As anyone who has ever tried knows, it is extremely hard to find work in the film industry. This is especially true if you do not know anyone in the industry and if you do not have any contacts. This is therefore also the best place to start - find industry contacts through networking!
NETWORKING
Networking both in person or online is one of the best areas you can focus on when you're starting out in the film industry. A great place to start is... you guessed it - social media and more specifically Filmmaker Facebook groups! Here is a list of 100 international filmmaker groups.
If you are based in London here is a list of London-specific groups or if you are an actor here is a list of groups for actors.
The best networking though, is always done in person where you can really build personal and professional relationships and collaborations. Cine Circle is an example of a company that holds monthly film networking events - take a look at our upcoming events here.
RESUME
Before you begin applying for jobs it's important to have a good resume and showreel. Your resume should not be more than 2 pages long and should focus on the most relevant and up to date experiences and skills. Begin your CV with a paragraph about who you are and what you are looking for.
Next move straight to your work experience section which can include short films, professional productions or any other relevant work. Skip anything that's not relevant to the film industry unless you really have zero experience.
After the work experience section add a section with education, skills and anything else that you feel is relevant.
APPLY FOR JOB POSTS
The next step is to start applying for jobs! You can use many different job sites and resources including: Backstage, Production Weekly, Production Bulletin, US Production News, Mandy, and Production Hub.
You can find a list of all UK and US job sites in this blog.
MEET WITH RECRUITERS
If you're looking for full time or long term work in the film industry then your best bet will most likely be to look for jobs through film recruitment agencies. They are hired by production companies and creative agencies to find candidates for open job positions in their organisations. Although some recruiters also look for freelance or temporary work positions the bulk of jobs that you'll find through recruitment companies will be for full time work. This will not only allow you to do what you love full -time but will also give you the opportunity to make valuable contacts and learn about the business and industry. We have put together an ultimate directory of 70+ london-based film recruitment companies here.
GET AN AGENT
If you're a freelance filmmaker looking for work and are struggling to find london film jobs near your then this blog might help! Film crew agents the same as casting agents work for filmmakers to help them find work on projects they are interested in. If you don't have an agent yet then this will be a crucial next step to finding steady work in film and tv production. We have put together a list of 40+ london film crew agents here.
CONTACT FILM PRODUCTION COMPANIES
If you are looking for work as a filmmaker then one of the best ways to find it is to contact film production companies directly. We have therefore put together a list of 600+ London-based film production companies.
Each one of these companies specialises in something very different so we recommend that you first shortlist the companies that are the most relevant to you.
FACEBOOK GROUPS
Facebook groups are still a great place to find work especially if you're a freelancer looking to get jobs on smaller projects. It's also a great place to find new production companies that might not be on the list below. We have put together a few lists of useful Facebook groups which you can check out below:
We hope that you enjoyed this blog and found the information useful. Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions or suggestions - we'd love to hear from you!
As we mentioned before you can take a look at some of our other resources for building a film career below:
If you are looking to find work as a freelancer in the film industry and would like some more guidance and help, then take a look at this Udemy course which goes through a detailed client acquisition strategy. The course outlines three separate strategies for finding steady work as a freelancer without using any paid advertising or social media promotion.
We also offer a series of courses on funding and distributing your film online which you can browse using the links below:
Feature Film Funding and Distribution Course - 14+ hours of video tutorials will guide you through the entire process of funding and distributing your film. It will go through a variety of methods and strategies including crowdfunding, private investors, product placement, online distribution, cinema releases and much, much more!
Feature Film Producing Course - 4+ hours of video tutorials teaching you how to fund and distribute a feature film with a budget between 50–500k.
Film Crowdfunding Course - 4+ hours of video tutorial teaching you how to prepare for, launch and market a film crowdfunding campaign.
Online Film Distribution Course - 4+ hours of video tutorials teaching you how to self-distribute a feature film online.
Finally, you can also take a look at our upcoming online and in-person London-based events here.
