The Where/What are you thread...

BlitzKrieg · 15-08-2005 07:25PM #1

SImple enuf.

If your on this forum then its safe to assume that you either want to be involved in the film industry or already are.

So sort of a intro thread why dont you tell us, where along the lines of reaching your goals are you? (Studant, nightcourses, still on the couch etc?)

Or if your where you want then what part of the industry does your presence grace (PA, Gaffer, Grip, AD, DOP, Director, Editor, Producer etc)

To get the ball rolling.

I'm starting my last year of film studies in APU university cambridge. And i have been on numerous film courses in ireland, England and America. Just recently back from both a Cinermatography course and a Editing course in School of Visual Art in New York.

Aiming for the big thing of Director, but lately been turning towards being an editor, but i'll see where things lead me.

Crash · 15-08-2005 08:36PM

Currently disgracefully inexperienced. At the moment not sure where i want to head in film - written a number of shorts so far, yet to get any to production (thats this years goal) and see how things go from there

monkeyfudge · 15-08-2005 09:18PM

I studied Radio Broadcasting in the Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design & Technology... I'm not sure what it's called these days as they changed the name of the place 3 times when I was going there and I believe it's changed again since then. Anyway, for some strange reason film history was part of my course. The lectures weren't all that great, mostly just talks about Leni Riefenstahl every week, but I wasn't complaining as it gave me the opportunity to get to know alot of the film students who were also at the same lectures.

The people studying film at the college generally didn't think very much about sound and it's importance in a film, but at the time that was a speciality of mine. So I worked on a number of projects in post production helping out with the sound, I even worked with Kirsten Sheridan who was studying there at the time.

I was also keenly interested in the script writing end of things. I've done a few treatments and scripts over the years and even sold a few, but so far none of them have been produced.

I've always been very involved in the development of community media in Ireland and about 3 years ago I helped to set up a community television production company. Our main goal is to train members of the local community in all aspects of video and television production so that they can create content for Dublin Community Television, which I've also been working with to set up. Mostly what we produce are short documentaries. Most recently we have just completed a short piece about Phill Lynot. But I'd like to see us have a go at doing some more dramatic productions.

dory · 16-08-2005 12:27AM

Im just finished my first year of a Media Studies course.

The only experience I have is of doing college projects and filming and editing events for my friends and family.

Don't know what I'd like to do in the future.
Does anyone know a good source of information on jobs in the Media? Like what an editor or director does from day to day. Work conditions etc.

Spider_Baby! · 16-08-2005 12:34AM

Im a wannabe actor. I think i have talent

But, i have never worked on a film before,ive absolutely no experience!

Pssst:if u need anyone, pm me!!

BlitzKrieg · 16-08-2005 12:37AM

dory wrote:

Im just finished my first year of a Media Studies course.

The only experience I have is of doing college projects and filming and editing events for my friends and family.

Don't know what I'd like to do in the future.
Does anyone know a good source of information on jobs in the Media? Like what an editor or director does from day to day. Work conditions etc.

check the resources thread.

But in film alot of the work is contract based. So as an editor or director you could be working constantly 6am-12 at night for a month or two, then doing nothing until either you get your own next project off the ground or someone offers you work. Conditions will vary from place to place.

I dont know as much on television but i assume certain positions in it are more consistant then film.

Agent Smith · 16-08-2005 12:38AM

Been in 4 short films, 1 of which is being entered into the Cork film festival,
Helped with the Editing of a mock news show for a IADT student,
and intrested in most aspects of film production.

masteroftherealm · 16-08-2005 12:42AM

Lazy Ass Amateur Filmaker/Editor/Cameraman:

Work: Nothing major a few shorts one feature lenght low budget in the pipeline.

Experience: Love the tech/editing/avid end of things with a bit of experience in that.

