Film careers offer opportunities both in front of and behind the camera, with many roles not requiring a college degree. Supporting roles include stagehands, boom operators, and production assistants, while creative roles include set and costume designers, makeup artists, and Foley’s artists. Specialists in fields such as weapons design and computer-generated imagery can also find work in the film industry.
While it can be a tough field to break into because of the high level of competition, there are many types of film career opportunities. In addition to creative work in front of the camera, people who possess a less extravagant skill set can find career opportunities behind the scenes in film productions. Most of these jobs do not require a college degree or specialized education, but most film directors, screenwriters, cinematographers and film editors acquire a bachelor’s or associate’s degree in an art school environment.
Most staff associated with a film work on the team in supporting roles. They assist the director and cinematographers by running errands as needed and generally help ensure that the production runs as smoothly as possible. These film career opportunities consist of labor intensive positions such as stagehands, boom operators, production assistants and props masters. After proving that an entry-level position is worth working for, they can acquire a role in roles that give them greater responsibility. Examples of advanced crew careers include the main squeeze or gaffer, who works primarily under the director of photography, as well as the construction coordinator, who manages the set-building crew.
The film’s director assumes the onus of responsibility to lead the artistic direction of his team, but other film career opportunities also require a certain amount of creativity. Along with the artistry of actors who add emotion to a film, creative people often find employment creating sets or costumes, styling hair, or applying makeup. Lighting directors also play a valuable artistic role in film, although sometimes the director of photography takes on this responsibility. At the conclusion of filming, Foley’s artists and sound recording engineers step in to create the audio and sound effects for every action shown in the film, and the editors cut unnecessary segments of video and turn the remaining clips into a complete movie that conveys the direction of the story in a logical and consistent manner.
People traditionally employed outside of the film industry sometimes find work on a film crew. These types of film career opportunities include designers, painters and sculptors for miniature work, and composers who write music or score for a film. Films shot in the past or the future may require the work of specialists who design and create weapons, futuristic modes of transport, or technical and scientific support equipment. Animators, computer modelers, and other multimedia artists can also find work in the film industry, creating computer-generated imagery (CGI) to enhance special effects or add realism to animatronics.
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