Welcome to The Friends In Film Blog

Demand: Enough people to work three times the number of shoots that would normally be happening.

Current Supply: The same number of people that were around before the COVID shutdown.

If you’re an actor or aspiring actor and planning to make a career for yourself in a big market, you’ll eventually need to get an agent. In this video, Tamara talks about her experience with gaining representation as an actress, including some important potential pitfalls!

In the acting world, networking and relationships are just as important as your acting skills. In the beginning, you’ll be getting acting experience on free shoots to get the necessary materials to make a reel and the credits to build a resume. You can then shop those to agents, agencies, and agent scouts to get represented.

The skills you’ve already developed throughout life will set you apart from other actors. You can actually cultivate a personality that connects you harmoniously with other people; you don’t have to be born that way :) Department heads will see that, as well as the directors and producers who fill acting roles, and remember you for it. That will lead to future work in both production and acting, because who wouldn’t want to be around someone who makes them feel great?

By working in production, you’ll be music to the ears of film professionals who hire you. They want someone who understands everything happening on set, how the different departments interact, and what everyone needs.

In this video, Staci gives some examples of how a solid network has benefited her and her friends on set. Staci has worked on numerous TV shows including Madam Secretary, Mr. Robot, High Maintenance, and Broad City. They are always working to make new connections and maintain strong friendships with film professionals working in NYC. Having these relationships has helped them create a prolific career in just one year.

How do you ensure you have a steady workflow as a freelancer? From the day you are on your first set, you’ll be meeting people, exchanging info with them, and starting to make friends. As you get on more and more sets, this web of connections will grow and your friendships will deepen. You can reach out to this network to let them know when you have openings in your schedule, and if they have a job opportunity, they can send it to you. That’s another set where you can meet people and expand your network even further.

Everyone in film is closely watching how COVID-19 is changing the future of the industry. One thing’s for sure: it’s a good time to start a career in film. Although we’re seeing some changes in the way we do things on set, like wearing PPE, there’s a surge of production on the horizon and we’re seeing signs that it might be closer than people think.

For a while, production had almost completely halted. Union work was stopped entirely. But most of those shoots were delayed, not cancelled, and they are looking to start up as soon as possible. Combine those with the shoots that were already planned for the fall, and with content being written right now, and we’re looking at a lot of shoots battling for the same resources like production houses, crews, and equipment.