Q2A

Got an enquiry ........

How do I get a career in camera work in the films after I have my degree in film studies

This is our reply.......

Hi filmstudies nut, thanks for your email.

There are different ways to get into camera work after you've got your degree. Some jobs are advertised in the national newspapers and on film industry websites, or there are film crew directories through which you could advertise yourself. However, because there aren't many permanent jobs in this type of work, the more personal contacts you can make the better: many camera operators or camera teams are freelance, or work on short- term contracts for the mai! n television broadcasters, or for film production companies.

So a good way to build up contacts, and also to gain the technical skills and practical experience you'll also need, would be to first of all check whether your degree course offers work experience opportunities so that you can build up a portfolio of work whilst you're still studying. The Next Steps website (see below) recommends that you make a 'showreel' DVD of the work you do so that you can show it to prospective employers.

Alongside any work experience your degree course offers, you could start to make useful personal contacts and build up your skills by:

# getting involved in community film projects
# getting involved with a local theatre: this will help with skills around lighting and sound
# working for camera equipment hire companies to get knowledge of the latest equipment
# working for film production companies

You could do this during term-time! if it's manageable, or during the holidays, and on either a paid or a voluntary basis. Your place of study may be able to put you in contact with organisations like this, or you can search for them yourself on the Internet. We don't know where your studies are based but here are some (fairly) local examples:

# Theatre: Wigan Pier Theatre Company, telephone 01942 828226
# Film Production Company (which also organises community film projects): Hurricane Films, 17 Hope Street, Liverpool, L1 9BQ. Telephone: 0151 707 9700. Website:  http://www.hurricanefilms.net

# Equipment Hire Organisation: FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology), 88 Wood Street, Liverpool, L14DQ. Telephone: 0151 707 4464. Website:  http://www.fact.co.uk

From our research it seems that at some stage you will need to choose between camera work in films (movies) and camera work in television because they use different sorts of equipment and techniques. You could perhaps try to get some experience in both types of work whilst you're studying which should help you to decide which to specialise in when you've completed your studies.

As we mentioned earlier the Next Steps website has more detailed information about careers in camera work, and also links to other useful organisations including job search and directories of contacts:

https://nextstep.direct.gov.uk/PlanningYourCareer/JobProfiles/

There is also a free telephone helpline you can ring for advice: 0800 100 900, open 8am- 10pm every day.

We hope this information helps you to start thinking about how to start developing your
future career in film and we wish you good luck with your studies.

Best wishes from q2a.

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