Writing: Lve doing it have bout 30scrips would hope to get at least a few done sometime!

mycroft · 16-08-2005 01:55PM

I studied film in ballyfermot for two years and took the additional one year BA in media management. Ballyfermot is a good course, and I'm pleased that so many of my classmates are still earning a good living working in the industry in a variety of rolls. I've since picked up a STI and UCLA acredited, Film Assistant Editing, certification.

After college I arsed around for a while, wrote a feature length script with a former tutor, (shortlisted for the Geffen first time writers award, Shimy Marcus beat us with Headrush so you can imagine how bad our script was)

I started work as a runner in a large post house in Dublin and was quickly promoted to offline assistant editor, I'd like to think it was my brillance shone through but in truth they were swamped, and needed extra staff. I stayed there for a year, thrown in at the deep end, both a very good and very bad thing.

I decided I hated working in a facility house and went freelance which is where I've been working on and off for the past four and a half years. I'm an assistant editor. Avid, FCP and I'm one of the few classically trained film assistants left (less than twenty in ireland I'd say).

I've worked on features (everything from major hollywood blocbusters, to scrappy low budget jobbies) tv drama (some I'm proud of, some ashamed of) and documentaries (from arty jobbies to factual primetime)

In the interium I've picked up the odd job, director's personal assistant, cameraman for lowbudget tv, and helped set up the odd radical new media collective, y'know, for kicks.

I've spent some more time working in an Irish post house, but I've recently moved to london as I'm sorry to say, I think the irish industry is at the edge of a very nasty slump.

I'm currently working in the heady world of news editing, getting to cut at the moment, which makes a nice change of pace for me.

dlofnep · 16-08-2005 01:58PM

I'm the least experienced of the collective. I've been home schooled studying as much as I can. I'm shooting my first short film within the next few weeks when I get back from London. After that, I want to go study - there are a few places that interest me.

As far as equipment goes, I'm currently working with my own Panasonic AG-DVX100AE 25P dv camcorder along with an audio technica shotgun condenser mic. A modest rig.. My NLE of choice is app 1.5 as I feel most comfortable with it's interface although I have worked with avid xpress pro.

I'm at the start of a road that ends with lots of hands on experience and education.

faithy · 16-08-2005 06:02PM

i went to colaiste dhuligh ,though it wasnt that useful to me. ive made couple of short films; directed, produced and edited. Still not sure which is my favourite. at the moment im in the process of making a few short films and adverts, im trying to get a showreel together. I'll see what happens after that, hopefully i'll be able to get a job.

monkeyfudge · 16-08-2005 06:06PM

faithy wrote:

i went to colaiste dhuligh ,though it wasnt that useful to me.

Oh yes... I currently work for Colaiste Dhulaigh... I forgot to mention that. I'm the IT and TV manager for the CDVEC Community Media Project that is funded by the City of Dublin VEC through Colaiste Dhulaigh.

plastic membrane · 16-08-2005 08:17PM

Just finished the film and tv degree course in GMIT. Got a job in Limerick to pay the bills and earn some money. Debating whether to go for the Masters in screenwriting at NUIG next year.

As for experience: just the regular student films gig and a 6 month work experience at Magma Scripting House. I've had a few films in the Galway Film Fleah, only one of which im proud of, the rest were put in so i could get my name in the programme.

Have a number of proposals ready and waiting to go, and im still hoping to get one short film (with no money) made before the end of the year...

TheStrandRoads · 17-08-2005 11:43AM

Thanks BlitzKrieg for this thread.

I'm a fully qualified ProTools Opertator. I'd be keen to work on any project in the Post-Production sound area. I'm based in South Dublin.

For anyone who feels they could use my help, feel free to PM me.

irltankman · 17-08-2005 02:55PM

I am a newbie at this whole game, just finished shooting my first short movie (was aiming for 15 mins, came out at tiny 8). Shot the whole thing on a Sony DV camera with a sony gun/zoom mic on the top, disappointed by the sound, would definately try and use a boom next time. Just finished creating the first cut and it looks better than i expected, just have to create a teaser for my friends and then will have a mini premiere here in Galway (bottle of coke, 10 people

) in late sept.

