Careers in Film and Television

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I feel honored and privileged to have interviewed and heard the stories of the individuals profiled in this book: Arthur Anderson; Vic Armstrong; Joe Askin; Marc Ball; Carlos Barbosa; Gabe Bartalos; Charles Thomas Baxter; Alan C. Blomquist; Donna E. Bloom; Jim Borgardt; Julie Butchco; Russell Caldwell; Dwight Campbell; A. Anthony Cappello; Jeff Charbonneau; Todd Cherniawsky; Tim Clawson; Tim Coone…

APPENDIX I – GUILDS, ORGANIZATIONS, AND UNIONS

Guilds Key to Acronyms AFL: American Federation of Labor AFM: American Federation of Musicians CIO: Congress of Industrial Organizations IATSE: International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees IBEW: International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers IBT: International Brotherhood of Teamsters MPMO: Motion Picture Machine Operators Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS) 8949 Wi…

APPENDIX II—FILM SCHOOLS - California, New York

Arizona State University P.O. Box 870112 Tempe, AZ 85287-0112 Phone: (480) 965-7788 web site: www.asu.edu American University 4400 Massachusetts Ave., NW Washington, DC 20016-8001 Phone: (202) 885-6000 web site: http://admissions.american.edu Florida State University Tallahassee, FL 32306-2400 Phone: (850) 644-6200 web site: http://admissions.fsu.edu Valencia Community College P.O. Box 3028 Orla…

APPENDIX III—DIRECTORIES AND DATABASES

Directors Guild Directory Directors Guild of America 7920 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90046 Phone: (310) 289-2000 Hollywood Agents & Managers Directory Hollywood Creative Directory: The Film and Television Industry Bible Hollywood Interactive Entertainment Directory Hollywood Creative Directory 3000 W. Olympic Blvd., Suite 2525 Santa Monica, CA 90404 Phone: (310) 315-4815 Fax: (310) 315-…

APPENDIX IV—FILM FESTIVALS

AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival 2021 N. Western Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90027-1657 Phone: (323) 856-7707 Fax: (323) 462-4049 web site: www.afifest.com Austin Film Festival 1600 Nueces, Suite 101 Austin, TX 78701 Phone: (512) 478-4795 web site: www.Instar.com/austinfilm/filmorder.htm Los Angeles Independent Film Festival 5455 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1500 Los Angeles, CA 90010 Phone:(213)…

APPENDIX V—MAGAZINES

American Cinematographer Phone: (323) 969-4344 web site: www.cinematographer.com Back Stage West Phone: (323) 525-2356 web site: www.backstage.com Cinefex Phone: (909) 781-1917 web site: www.cinefex.com Creative Screenwriting Phone: (323) 957-1405 web site: www.creativescreenwriting.com Daily Variety Phone: (818) 487-4554 web site: www.variety.com DGA Magazine Phone: (310) 289-2000 web s…

APPENDIX VI—BOOKS

Brown, Blain. Motion Picture and Video Lighting. Newton, MA: Focal Press, 1996. Buzzell, Linda. How to Make It in Hollywood: All the Right Moves. New York: HarperPerennial, 1996. Dunne, John Gregory. Monster: Living Off the Big Screen. Vintage Books, 1998. ———. The Studio. Vintage Books, 1998. Ensign, Lynne Naylor and Robyn Eileen Knapton. The Complete Dictionary of Television…

ART DEPARTMENT - Job Title: Production Designer, Job Title: Production Designer, Commercials, Job Title: Art Director

Remove the actors from the set, and everything else you see falls under the direction of the Art Department. Responsibilities vary according to the size and scope of a production, with smaller projects requiring that one person fill several positions. Those positions include: …

CAMERA DEPARTMENT - Job Title: Cinematographer Or Director Of Photography (dp), Job Title: Camera Operator, Job Title: Steadicam Operator

The cinematographer is responsible for creating and capturing the overall photographic impression of a film. As head of the camera department, responsible for hiring the camera crew, the cinematographer oversees the camera operator, first assistant cameraman or focus puller, second assistant cameraman, and the film loader. On large productions, the camera crew might also include a camera depa…

DIRECTORS AND ASSISTANT DIRECTORS - Job Title: Director, Job Title: First Assistant Director, 1st Ad, Or Assistant Director

The making of a film, like the construction of an automobile, is a collaborative effort. The writer designs the vehicle, the producer gets it built, and the director drives it. It is he who chooses the route, steers the actors and technicians to the destination, and determines what type of journey the audience will experience. Precisely what a director does varies according to his personal st…

