Movin' on up! They can't pay YOU, but...., may decide to shoot 16mm film (doubling the cost) instead of video. How great it must be to have such options.


"This would be great for someone who has Key PA'd or PA'd lots of times and is looking to move up. Non-paying, however. Projected shoot schedule is 4-5 days. Will receive credit, a copy of final edit and be fed. Must be capable of doing ALL the things required of an AD. Current version of script is 7 pages and MAY be no more than 10 pages after final revisions. Right now, planning on shooting digital video but MIGHT shoot 16mm. Also looking for a Props Master/Mistress. Send resume(s)."

I don't know if it's ridiculous but it sure is comical. I wonder why it's half price in Georgia?

"We shoot low budget music videos for $500 in Georgia, $1000 in Florida, $1000 in Alabama, $1000 in North Carolina, $1000 in South Carolina, and $1000 in Tennessee."

I'm guessing they are based out of Georgia and therefore don't need as much in the way of travel related production expenses.

Yep. That's a possibility but I would hate to think that much went to travel/accommodations instead of the production.

These clowns are at it again. You would think they are backed by a major studio with all of the listed responsibilities and departments except for one thing..... at the very bottom on the last line it says, deferred payment until March 2006!!!!!! Translation, no pay!! You've done all the work and they disappear. They tried to get me to shoot with my gear under these terms last year. Someone actually took the time to think all of this up and then type it out. If you have to define all of the positions of a crew, you are already in deep trouble. Unbelievable folks!!!

"Assistant Directors - primary responsibility will be assisting the Director of “The Xxxxxx,” including but not limited to the following: location consulting, scheduling, preparing shooting schedules, filling out production paperwork, summoning and serving as a liaison between the director and actors or other production crew members, rehearsing actors, organizing crowd scenes, maintaining order on the set and some casting.

Production Assistant – These needed individuals will assist the Production team/crew during shooting/filming. They assist in all needed duties during filming. These individuals will report to the Assistant Director. Some production experience is good but not required.

Location Manger – This individual is responsible for ensuring locations are obtained for shooting/filming. Other duties include working with Producers, Executive Producers, Screenwriters and Directors to ensure locations are secured, location contracts are created and presented. Strong management, scheduling and organization skills are required, coupled with excellent communication and writing skills. Human Resources or project management skills required.

Camera Persons (4 positions) – These individual are responsible for shooting/filming during filming/shooting season.
NOW until May 31, 2006. Experience using a Canon XL1s is required and you don't have to have your own camera. Must have experience working on a series type production.

Production Coordinator
– This position is an integral part of the production process and team.
This individual works closely with the Director and Executive Producers of The Xxxxxx ensuring production dates and filming/shooting dates are met on time or in a timely manner. Other duties include working with the Location Manager, Producers, Production Crew/Team, and Talent to ensure everything is on point when it’s time to film/shoot. Excellent time management, scheduling and organization skills are required coupled with excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Talent Director
– This individual must have a charming personality and a very sharp tongue.
This individual works closely with the Director, Production Coordinator and Executive Producers of The Xxxxxx ensuring Talent is on point to film/shoot during scheduled filming/shooting days. Other duties include managing the Talent in a soft but firm hand. Keeping Talent informed of all events pertaining to the Talent’s filming/shooting schedule, contract items or issues, conflicts, concerns, etc. Excellent people skills are required coupled with time management; scheduling and organizational skills, as well as, excellent verbal and written communication skills. Ideal position for an individual with a Human Resource background. Must be able to provide charming firm criticism to Talent.

Producers
– These individuals are placed on the front line to greet our customers/public so a charming personality is required. Duties include receiving a scene and working with other Producers, Location Managers, Executive Producers, Screenwriters and Directors to ensure assigned scenes have everything required/needed to guarantee the completion of a successful shoot. These individuals work closely with the Production Coordinator of The Xxxxxx. Excellent people skills are required coupled with time management; scheduling and organizational skills, as well as, excellent verbal and written communication skills. Ideal position for an individual with a Project Management, Sales or Team Leader background.

Customer Specialist
– These individuals must have a friendly charming personality to greet our demanding customers. Responsibilities include handling customer request and complaints, troubleshooting customer’s orders and resolving customer conflicts. This position is designed to fully charge our customers with a warm and fuzzy from Xxxxxx Xxxxx Productions. Excellent people skills are required coupled with time management, scheduling and organizational skills, as well as, excellent verbal and written communication skills. Must have experience with MS-Word, MS-Excel and emailing. Must be able to make toll call throughout the country. Ideal position for an individual with Customer Service skills.

Sound Specialist
– this individual must have proven track record for producing and obtaining quality sound from a shoot. Responsibilities include setting up sound equipment, reviewing sound quality, providing sound advice, troubleshooting sound quality problems and sound conflicts. Excellent teamwork is required coupled with time management, scheduling and organizational skills, as well as, excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Compensation: DEFERRED PAYMENT UNTIL MARCH 2006. START IMMEDIATELY..."

