Getting A Gig That’ll Lead You To The Top!
Do you want to work on big Hollywood movies?
The thing with jobs on big-budget productions is that they usually require vetted pros for their open positions. In other words, you need to be in a union. But how do you get into a union if gigs that can qualify you for union work require you to be in a union to work for them?
Getting into a union can be like trying to jump through the moving blades on a fan, but we can help slow those blades down a bit.
The first thing is to be committed to that goal. There are many ways onto a film production. If you want to go the union route, which is one we recommend if you want to work in LA, then you need to be prepared and ready to go for the long haul.
On any production, there’s a ton of work to be done and many people end up working on films by sheer force of need. When it comes to the story department, tons of storyboards are being done and redone, over and over, until the director or producer or both are satisfied with them. That means even if the production’s story team is at full capacity, they can still always use clean-up services on their art, to show that even though their work is coming off a story conveyor belt, it still looks good. You can get this work easily if you offer reduced rates with quality work.
Remember, at this point, it’s not about the money. It’s about getting those union-qualifying gigs under your belt. Not to mention invaluable experience. Make sure you contact a union artist in the story department who can vouch for your apprenticeship for that gig.
Here are the basic rules to qualify for the Local 800 Art Director’s Guild in LA:
- You need 30 union days completed.
- You need to have worked within the past 365 days.
- If the project you’re working is non-union, they must at least have a union agreement.
- A union project that wants to hire you is allowed one producer/director request for a non-union illustrator/storyboard.
Another way to help you get into the Local 800 is to have a portfolio with examples from production-type jobs to show you can do the work. If your portfolio is good enough and no one else is available to do the work, you might end up getting hired.
Also keep in mind you don’t necessarily need to get into the union to work on these big Hollywood movies. In the end, you just want to work and get paid, right?
You can work for smaller companies that do concept or previz for these bigger productions. Studios like The Third Floor and Halon Entertainment hire story artists all the time to fill needs on the big productions they service.
You might also want to go direct and apply to studios like Marvel or Warner Bros. If you’re hired, you automatically qualify for the union. But at that point, who cares? You’re already working on cool films!
Finally don’t let a job requirement like union status stop you.
Start small. Start anywhere. But start taking work, even for small pay until you can command a better salary– it all adds up.
Story never ends!
Jason
PS. Do you have a job experience you would like to share? Leave a comment below.
I am in the film union.. art department and paint dept..i started off a Craigslist ad. Then worked my way up through the paint dept. Worked on several feature films.