As the saying goes: “The second word in show business is business. It’s not something filmmakers like to think about, but a unit production manager knows that equipment costs money. Those brilliant artists? They expect to get paid. Even if it’s a “passion project,” you have to keep a close budget, because resources aren’t unlimited. If you like keeping people on track, if you...
What usually separates a student film from professional production is the actors aren’t paid in pizza. Making a career in film in television, you can’t rely on friends of friends, you have to have a great casting director.But what do they do? And what separates a great casting director from the rest?If you want to learn how to become a casting director, or just curious how much a casting...
Did you ever look at “Dawn of the Dead” or Jason Voreehees and thought “I want to do that.” Did you have posters of special effects makeup artist luminaries Rick Baker and Tom Savini up in your bedroom? If so, perhaps you should consider a career in special effects makeup, the men and women behind Hollywood’s wounds, aliens, and monsters. What is a Special Effects Makeup Artist?Special effects...
The stereotypical image of a key grip is a plainspoken on-set handyman (or woman), a c-wrench never far from their belt. Maybe that’s you.Maybe you want to buck the image. Maybe you don’t know exactly what a key grip is, but you love tools and movies.Here’s how you join the grip crew and become a key grip.LET’S DEFINE KEY GRIP“Key Grip”, like “gaffer,” is one of those Hollywood terms that raises...
Aside from the director and the stars themselves, the cinematographer is one of the most sought after jobs on set.Also known as the director of photography, many a young film student sees their command of light and lens and wonders how they could one day get there. Not just in their backyards with their friends. But on the big screen.Here’s how to become a real, working cinematographer.How to...
When a film has great sound, you never notice it. When a film has terrible sound, you can’t notice anything else. The production sound mixer, is the responsible for making sure that never happens.They lay the foundation for future sound technicians to make the film’s sound come to life.Want to be the person under those headphones?The Sound Mixer Job Description A production sound mixer at...
Those outside the post-production flow might not have any idea what a colorist does. Those who do know that they’ve been bringing the world on the big screen come to life since Technicolor.Whether you’re working at a post-production house and looking to move up or you’re just getting started coloring your pictures at home: here’s how you become a Hollywood colorist.Color Grading vs Color...
On a ship, the Captain sets the course, and the First Officer makes it happen. On a set, the director sets the vision, and the first assistant director ( shortened to 1st assistant director, “first AD”, or “1st AD”) turns his dreams into reality. If you want to learn how to become a first assistant director and get a chance to yell “rolling sound”? This is what you need to know.What is the...