Next ad I put out will read:

"Camera operater wanted. Must be able to use focus, zoom, and iris. Must be able to operate tripod."

I have a friend who has done on-air interviews for a TV show for 3 years and he hasn't received a penny. In his 3rd season, he even filled out a contract but still nothing!

Older people who scam young people are absolute scum.

I agree with you 100% about the scamming part. That's one reason this thread was created, to shed some light on these knuckleheads. However, scammers are the young and the old and unfortunately becoming more of the young as they learn from the old. But they can only scam if people fall for their crap and let them do it. Unfortunately, there's a steady stream of young and naive people, especially college kids, willing to fill these positions with ambiguous pretenses that could actually happen but more than likely won't. I've been duped, but that's how you learn. It's the one's that don't learn after a short few times that I'm worried about.

Well, if your friend has a contract, he at least has something to hold them to. What good is the contract if he doesn't enforce it? If he was getting some pay, that would be better than nothing, especially in this hard to find a job industry. But he's not getting anything. So he has nothing to lose by enforcing the contract or walking! What are they going to do, send him home for a week with NO PAY or even worse, fire him for insubordination for wanting to be paid? I don't have much sympathy for folks who have nothing to lose but stay in a bad situation anyway. As it is, it sounds like he has enough for legal action.

Why do people take these?
 

Here's one I saw today.

"Filming is from 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. most days. Filming will take place in Monroe WA (about 45 minutes from Seattle)
The pay is $50/day ($250 total). (Plus meals, screen credit, and a copy of the movie on DVD when it is finished.)
We had a cinematographer signed on for this movie. Due to a sudden health situation in his family, he had to abruptly leave the project. So we're looking for a replacement on short notice.
Would love to find a DP with his or her own high def equipment. "

Let me see...They want you to work 10 hours a day, @ $50.00/day, or $5.00 an hour. BTW, minimum wage in Washington is $7.00 an hour...
Oh, if you can bring your own equipment. We'll provide you some cheap sandwiches and a DVD...
I certainly understand why the current cinematographer had a health situation in the family. Someone probably starved to death.

And don't forget to bring your Hi Def gear! They may give you an extra pickle on your FREE sandwich for that.

Filmmakers suck.

Ohh.... I should get a T-shirt made of that.

This is an INTERNSHIP!? This last staff position I had which involved those skill paid about $80,000. Mind you, this isn't a no pay Doc or student film, it's a PRODUCTION COMPANY. This isn't for the Tape Library, it's computer troubleshooting, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc!



Production company needs an editor intern for part- or full-time. Some of the duties include troubleshooting with MAC, logging, burning DVDs etc., and may be working on projects, such as tv shows, short films, commercials, documentaries, etc.

MUST have experience in the following:

- MACs
- Troubleshooting w/MAC
- Final Cut Pro HD
- Photo Shop Illustrator
- Multimedia
- Web Experience

Skills in the following are a plus:

- Deamweaver
- Flash
- HTML
- FIP

This is an unpaid internship, but may lead to a paid position. Please send cover letters and resumes to Karen at the above Craig's List email. NO ATTACHMENTS please. Thank you!

"Skilled amateur"? Huh?
 

"I am attempting to complete a portfolio and need a skilled amateur phtographer who fully understands lighting and how it affects photography.


Job location is atl

Compensation: 75 p\h plus I will pay for any needed accessories such as film."

75 an hour is too low for you? I knew anything about photography, I'd take it!

Nope! I don't do stills for a living, just for myself with a typical $200.00 4 megapixel camera. I was mostly talking about the request for a "skilled amateur". That's like asking for some dry water. Translation, they need someone that knows what they are doing and is cheap, although $75/hour isn't bad if that's labor only for a 10-12 hour day. I don't know what still shooters usually get for a day rate to know what to compare that posted rate to.

I suppose you have a point. Still, $75 an hour ain't nothin' to sneeze at from my perspective. Some of these guys, they'll sneeze anyway. I say let 'em.

"I need two Producer-Directors to shoot & edit a US version of a hit British reality format for the Discovery Channel.

You need to be able to shoot very well on DV. If you can't shoot, don't apply. You need to be able to stand up to five arduous weeks trekking through largely uncharted African jungle, during which time you will be filming 12 people each with different disabilities as they try to complete the trek.

The job lasts roughly from Feb 2006 through August 2006. Before that there'll also be a couple of months casting & shooting back stories of participants. One person will also do a two week recce in Zambia, Botswana and Namibia in about five weeks time.

It's going to be great, but extremely tough. For example, several of the crew on the British version contracted malaria. Absolutely everyone experienced the worst diarrhoea of their lives. If you're not up for that kind of thing, don't bother applying. If you are applying please include details of any previous filming in Africa and any Visas you hold currently.

I want to do a round of interviews in NYC next Mon & Tues, the 10th & 11th October from 9am through to 9pm. Unfortunately if you're not available then it's very unlikely that we'll be able to consider you. Apologies for that."

Person is flying in from California for a wedding in CENTRAL PARK NYC and wants to pay WHAT! for an Canon XL series camera. AND this person wants to see a reel!