EDITORIAL - Job Title: Editor, Film Editor, Or Picture Editor, Job Title: Postproduction Facility Manager Or Director Of Postproduction

GLOSSARY

A-list The very best; the highest quality. Usually describes top talent. above-the-line or above-the-line expenses/costs Expenses incurred before production begins, including acquisition of the story rights or a project from another company; fees paid to the creative talent: actors, directors, producers, and writer(s); and travel. above the title Contractual billing of an actor's name above…

HAIR, MAKEUP, AND COSTUMES - Job Title: Makeup Artist Or Special Effects Artist, Job Title: Makeup Artist, Hair And Wardrobe Sylist

The proper hairstyle, makeup, and costume help actors to establish their character. This is especially true in a historical setting, where the structure of an authentic period costume may determine how the actor walks, sits, and gestures, and a wig or hairstyle may determine his posture and carriage. Actors of sufficient rank may request their own hairstylist, makeup artist, or costumer as pa…

LIGHTING AND GRIPS - Job Title: Gaffer, Chief Lighting Technician, Job Title: Rigging Gaffer, Job Title: Key Grip

Although their jobs overlap to the point that even they sometimes have difficulty explaining their duties, lighting and grip departments perform distinctly different functions. The grip department sets up all of the lighting and equipment needed to film a scene. The gaffers then move in to set and focus the lights, and power the equipment. Positions within the lighting or electrical departmen…

LOCATIONS AND TRANSPORTATION - Job Title: Location Manager, Job Title: Transportation Coordinator, Job Title: Transportation Office Coordinator Or Transportation Accountant

Gone are the days when a project was constructed and filmed entirely on a studio soundstage. Today's production budgets require that suitable existing locations be found as settings, and transportation arranged for the actors, crew, and equipment to get there. The location manager finds locations that fit the needs of the script, director, and budget; negotiates usage with the owner; o…

PHYSICAL AND VISUAL EFFECTS - Job Title: Stunt Coordinator, Job Title: Aerial Director/coordinator, Job Title: Visual Effects Supervisor

When the script calls for a setting too expensive to build, a creature that does not exist, or action that is too dangerous to allow an actor to perform, the special effects team is called in. Runaway vehicles, bullet strikes, and explosions are examples of physical effects: special effects staged during filming without photographic tricks. Snow drifts added to a scene after it has been filme…

PRODUCERS AND THE PRODUCTION OFFICE - Job Title: Executive Producer, Feature Films, Job Title: Line Producer, Job Title: Producer—television

In the broadest sense, it is the producer who makes a film happen. The producer finds the story, gets the money to finance the production, and helps put together the pool of actors and artisans who will bring the story to life. Once the project is set up, the producer troubleshoots problems and keeps the project on track throughout all its phases, until the finished product is released. Some …

PUBLICITY AND MARKETING - Job Title: Unit Publicist, Job Title: Unit Photographer, Still Photographer, Or Special Assignment Photographer

REGIONAL OPPORTUNITIES - Job Title: Film Commission Or Film Office And Location Manager, Job Title: Executive Director, American Federation Of Television And Radio Artists (aftra)

SOUND AND MUSIC - Job Title: Production Sound Mixer, Job Title: Boom Operator, Job Title: Cable Man, Cabler, Sound Utility

Sound, in the form of dialogue, background noise, or effects, provides an important means of communicating ideas. Music helps set the tone of a scene and emphasizes the emotions portrayed by the actors. Together, sound and music give dimension to a visual image that would otherwise be mere pantomime. Those involved in the creation, recording, and mixing of sound and music include: Positions i…

SPECIALISTS - Job Title: Agent, Job Title: Animal Trainer Or Film Animal Trainer, Job Title: Casting Director, Casting Agent, Or Casting Assistant

There is a small army of talented individuals whose specialized services are essential to many productions, but whose jobs are not generally known outside film and television circles. A few of these include: Craft Services are the individual(s) responsible for providing between-meal snacks and beverages for the cast and crew throughout the course of a filming day. Meals are provided by cateri…

WRITERS - Job Title: Writer/producer, Job Titles: Writer; Executive Story Editor, Job Title: Screenwriter, Writer

Writers write the story. Directors, producers, actors, and studio executives may all have their input, but it is the writers put their pens to paper, so to speak, to give the story its form. They create and write the screenplays, without which there would be no actions to film, no words to record, no emotions to convey; in short, no movie or television program. Some writers sit alone in a roo…