You'll oversee film crews, but if the director has specific intentions, you may have very little control over how a scene is shot. You'll need an in-depth knowledge of camera and lighting equipment and what will and won't work for certain shoots, an excellent eye for detail, the ability to make reasoned decisions quickly, and be prepared to both give and take direction. They manage the camera and lighting crews on a film set, make artistic and technical decisions and review footage in the post-production stage. Otherwise known as cinematographers, the director of photography (DoP) will work with the film director to realise scenes in line with their visions. Read about some of the most common filmmaking occupations and explore those best suited to your talents and aspirations. Wages, working hours and locations vary, depending on the size of the production you're working on and the level of funding behind it.Īlso, the majority of film set jobs are filled by freelance workers, so it's up to you to show dedication to the craft and make a name for yourself.

You can also get more information about film industry training for 16 to 25-year-olds at the British Film Institute (BFI).ĭespite the fact that careers in film can be incredibly rewarding, they typically come with a low level of job security as you'll usually be hired on a film-by-film basis. There are plenty of resources online to learn about screenwriting, or you could join likeminded individuals in making a short film through relevant social media groups. If you didn't go to film school or study the subject at university, you can develop your filmmaking skills by working on student or local productions. Graduates may be able to secure a week or two of film work experience as a runner, but you'll need to grasp the opportunity by impressing the film crew with your skills and by turning your hand to anything asked of you in order to land a contract for the next shoot. Even then, you'll find that structured entry-level programmes such as film internships are scarce. Instead, you'll need to be proactive in contacting film production companies and studios through speculative applications to enquire about any vacancies. Many film jobs aren't advertised in the traditional sense, qualifications aren't as important as experience and film graduate schemes aren't readily available either. This is a notoriously competitive industry to get into.

Starting a movie production company