I can say one thing though, it is a hell of alot of work!

~Mick

BlitzKrieg · 17-08-2005 03:01PM

stickied as a sort of intro thread so we know everyones abilities and desires....(your soul is mine)

Vex Willems · 18-08-2005 11:59AM

Hi it's me

..anyways i finished three years filmmaking in Cork in May... and am now trying to get some projects off the ground... i wrote my first feature script when i was 15...

my main interests are in camera/lighting and editing... and trying to develope new ideas

i own a sony PDx10 and a G5 with FCPHD and more...

PurpleFistMixer · 18-08-2005 08:24PM

I have absolutely no experience in filmmaking whatsoever. I did a screenwriting course last year and learned pretty much nothing, which is a shame because script writing is something that would interest me.

Anyways, due to my little experience and also little knowledge about the intricacies of film production I actually don't know if I'd enjoy it at all, but I should be finding out as myself and a group of friends/friends of friends are planning on making a shortish film (about 30 minutes last I knew) next summer. It was originally meant to be happening this summer only we had some major funding difficulties being that none of us are particularly employed and such. So anyway, due to the fact that I'm quite in to photography I was chosen for camerawork and lighting/scene.. framing... (I'm not sure what the word is), so I'd be interested in learning about those particular fields. And.... yes.

Fridge · 19-08-2005 01:31AM

I was going to study TV & Film in Ballyfermot but I chose another course instead which I dropped out of. Kicking myself now.
I'm studying in the Open University at the moment, and unfortunately the only thing they have relative to Film is the History of Film and Tv which I'll be doing next year.

I don't want to be studying for the rest of my life, and I'm not really able for a lot of theory - I'm much more suited to practical learning.
So I've been looking around at a few courses, and I'm thinking about doing the 1 year Diploma in Film Making at the London Film Academy.
Does anyone know if it's any good? It'd want to be, for £13,000!

I don't have any experience in film yet. But I want to write and direct my films. Writing scores would be something I'd be interested in too.

father_ted9t9 · 22-08-2005 02:00AM

Hi Everyone, I studied film in ballyfermot for two years then headed off to the UK for 2 years. While there i worked as Camera/Edit for ITN News, I was an Avid Editor In MTV/ L!ve TV/ Channel 5 and BBC for a bit, and i did camera on 3 music Videos. When i Returned to Ireland i worked for TV3 News for a bit doing Cameras and Editing, then went to UTV for bit and and i also worked for RTE on a variety of their programmes doing everything from DV Director to Producing. At the Moment i am working Freelance on a couple of TV Shows for the New season on RTE.

Editing systems which i use are Avid, FCPHD, Media 100 and 844x. I have shot on range of cameras from Betasx/sp/digi right down to the new Sony HD Cameras and XCanon XL1s and XL2

Hugh_C · 30-08-2005 12:24AM

Hi,

I've been in the post production industry for a l-o-n-g time.

I began in Windmill Lane in the area of telecine and maintenance (I have degrees in Maths & Electronics), quickly got bored with that but was in the unfortunate position that I was good at it. Took me about four years to move on to linear online editing, which should have been a pretty technical job, but as it happens I worked under a very talented and inspirational director, Meiert Avis, for whom I cut a shedload of music videos. Great way to learn a trade. So, I was cutting (in online - not the most traditional of places to edit stuff) in Windmill until mid 1992 when I decided that I'd had enough of WLP and they'd had enough of me.

I realised that a more creative outlet was pure editing (or offline if you must) and I'd had unfulfilled aspirations to get my hands on the emerging nonlinear technology - i.e. Avid. Quit Windmill and started freelancing, which basically meant I worked a bit here in Dublin in commercials, but also in Los Angeles where I cut commercials and more music videos.

Holywoodland has a different work ethic to western Europe, and it has been both an eye opener and has given some perspective to what I've been at here.

