Blog Post #7: 4/18

Another thing to think about for after the DAT Capstone project is finished is searching for careers in the film industry. This is perhaps the most important thing to think about, as our documentary is important but our career is potentially forever. The thing I was most unsure about was how to approach getting into the industry, so I researched and found an article by Hannah Friend giving tips on starting a career in film or television.

One tip is about cover letters and resumes specific to this industry. Will Davies, a director of programming, says he suggests "simplicity, clarity, and evidence" when writing these up. These are some of the same suggestions Jorge Pazimino gave to our class in the career development workshop session. You don't want to go into too much detail, but you still need to list your achievements in a way that displays what the skills specifically achieved in each instance. 

Another tip from the article is about students in university. Although I'm already out the door, some of this information was still relevant for me. They acknowledged that balancing courses and work is difficult, so you have to make the most of the opportunities that the university gives you. The most important part to me is building up a portfolio, whether that be on a personal website or a platform like LinkedIn. I've had the opportunity to create two documentaries now, and my internship at StageOne has allowed me to gather lots of examples of actual professional work.

A final tip that I found useful in the article was about how to get professional experiences without any experience. While I wouldn't say I have no experience, it's true that I've never worked for a film company, so this caught my eye. The article says to attend as many free film-related events as possible, and that networking is the most important tool a recent graduate can use. I have found this to be helpful during my internship, as the experience is nice but the connections are even nicer.