What you’ll learn
- Be able to describe the six phases of a film or drama, who runs each, and where the entry-level jobs sit in each.
- Know the difference between production and non-production, freelance and employed, and which of those lives you are choosing.
- Have sorted the sixteen entry-level areas into yes, maybe and no on the basis of the daily work, and committed to one or two.
- Know the four structured routes to experience (work experience, internships, apprenticeships, trainee schemes), the unstructured ones, and the UK worker test that separates a genuine unpaid opportunity from unpaid labour.
- Have a time and money plan for Stage 1 and Stage 2, and will have taken the Stage 1 self-certification honestly.
Where this leads
By the end you will have written your own Stage 1 plan, checked yourself against MFJF's five Stage 1 statements, and know exactly what to do next: a mentor clinic, an Academy workshop, and Stage 2, the HotList.
How a film gets made and who makes it
20 minThe six phases of a film or drama, the departments and companies in each, and the first fork in the road: production or non-production, freelance or employed.
- readFrom idea to screen: the six phases8 min
- readWho makes it: departments, companies, freelance and employed8 min
- checkCheck: the shape of the industry4 min
The Three Career Stages
20 minSam's framework in depth: what Stage 1 is for, why Stage 1 people must not apply for jobs yet, and what Stages 2 and 3 look like so you know what you are preparing for.
- readStage 1: why you must not apply for jobs yet9 min
- readStages 2 and 3: what you are working towards7 min
- checkCheck: the stages4 min
The sixteen entry-level areas
20 minEvery area MFJF runs a Foundations course on, described by the daily work, who thrives and where it leads, with the types of runner as the lens. Then you sort them.
- readOn set and in the production office: eight areas8 min
- readPost, VFX, commercials and the companies: eight areas7 min
- taskTask: sort the sixteen into yes, maybe and no5 min
How experience is gained at Stage 1
20 minWork experience, internships, apprenticeships and trainee schemes; shorts, courses and driving; the UK rules on unpaid work; and a task that finds three real routes near you.
- readWork experience, internships, apprenticeships and trainee schemes8 min
- readShort films, courses, driving and the rules on unpaid work6 min
- taskTask: find three routes this month6 min
Money and time
20 minHow long Stage 1 and Stage 2 really take, why people give up, what it costs, how to fund it, and where to look up pay. Then the library for this course.
- readHow long it takes, what it costs and why people quit8 min
- resourcesThe library: do first to do later8 min
- checkCheck: money and time4 min
Your plan: choose, commit, certify
20 minThe planner: one or two areas, the matching Foundations course with a start date, your skills, routes and money plan, and the Stage 1 self-certification. Then what to do next on MFJF.
- plannerPlanner: your area, your course, your Stage 1 self-certification10 min
- readHow you know you are ready for Stage 26 min
- checkCheck: ready for Stage 24 min
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The career map
