MFJF map · UK
Starting a career in film: the two pathways, production and non-production
The questions usually start with production versus non-production, and for most people that also means freelance versus employed, on location versus in an office, and hired by a person versus hired by a company. Neither is better. One is right for you. The answer to "which area is mine" is very often the answer to "which kind of life do I want".
ProductionThe crew: hired by a person
Everything that happens to physically make the film. Crew are hired per production, work intensely for the length of the job and are then unemployed until the next one. That is the design, not a failure.
What freelance meansFor your life
You are hired by a person: a coordinator, a 2nd AD, a location manager, a head of department. Your reputation with people is your career.
Non-productionThe companies: hired by an organisation
The business of film: the companies that develop, finance, sell, distribute and market films. Jobs in the ordinary sense: a contract, a salary, a desk, a manager, annual leave, a Christmas party.
What employed meansFor your life
You are hired by a company, you have a manager, and you progress by being promoted from within.
Who is actually hiring youThe most useful list in the course
Every one of these people has a pile of CVs and a phone full of people they already trust. Stage 1 is about becoming someone they would trust before you ask.
The three career stagesSam's framework
Stage 1: you have never had a job in the film industry. Stage 2: you know which career is yours and you are moving from no experience to some. Stage 3: you have credits or several internships, the skills and a few contacts, and you are chasing consistent paid work.
