And by that, I mean that this blog today is for those who love the idea of “image”, be it on video or film, to the extent that their lives are now dedicated to working in one way or another on movies, films, videos, cartoons, cgi crap, anime, whatever.
Anyway, here are some guidelines, warnings, and other stuff.
1. Understand that deferred pay means you’ll actually never see a penny of payment for your time spent or (if you provided it) equipment you’ve brought to work. In over 25 years of working on films, videos, t.v. shows I’ve never met anyone that ever got paid a deferment, which doesn’t mean that it’s never happened, just never with anyone I’ve bumped into.
2. Understand that payment in copy, credit, and meals is most likely illegal, as it violates minimum wage laws, as well as promising things that may or may not ever get delivered. i.e.
a. Credits on IMDB are never really guaranteed, and could even be deleted after the fact.
b. Domino’s pizza or MickieD’s crap are not really meals.
c. The chances of you getting a copy of the project closely approach “never going to happen”.
3. Understand well the “carrot and stick” concept; if the company does ever do a big project at a later date, they will hire big people and pay them real big salaries, and if it’s a really, really much bigger project, you will never even be allowed to get near the set, because you knew them “when”.
3a. Understand also that the very mention of there being important contacts for your future if you work free/cheap is bullshit in its purest form, since the chance that any important person would be involved in such a turd is about the same as Sarah Palin speaking in complete sentences. Yes, it could happen, but I suggest you find a comfortable place to sit as it may be a while.
4. Understand that “An Intern Position” legally means a specific agreement between an employer and your school wherein you will receive credit. Be aware that the term “intern” is thrown around a lot by people that see it as a chance to have people do work and not have to pay them.
a. You may receive that school credit, but you will never get to work with this company again (see “3″ above).
5. Understand that “It’s not who you know, it’s who you blow” always will take precedence over a film school diploma or the recommendation of your friends or family when it comes to a job opening being filled.
6. Understand that no matter how rosy a picture the producer has described the upcoming project to be, you’re actually not curing cancer or solving world hunger, and you’re mostly likely making a piece of crap that no one outside the director’s immediate family will ever see.
6a. Understand that the term “Producer” is meaningless, it’s very often given to people that couldn’t produce a shadow on a sunny day if their lives depended on it. When these producers say that there’s no money in the budget, ask them what kind of moron made up and approved that budget and then gave a green light to this floater. The chance to see the look on their faces is priceless if you ask them why they couldn’t produce the money to do the show.
7. Understand that when you feel like you’re getting screwed (see “5″ above), you’re probably correct. If you want to go ahead and do the project, you could ask them to at least kiss you first, or buy you flowers when it’s done.
8. Understand that any project touted as having an “up and coming ********” (writer, director, producer, star, craft service person) really means “a nobody”. Or at best, a burn out from some local tv show.
O.K., there’s really a lot more where these ones came from, so feel free to send me a comment and mention your own and I’ll add them during the next few weeks, with or without giving you credits, copies, or a meal.
No comments:
Post a Comment