What job/work can I volunteer for that will be a substantial addition to an empty CV

[Ayoxo]

Hi. So I'm an aspiring film director, that is planning to go to film school for an MA in directing. I've usually heard that these types of programme have higher acceptance rate for those with life experiences/work experiences. But asides from my BA in psychology I have none. So I'm planning on contacting film production companies in my area to ask to volunteer for a job/work just to give me more work experience in that space and add something substantial to my CV. I'm quite new to all this so I don't really know what job I should say I want to volunteer for when I contact them? Appreciate the suggestions.

 

[llueve]

Hi Ayoxo,

Stop me if this is too basic, but the entry-level position of any department on a film set is P.A. (Production Assistant). So you could say, "Can I PA for you?"

There are office PAs who help with paperwork, stocking the main office, picking up things/dropping off things, interfacing with all departments. There are Art PAs, Props PAs, Camera PAs, Post PAs if you want to see the editing side of things, Writers Room PAs on TV shows that support writers -- and so on.

Being on set is a good place to be if you are interested in film directing. Every set has general PAs (literally called Set PAs) that help with general tasks. That could be a place to start. Also, some directors have personal assistants, which could also be a good place to start. (Not to be confused with a job called Assistant Director, or AD, which are intense jobs of people who handle scheduling and the running of the set.)

Big productions like TV shows have all of these positions. Smaller production companies that do, say, web advertisements, may only have really small teams of only two or three people. There's lots of variety, but all of it is a good place to at least get your first gig.

All a PA needs is: To be on time. To be alert. To have a good attitude. To be ready to learn. To be quick without being frantic.
Everything else you need to know, you will learn when you get there.

Hope this helps a bit.

 

[Ayoxo]

Hi Ayoxo,

Stop me if this is too basic, but the entry-level position of any department on a film set is P.A. (Production Assistant). So you could say, "Can I PA for you?"

There are office PAs who help with paperwork, stocking the main office, picking up things/dropping off things, interfacing with all departments. There are Art PAs, Props PAs, Camera PAs, Post PAs if you want to see the editing side of things, Writers Room PAs on TV shows that support writers -- and so on.

Being on set is a good place to be if you are interested in film directing. Every set has general PAs (literally called Set PAs) that help with general tasks. That could be a place to start. Also, some directors have personal assistants, which could also be a good place to start. (Not to be confused with a job called Assistant Director, or AD, which are intense jobs of people who handle scheduling and the running of the set.)

Big productions like TV shows have all of these positions. Smaller production companies that do, say, web advertisements, may only have really small teams of only two or three people. There's lots of variety, but all of it is a good place to at least get your first gig.

All a PA needs is: To be on time. To be alert. To have a good attitude. To be ready to learn. To be quick without being frantic.
Everything else you need to know, you will learn when you get there.

Hope this helps a bit.

Thanks this was helpful