

8 years, 6 months ago - Alève Mine

What months, what times of month, what days of week, are chances best / worst to contact executives, cast, crew, distributors, etc? Everybody in our industry chain.

The industry is seasonal, right? The question is: when are there dips in activity for each profession in the industry. The timing is probably different for each profession.

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8 years, 6 months ago - Mark Wiggins

December/January is normally quiet for Camera crew. Although, that is also the time when we are sorting out our first jobs of the year.

Response from 8 years, 6 months ago - Mark Wiggins SHOW

8 years, 6 months ago - Alève Mine

Thanks, Mark!

Response from 8 years, 6 months ago - Alève Mine SHOW

8 years, 6 months ago - Lee 'Wozy' Warren

Any major festival dates will be a bad time to get hold of producers, directors and executives in their offices or home country as they will likely be away. So to get to them you need to go to the same festivals as well.

Response from 8 years, 6 months ago - Lee 'Wozy' Warren SHOW

8 years, 6 months ago - Alève Mine

So Sundance, Toronto, Venice, Cannes, Berlinale? Or also HK, Melbourne, anything else?

Response from 8 years, 6 months ago - Alève Mine SHOW

8 years, 6 months ago - Dan Selakovich

January thru May is pilot season in Los Angeles, so most everyone is extremely busy. Features, especially indies, are shot after pilot season when most crews and actors are freed up.

Response from 8 years, 6 months ago - Dan Selakovich SHOW

8 years, 6 months ago - Alève Mine

Dan, thanks. So that doesn't leave much of a window. Maybe just june then, between Cannes and Locarno, except for camera in December or Jan.

How about second halves of Sept or of Nov?

I've noticed over the last few years that december 21-23 are good days to shoot or meet people here locally.

That meant 'shoot' or 'meet people', not 'shoot or meet' them :)

Response from 8 years, 6 months ago - Alève Mine SHOW

8 years, 6 months ago - Dan Selakovich

It really depends on what you're trying to do and who you want to crew with. If it's producers and studios and writers, pilot season would be bad. L.A. tends to shut down in December, for the most part. May thru the 3rd week of November is quite a window. If you want to shoot a short for 3 days, pretty much anytime. It would just require more juggling with pilot season. If you want non-union people, then pilot season doesn't matter. If you want to shoot a feature for 5 weeks, then it's a bit trickier. It's not as bad as it used to be. Since the studios stopped funding indie features, it's left a lot of people piecing together work with a few days here and a few days there, since there isn't as much production going on (except for television).

Response from 8 years, 6 months ago - Dan Selakovich SHOW

8 years, 6 months ago - Alève Mine

Dan thanks. That is quite insightful.

Incidentally I've found a random undated note of mine that Tuesday thru Friday are right for meetings, for what day of the week is concerned. So much for Mondays :)

Response from 8 years, 6 months ago - Alève Mine SHOW