So yeah, I was self-taught Avid and became proficient quickly enough - I'd already had a lot of experience in front of Macs at this stage. Avid was a breeze and I wasn't sorry to see the back of linear (tape) editing. Spent five or six years commuting to LA from Dublin trying to hold down a profile both here AND there. Not easy. Anyway SWMBO took a serious attack of broodiness and the resultant sprog (daughter No. 1) became the reason I stopped travelling.

I began working on much longer-form stuff - i.e. documentaries and series pretty much as a freelancer here in Dublin. A lot of stuff in the traditional music area as well as some dance, some more high brow music and classical. I also had a go at directing which was intense. I'm not sure that it's for me, but may have a crack at it again. I find the commissioners not easy to deal with, because as a rookie director you don't get to have final cut, which is of course something I'm used to as an editor.

In 2000 I took a vagary and joined Pluto, a small vanity shop, sorry, puff piece, sorry post house which did a bunch of flame* and 3D. I learnt flame* with limited success for 18 months or so until the company went bust and all the staff (except me and Juangus) went to work in Screenscene.

I freelanced a bit more and then was offered a job in The Farm where I'm presently employed. Yes indeedy, a steady wage is a good thing when you have a mortgage and kids. The Farm is going through a bit of an identity crisis at the moment (mycroft will testify) and it remains to be seen what the future holds.

The industry it completely on its 8rse at the moment, partly because of downward pressure on budgets coming from our illustrious broadcasters, partly from producers' greed and partly because we live in the most expensive country in the known Universe. Production & post production is hard. RTE realise that they can get cowboys to go out and shoot stuff on poxy DV for f*ck all, who'll edit in their kitchen on Premier (I know I know, terrible snob and all that) and send it in on a CD or something. This is a atrocious state of affairs and sadly, the material reflects the budget and skill. Look at "Dinner Party". It is THE most execrable (look it up) piece of sh1t on the box..

Sorry this is turning into a rant, I'll take it elsewhere...

Later,

Huhg

BlitzKrieg · 30-08-2005 03:02AM

Sorry this is turning into a rant, I'll take it elsewhere...

no we like rants..any wisdom, even that which is vented through anger (usually the best kind, 'intelligent and emotional').

You wouldnt know if the atmosphere (downward pressure on budget) is the same in the UK as here?

tj-music.com · 30-08-2005 11:30PM

I studied Digital Media in Tralee in 2003 although I already did editing courses and acted in short films while I was still living in Germany.

I then added a certificate in Digital Video Production and Broadcasting to my set of skills and in the event of doing that I happened to play a dentist in a short movie.

I am also a musician with my own little studio. I have produced 9 CDs over the last 15 years and won an award for excellency in songwriting in January this year.

Furthermore I am currently involved in a FETAC course in Radio Program making and worked as a Station Manager for "Radio Dolphin" in 2004 and "Liber8FM" in 2005.

"Liber8FM" is back in November on 107,3 FM all over Dublin.

I would love to do filmmusic, so if anyone is looking for a music score just let me know.

send an email to: info@tj-music.com and check out the following pages:

www.tj-music.com
www.concert-reviews.net

I am really seious when it comes down to work and I would love to be more involved in film.

TCamen · 31-08-2005 01:12AM

Qualifications:
2001-2004 BA Journalism & Media Communications in GCD (it was more weighted to the journalism side which was disappointing).
June-July 2004 Certificate Introduction to Film-Making @ London Film Academy. We made two horrible shorts with a group of six, I produced one and directed the other. Luckily I realised how much more I prefer producing, so one less writer/director out there

2004-2005 MA Film and Television Management & Policy @ University of Ulster. Designed as a vocational course to train producers to enter the UK/NI industry, however, as the first year of the course, it was a little all over the place. Currently doing my dissertation to complete the MA.

