Podeloy Productions Blog

I got a message on Facebook from a young woman named Christine who writes:

“I just graduated from college with a tv production major and moved out to Long Beach, CA in hopes to find an editing job.  I searched Facebook for editors in the area and found your profile. I was just curious if you had any advice for me. I know this is an odd way to get ahold of someone but I’ve tried everything from craigslist, mediamatch, realitystaff, mandy.com, and I’m really stressed and confused as to what else to do to find a job, so I turned to good old Facebook.  Anyway, I have experience with Avid and just recently got Final Cut Studio put on my computer and am hoping to become experienced with that as well.  ANY advice would really help.  I’m not expecting you to give me a job or anything, haha, just some direction would be really appreciated.”

Well, Christine, I’d suggest finding people who are perhaps a little older (and a little richer) than you who share your same interests.  The key is networking with like-minded people who may have been in your shoes.  Are you religious? Perhaps there’s a church nearby with programs you can video tape and then edit.  It is almost guaranteed that in Southern California, at least one regular congregant at any given church or synagogue is in the television industry that would be glad to network with you.

I see that on Facebook, you list yourself as “very liberal.” Organizations like Co-Op America and the Natural Resources Defense Council have plenty of industry people as members, and I’m sure they are always looking for documentarians to further educate the public and politicians. Left-wing documentaries are extremely popular right now.

In short, I wouldn’t think of it as “getting your foot in the door.” That only makes the person slam the door on your foot! Instead, think of being a part of a big family, except that you get to choose your family and, if it all goes well, the family will choose you.

Podeloy blog reader John Wouk asks:

“I’m trying to apply for a job I found on Craigslist directing a short industrial film.  The person who placed the ad is asking for applicants’ reels.  I’m a student at a local college with a few student films and short documentaries under my belt and am confident that I could do a good job on the industrial film, but I’ve never created a reel for myself.  How is it done? Is there a difference between a good reel and a bad reel? Should I just give him one whole student film I made or should I just show the best parts? Any advice would be appreciated.”

Thanks for writing, John.  Its a great question because it applies to directors, actors, editors, cinematographers, and anyone else who needs to create a reel to show off his or her work to a client or producer.

There are two broad categories of reels: (1) specific and (2) eclectic.  A specific reel shows off long scenes of projects (or perhaps even entire projects) whereas an eclectic reel shows off very brief clips of a variety of different projects.  Whether you want to create and submit a specific reel or an eclectic reel depends on a variety of factors including the project you are applying for, the client you are applying to, and your own personal strengths and experiences as an artist.

Cutting an specific reel is fairly easy.  You hardly need any editing skill at all.  All you do is choose the best scenes from your best projects, put them on the timeline, and add your fade ins and fade outs as necessary. This is best for directors and actors who want to show off their skills at creating and sustaining emotion.

Eclectic reels are a little more tricky.  What I like to do is get some fast-paced music (make sure to get the rights first) that would appeal to a variety of musical tastes, lay it on the timeline, and then just cut cool looking or action oriented shots from projects together so that it looks like you’re a jack of all trades.  The eclectic reel should look a little bit like a music video.  Confidence in getting the job done is the dominant feeling the client should be getting, rather than the sensitivity that the best specific reels are best at.  Eclectic reels are best for cinematographers, visual effects artists, and (sometimes) editors who want to highlight their technical craftsmanship.

Reader Jan Brannen writes:

“I just got out finished college and am having trouble finding work in the TV industry.  I’m trying to put a resume together and I’m not sure how it looks.  I got straight A’s in both high school and college, but my work experience is basically limited to having a summer job at Starbucks.  Should I put my Starbucks experience? I’m putting my college experience, but what about high school? Thanks.”

A resume is like an advertisement for you.  You should design your resume similarly to how one might market a product.  Since each person is unique, each resume should be tailored to your specific strengths.

Good grades are definitely a boost to your resume, but I found that what’s more impressive to employers are honors bestowed for those grades.  Did you receive a Cum Laude distinction on your diploma? If so, write be sure to mention it.  High school grades are not as important.  I include my high school experience on my resume because I did a lot of film/tv stuff in high school for which I received awards and honors, but if you just had a regular high school experience, then I’d say include nothing more than your graduation year and school name and location.

As for Starbucks, it depends.  In Jan’s case, I would include it, but be sure to have bullet points under it with “power words” such as “Assisted customers achieve the most satisfying experience possible.” Be sure to include anything such as equipment used or learned on the job like computer software.  For someone who has more work experience than Jan, I wouldn’t put Starbucks on my resume if I was looking for a job in the TV industry.

Thanks for the question, Jan, and good luck!