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It is important to realize that not everyone is qualified to be a director or cameraman. There are other jobs available, and it is quite advisable that students grab the first opportunity they have to join a professional production. Practical experience is invaluable. The first thing any director will ask a prospective crew member is: “What have you done?” No one is going to walk onto a professional crew as an assistant cameraman without experience. Some unions require 100 days apprenticeship for any given position, and then they often require a written and oral examination before one becomes an official member. It may take 4-5 years for a 2nd assistant cameraman to become a Ist assistant in the IATSE union in Toronto.
But there are always low budget, non-union productions being shot. In the beginning, experience is much more important than money, therefore it is very wise for a young film aspirant to offer his services free of charge just for the chance to observe what happens during a production. Any intelligent young filmmaker can learn five times what he can learn sitting in a classroom just by keeping his eyes open and,
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Serge Bouharevich (right) enjoying one of the advantages of student life — readily available equipment
during actual shooting, his mouth shut. When crew members are taking a break, they will usually be more than happy to answer your questions, but don’t bother someone while he is concentrating on his work. In this fashion one begins to meet other filmmakers, finds out what productions are coming up and discovers where: filmmakers and actors hang out — what their favorite bars are — where they go to relax.
If one wants to succeed, one has to be persistent, with a dash of politeness and humbleness thrown in.
There is the story of the kid looking for work who used to sit and read a book on the floor in the hallway in the middle of English Production at The National Film Board. One day a film director came by and tripped over the young filmmaker and said, “Oh, I was just thinking of you. There is a Mexican crew arriving in a day. They need a production manager. Would you like the job...?”
_A Final Note: When you finally do be
come professional, do not forget that you were a young filmmaker once. When a young person approaches you for a job, give him a chance too. a)
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photo: Lois Siegel
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