The working culture of the film industry can be very hectic. This is because there are so many roles within the industry who all need to work together to try and create a piece of content, and this can be very messy along the way, however despite the lack of job security, it can also be one of the most fulfilling jobs in the world (in my opinion).

One aspect of working in the industry is the hours. The film industry is definitely not a 9-5 job, and this is especially true during production. In Hollywood call times are normally at 5AM to achieve maximum daylight, and shoots can be very long, commonly up to 12 hours. Also night shoots can require crew to be on set all through the night!

Being in the film industry practically requires you to have a driving license. This is because firstly, a lot of studios, such as Pinewood, are not close to any transport links and therefore you will need your own private transport to get there. Also if a shoot is in the middle of no-where, such as in a forest in Scotland, it will be very difficult and time consuming to journey there using public transport and therefore a car is a more attractive option. However, travel can also be a big bonus to being in the industry as you get to see lot’s of places that you normally wouldn’t and could have the opportunity to go abroad, to present the film at festivals or shoot scenes in different countries.

There are also a lot of pressures during production of a film. For example, time is always against you, as it may be getting dark or actors may be getting tired and you may only have only have permission to use a certain location or block off a road for a small amount of time. The budget is another big pressure as it may seem like costs are always going out of control and struggling to keep in the budget.

Because the film industry is so hectic you need good qualities to be able to survive in it. A very important quality is being on time as if directors are always battling with daylight, trying to get everything filmed on time, it could be very annoying if you turn up to set late, therefore stopping everyone else from getting on with their job. Also if you are always late to set there is very little chance you will be invited back to work with the same people again.

Another quality is showing initiative as it will be important to make decisions for yourself as everyone else on the set will be busy trying to do their jobs and therefore it is important to try and be independent and cause less hassle. However, it is important that if you don’t know how do to something, ask as if something goes badly wrong it could be terrible for the production.

It should also be important to know your specialism as you should know how to do what you are being paid to do to a high quality. For example, if you are a cinematographer you shouldn’t just learn how to capture footage at daytime as this is the most common scenario you will be filming in. You should learn how to take high standard footage in low-light, as not only will this speed up production, but will also show that you are flexible.

I have definitely got a taste of the working culture of the film industry by taking part in the Film Academy.

For example, on one of the first masterclasses we had was with Caroline Cooper Charles who is a producer and taught us the basics of producing. This really helped show me all the different stages within a film production going from pre-production (fundraising, casting, screenwriting) to post-production (editing, VFX, distribution). Another important masterclass was one with Yen Yau who talked to us about getting into the film industry and one aspect that was really interesting is what employers will look for when hiring someone, as the most important thing someone must have is a driving license, which is even more important then having made a short-film!

Working on my groups film production also gave me a taste of what the industry is like, as we were never stationary and tried to get everything done as fast as we could but to a good quality. It also showed me that things may not always got as expected but you will have to just adapt to the situation, which we discovered when someone else was using our location to film.