Hi. I don’t post much when I’m busy. Sorry. I’m glad you still swing through to visit, though. I do try to keep you entertained when I can wedge out a few minutes.
Production on my show wraps up this week, or next… I forget… and then I’ll be sort of unemployed. Working in this industry is odd. You work on a feature and you’ve got 11 weeks of work (or whatev) and then you move on. A series is more like seven months. And then you’re unemployed. You find a new show to work on. There is a deep and fluid network of “I know a guy” in this biz, and if you could steal three or four key cell phones on set you could easily put together an entire production crew. Go to school and learn film production if you want, but being in one of those cell phones is all you’re ever going to need, promise.
Of course, there is a major push by the unions to regimentalize the whole thing which still has nothing to do with school certification, mind you. Weekend course. Four-month long full-time courses. Grades of qualification. Boards. Oh yes, it’s all quite civilized. An indie filmmaker can’t just pick up a camera and go. There are rules. There is paperwork. There are People in Charge.
I pay a union $5 a day to work on this show, because I’m not a member. But I also pay the union a few bucks in dues. Whatever. I’m working. And I didn’t go to school for it.
Once this wraps I have to scurry to get my traffic flagging cert, though. That makes me much more desirable, being able to not only tell people to shut up while we’re rolling, but stop them in their SUV tracks for same. Very nice.
All this to more or less keep my head above water while I ponder what to do with my life. Voice acting? I have experience. Sound editing? I have experience. Director of Photography…? Hmm… I could get down with that. I do have plenty of experience slinging a stills cam. Probably takes a shovel full of money to get a foot in the door though… I wonder if I know anybody…?