Employment:
June 2004 - Worked as an intern for Zanzibar Films. Mostly worked on organising press for the premiere of 'Headrush', getting reviewers on board, photographers, sending out promotional material etc.

Also making short films with a group of similar graduates out of Dublin since June (four under our belt so far with no practically no budgets). They're currently being edited so hopefully they turn out ok.
Busy with dissertation @ the moment so the hunt for employment has slowed a little. I am going to get driving lessons though, after reading the advice on here.

faithy · 31-08-2005 08:24PM

Employment:
June 2004 - Worked as an intern for Zanzibar Films. Mostly worked on organising press for the premiere of 'Headrush', getting reviewers on board, photographers, sending out promotional material etc

Just out of curiousity, how did u apply for an intern for zanzibar films, do u have to be in the union before hand?

mycroft · 01-09-2005 12:42AM

faithy wrote:

Just out of curiousity, how did u apply for an intern for zanzibar films, do u have to be in the union before hand?

Nope; A sharp wit and the ability to work for free plus a few good references. Zanizbar are a company that are orgasmic about bargains and they live for interns.

father_ted9t9 · 01-09-2005 04:01AM

mycroft wrote:

Nope; A sharp wit and the ability to work for free plus a few good references. Zanizbar are a company that are orgasmic about bargains and they live for interns.

Like most of the Productioon Companies around, if you are willing to put in the effort!

Time spent sending cv's and then phoning after to follow up does really work, and i have hired many people on this basis, who have progressed on to bigger things in the company

Dead Jack · 01-09-2005 03:03PM

Just arrived on this forum but since I'm going to be looking for inspiration from you, I figured you might as well know I'm here.

I'm a budding scriptwriter studying and working alongside BlitzKrieg at APU Cambridge.

I'm into film 'cause I figured with a little experience I could write films that would be enjoyable both to make and watch.

It's clearly not that easy as I appear to be failing the degree, but there is a serious silver lining.

I appear to have a talent as a Producer, and enjoy it almost as much as I enjoy writing dialogue, which is to say, about as much as I enjoy good food (and lets just say I'm hardly skinny).

We'll just have to wait and see if I know what I'm talking about.

mycroft · 01-09-2005 09:36PM

BlitzKrieg wrote:

You wouldnt know if the atmosphere (downward pressure on budget) is the same in the UK as here?

Pick up a copy of todays times mate. Theres a page on the business section on the poor state of the british film industry. Essentially continued quibbling over tax relief has ensured that productions are unwilling to commit to britain. I've been out in both Pinewood and Twickenham recently, and they're virtually ghost towns. And even the government get their finger, yesterday, out it'll be next summer before theres an improvement

TV wise, with the BBC set to be forced to sell it's post end, you're about to have a flood of some of the best editors and facilities on the market for the first time, making a tough market that little bit tougher.

On the even lower end of the market, I've definetly found that producers are expecting a lot more for a lot less post wise, and the general dirth of low end systems on the market means they feel they can do a lot more themselves. Salaries for freelancers, and internal staff are down, runners are expected to know a lot more, also, schedules are tighter, more channels means more content and more people feel they can pick up a camera, edit, and shoot everything themselves. I met a junior producer in Ireland recently who didn't know what timecode was, or how many frames are in a second. Mind you, I've met more than one assistant who had trouble understanding that.

BlitzKrieg · 02-09-2005 12:15AM

cheers for that Mycroft...better rethink taking a post grad back up then.

TCamen · 02-09-2005 12:16AM

Just out of curiousity, how did u apply for an intern for zanzibar films, do u have to be in the union before hand?

I just emailed my CV - they didn't need anyone for production work, but were just kicking into gear with the promotion of 'Headrush', so my details were passed on, and the PR person contacted me then and I met her for an interview then.

Time spent sending cv's and then phoning after to follow up does really work, and i have hired many people on this basis, who have progressed on to bigger things in the company

I like to follow up -- nothing worse than not knowing what's going on

The Where/What are you thread...

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