Many people are of the impression that getting into the film industry is impossibly difficult. They believe that only a small fraction of workers who show an interest in the sector ever succeed.
However, that’s not always true. it might be the case for actors and film directors, but there are many other roles in the sector that you can enjoy. Here you can work on films directly, seeing them before the public.
Traditional Route
The traditional routes into the film industry involve starting at the bottom in a film department and then working your way up. This route gives people professional training and teaching to the highest standards.
Unfortunately, the pay for these entry-level jobs can be quite low. Furthermore, training is often difficult to come by. In many cases, you have to have contacts already in the industry. If you don’t, your only hope is highly competitive internships or apprenticeships.
Alternative Route
Fortunately, though, there are other routes into the industry. For instance, if you work on independent films in your desired job role, you can often proceed more rapidly up the career ladder than otherwise. In some cases, people become freelance directors from the get-go, finding out what they have to do on the job from their assistants, producers, and even the actors themselves.
Company Route
Perhaps the easiest way to get into the sector though is to go via what the industry calls “the company route.” Here, you take a full-time job on a contracted basis and become involved in pre-production, post-production, or development.
You can also improve your chances of getting into the sector by educating yourself. Enrolling in a training program for the CG industry or another high-demand course makes it much more likely that you will get hired.
Freelance Route
Some people attempt to get into the film industry via the freelance route. Interestingly, the majority of these jobs are outside film, with most freelance work coming from business, events, and corporate bodies that assist filmmakers in the final production of their movies.
Freelancers often take more than one job role at a time and look for opportunities in both TV and features. The hope is that by taking these roles, they will eventually be able to land the jobs they want in the film industry properly. Many freelancers wind up taking any job that comes their way, learning as they go along. The benefit of this is that they take full advantage of the opportunities that present themselves. However, the downside is that they often wind up along career paths that they would not have chosen otherwise.
Online Route
In recent years, a new approach to getting into the film industry has sprung up: the online route. Thanks to the advent of YouTube and other digital distribution platforms, filmmakers are finding it easier than ever to share their work with the public. Some filmmakers have successfully built audiences of a million people or more.
Ultimately, all of these routes into the film industry are valid. However, it is up to you what you choose to pursue.