How To Get Steady Work In The Film Industry.
Today I was in high demand. I've been running around doing pitches and presentations. It's great to have the phone ringing constantly. In fact, as soon as I got out of one pitch session I got a call from another company who luckily was just around the block. So I ran right over to them.
After I was finished then I had to jump on a train to head downtown to meet with a major media company who is developing video for the Internet. They are doing some really incredible things. But this article is not about me it's about you. I want you to know that I am committed to helping you achieve your goals and YOUR DREAMS! That's right; we all have dreams in this business. Never give up on them. One of my dreams was to bring back the ancient form of acting. And thanks to the all mighty creator I am now able to teach the most powerful form of acting out the Kamitic Acting System.
Now, I am able to touch people's lives and help them get moving. With that said let's talk real quick about you getting work. As I have said it's great to be in demand. The industry is about cycles but you can whether the storms if you have what I call "Peripheral Skills". What this means in a nut shell is to be multi-talented. Don't just focus on one thing try and have a secondary skill set. Not long ago I met the most incredible actress who now stars in her own TV show. Not only is Dana a kick butt actress but she can create awesome websites AND can even draw the most amazing things. She is truly gifted. Aside from her TV show, she is always working. Her phone rings so much I can hardly get a minute with her.
I want you to understand that this should be the norm for folks like us. There is a certain sense of power and pride that comes from knowing you get can any job out there. When I interview with companies it is always from the perspective of YOU NEED ME MORE THAN I NEED YOU! To paraphrase Paris Hilton, "That's hot right?" So you are probably wondering how to do this. How to you become a hot commodity on the market. Well, first you have to understand that no matter what your field is you CAN be the one they want! No matter if you are an actor, filmmaker or writer. The real secret to this is to diversify your efforts while staying in the same industry.
For starters you should have more than one resume. Each resume should highlight a different aspect of your talents. If you are an actor then you should have many different headshots and not just two which is the conventional thinking. Having different resumes and targeting different positions and companies will without a doubt keep food on your table. My friend Charles started out as an indie director. The guy struggled to put food on the table and finance his films. Then all of a sudden he found that he had an interest in cinematography. From there he started purchasing his own equipment and shooting stuff on the side. One day he got call out of the blue from a small production company. They saw his work and wanted to hire him to DP their commercial! From there on end the work started rolling in.
Charles even got a full time job teaching film. So the point is to be versatile. Become a jack of all trades. Of course have one main target goal but have peripheral goals and objectives in mind. In our organization, the RKA Cinema Society, every member is encouraged to have cross-functional careers. The type of narrow minded, one dimensional, do or die attitude can put one in the poor house real fast. Peace!
The Author:
Ronald K. Armstrong
http://www.rkacinemasociety.com
[October 1, 2006]
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