Post film major career

College Majors Visual Arts and Film Majors
1

I am new to this forum, so sorry if it was asked before.

My DS is junior and in between 2 majors right now. He attends specialized technical high school where every class either honor or AP class. They have a lot of science and technology related classes as well as advanced “TV and Movie production” class. Originally he wanted to major in Engineering (and still considering it) but after he took TV and Movie production he dreams about making films. He did a summer art program where he was making films, he is also a director in the school’s studio crew. My husband and I want to be supportive but very concerned with career in this area. How is it easy/hard to find a job? What kind of jobs are out there? What is starting salary? Would he be able to pay college loans if he needs to take any?

2

If your son is typical of all film school majors , he wants to be a director. If he denies it, it’s probably a lie. If so, easy/hard and salary both have negative answers, you don’t walk out of film school with any obvious direct path to the top. I mainly wanted to share my thoughts on debt, both of my children graduated from a respectable film school with debt(LMU).
If your son wants a career in the film industry, it is quite available. During film school, if you make solid contacts with your talented fellow students you won’t lack for work opportunities. The problem is that most of them don’t fit the 9-5 steady work mold. There are jobs like that in the industry, but there are way more of the freelance variety.
Both my children are free-lancers in LA, recent (2014 and 2017) graduates of LMU. They have managed to not return to my basement, which is a major achievement for any Arts graduate since the beginning of time. They both have made their way below the line, working on set as assistant camera, sound, gaffer(when desperate),assistant director. There is rent and food money to be made easily if you work hard, are RELIABLE, and don’t care about the artistic message(pizza ads pay money too).
Don’t take on significant debt, and don’t let your child take more than the fed. subsided loans. The problem is your cash flow is likely to be quite variable. Case in point: 2014 daughter graduate survived her first year after graduating, but that’s all you can say. Then she has a year where she funds her IRA and pays off all her $10000 of student loans. Right now, she’s had very minimal paid work since December (winter is slow).
Meanwhile recent grad son has been extremely busy, and most of the work even pays. He works his tail off to make ends meet and pay rent in LA, sharing a room with another guy in a low rent neighborhood. Even so he makes his loan payments at a very low rate on $30000. Crazier, he is happy with career path, because he is doing what he loves to do.

3

jtmoney, Thank you very much for your answers that is exactly what I was looking for. Yes, as you suspected he wants to be a director, but understands that he will take any job that is out there like what you described. We told him if can manage without loans he can go and study film if this is what he wants. How important is the film school? I am sure that good schools are not easy to get in and also not very generous with scholarship. We have some savings for him but it’s not much and we are not qualified for the FA. As I understand the school where you make connections so if school is not good than no connections… no future opportunities.

4

@jtmoney is so accurate in the post above that you can take it as gospel. I do however disagree with @Ultramarine777 's implication that you have to be in a name brand school. You DO NEED to be with driven students who will become your support network in LA BUT my son repeatedly says to me that once you start your career, nobody cares what school you went to.

5

I posted this three years ago, so it’s time to haul it out again describing post-film school “stages.”

The future outlook for an “above the line” person (director, producer, screenwriter, major actor, etc.) is bleak. But the outlook for a talented “below the line” person (the other HUNDREDS of people who are in the credits) is probably not bad at all. I see several stages to success in a career:

Stage 1. “Nothing yet:” You’re trying to break in. You’ve moved to LA or NYC and you’re looking.
WHAT YOU NEED in this stage: A group of colleagues, other alumni from your school, some working already, perhaps some in your boat. But these are your support group (especially important to keep your spirits up) AND your “bootstrap group.” As each finds work, they can perhaps help others into the business.

Stage 2. “Squeaking by:” You’re getting gigs, some might be for no pay, others might be intern positions or very-low-pay jobs. But you are making your name and expanding your resume/experience/demo reel. It’s still hard, though, and you’d best have no student loan debt.
WHAT YOU NEED in this stage: Talent, so that people can see that your contribution is valuable. Make yourself known to the producer. S/he can come back to you on other productions, knowing that you are cheap. You also need your support group, because finding each other work becomes easier at this stage. And you’ll need to work for very little; you are making an investment in yourself.

Stage 3: “Getting paid for your work:” You’re becoming known to enough people that you can now start to get more properly paid and while you may not constantly be working, you’re working enough to afford your rent and nights out with your “group.” WHAT YOU NEED in this stage: You need to build your reel and resume, and develop network connections beyond your initial support group. You are still a part of that group and, hopefully, can refer new member of that group for THEIR start-up gigs.

Stage 4: “Turning down work:” OK, so you’ve now made it in your career, at least in terms of finding work. Instead of you LOOKING for jobs, you now are in demand, and people come to you, begging for you to work on their projects. You’ll find that you have to start turning people down because you already have contract commitments for the time period they need you. As a matter of fact, you may start turning down work worth a lot more $$$ than you are earning. You’re over the tipping point.
WHAT YOU NEED in this stage: Remember to make time for yourself. Gigs may work you up to 16 hours a day (especially as production deadlines approach). Plan down-time for you to get out of town an enjoy life.

6

@Ultramarine777 you’re getting lots of great advice here. Don’t worry about name and prestige, research the programs, faculty, and course descriptions. Networking will take initiative and lots of hard work. This article is a great example. Zack was a student of the Screen Arts Program at UMich, not a “big name” film school, but still quite successful in the industry.

https://blog.frame.io/2017/08/14/networking-in-hollywood/