OTHER CAREERS

As noted previously, it is impossible in a book of this size to cover every possible career choice in the film and television industry. Movies and television shows are as diverse as life itself. An almost infinite variety of specialized skills may be called upon to make these productions more lifelike. Therefore, if you have not found exactly what you are looking for here in terms of a career, you may want to conduct some research of your own on some of the following career possibilities:

• Animal trainer
• Camera operator
• Career consultant
• Carpenter
• Caterer
• Dance coordinator
• Diet consultant
• Fight coordinator
• Film director
• Film editor
• Film producer
• Painter
• Personal trainer
• Photographer
• Stand-in
• Transportation coordinator

In the past, people just seemed to fall into these careers as a result of simply being in the right place at the right time when someone needed something done. For instance, Maury Rapf, who worked as an assistant to a Hollywood producer in the late 1930s, was supposedly locked in a hotel room for three days to train 300 cockatiels to squawk the name of the producer's new film before they were released during the opening-night gala.

To a certain extent this is still true of the film industry, but increasingly the nature of these specialized skills is being carefully defined and there are schools and apprentice programs that teach them. The point is that there are plenty of things that you can do to make a great career for yourself. Try a few different options and see what you like the best. Then work as hard as you can. You have a bright future in a fabulous career ahead of you. As they say in show business, “Break a leg!”

Making it in film, television, or any of the performing arts or their technical support professions means taking greater risks than a person might consider for a more conventional career. So much depends on being in the right place at the right time, and many earnest, hardworking people miss their chance. But for the successful, the reward can be fame, fortune, and a fascinating career.