I'm looking for two DP's with XL-1s or something like that to shoot a wedding in Central Park.
This gig pays $150 each. I'd love to see an online reel.

Contact Aaron by email.

310-xxx-xxx

My favorite thread...
 

I love this thread. Where else can I read about job opportunities that give me diarrhea (my spelling is correct) and malaria. This defines a crappy job...

(BTW, what are the poor handicapped people doing out there, and how are they getting by...Imagine the producers for this show: "Hey let's throw a bunch of people into Africa...maybe some guys in wheel chairs or seriously obese ones...and get them to race from one side of the continent to the other. We should get some laughs, jerk some tears, it'll be a ratings blockbuster...")

Of course, there is the new No/Lo from Al-Queda for both video and editing.

Al Qaeda job
 

DUBAI (Reuters) - Al Qaeda has put job advertisements on the Internet asking for supporters to help put together its Web statements and video montages, an Arabic newspaper reported.

The London-based Asharq al-Awsat said on its Web site this week that al Qaeda had "vacant positions" for video production and editing statements, footage and international media coverage about militants in Iraq, the Palestinian territories, Chechnya and other conflict zones where militants are active.

The paper said the Global Islamic Media Front, an al Qaeda-linked Web-based organization, would "follow up with members interested in joining and contact them via email".

The paper did not say how applicants should contact the Global Islamic Media Front.

Al Qaeda supporters widely use the Internet to spread the group's statements through dozens of Islamist sites where anyone can post messages. Al Qaeda-linked groups also set up their own sites, which frequently have to move after being shut by Internet service providers.

The advertisements, however, could not be found on mainstream Islamist Web sites where al Qaeda and other affiliate groups post their statements.

Asharq al-Awsat said the advert did not specify salary amounts, but added: "Every Muslim knows his life is not his, since it belongs to this violated Islamic nation whose blood is being spilled. Nothing should take precedence over this."

The Front last month launched an Internet news broadcast called Voice of the Caliphate, which it said aimed to combat anti-Qaeda "lies and propaganda" on major international and Arab television channels such as CNN and Al Jazeera.

Al Qaeda and other groups have increasingly turned to the Internet to win young Muslims over to their war against Western-backed governments in Arab and Muslim countries.

Islamist insurgents fighting U.S. forces and the U.S.-backed government in Iraq have often posted slick montages of their military activities, including beheadings of hostages, on the Internet where they spread through dozens of Islamist sites.

I wrote to the Al Qaeda and asked whether they'll let me shoot in 24pA and use my 35mm adapter.

Here's a Gem from Craigslist:
Here are the posts in this forum:
http://vancouver.craigslist.org/cwg/
CAMERA OPERATOR WANTED

Original post:
Reply 1
The original poster didn't like that and answed:
ANother poster replied:
ANyway, I thought you'd all enjoy that, it's good to see some people fight back.

Bids accepted for $50 job! I can only hope I get it!
 

Sorry Jimbo, I'm going to underbid you if it kills me. $30!!

Bidding Closed
 

I wonder if the couple knows what kind of product they're going to get?
 

I don't know if this is ridiculous or just plain ignorant!

"I need someone to videotape a wedding and reception for me in Georgia, specifically Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx Sat Oct 15 at 2 pm. You need a video camera,tri-pod and if you have a wireless mic that would be great but not required. Film the wedding in its entirety and pick and choose what you film at reception (edit thru camera) so when you leave your jobs done. Keep in mind what you send me is exactly what I give the couple, I dont edit, so you send me a finished video. You mail me a VHS copy on SP speed, I mail you a Money Order for $150.00. Simple. I will try to get you more jobs in the future as well. Contact me if interested. X.XXX.XXX.XXXX

Xxxxxx"

Just got offered a "job" from a friend:

"Hey, Robert. We're having our wedding in a few weeks. It's a small, intimate affair, and we're not inviting many people. Mostly family and really close friends. We would really like you to be there, though. It would mean a lot to us if you could be one of our guests. Oh, and could you bring your camera and videotape it and maybe burn a few copies on DVD? Thanks."

Reply [ Absolutely, I would love to come to your wedding. And I'd love to film your wedding. We'll even bring a gift, although my video services will not be it. ]


By the way, if they don't like that answer, give them some local video houses to call.

At some point you just have to draw the line.

I just did a friends wedding for free. Fortunalty for them they hired someone to do the real one. They didn't ask me I just showed up with my cameras. we had TONS of fun, but their parents don't want to see this video!!! They knew better than to ask me, even hire me for that situation. They are 2 of my best and I gave them a video that only our group needs to see. NO sex scenes or anything like that!!!!!, just the after party that you only watch with the people that were there. If that's what they want give it to them it's fun, but if they want something to show to the family????? They should hire someone. In our group we had 4 PD-170's and My Z1 great footage. none of it went to the guy they hired. Only for us.

Hey. . . I think I know the guy who did the ad regarding the weddings and editing in camera. In fact, I've actually been called to do a couple weddings for him that I couldn't do for one reason or another. He's legit, I'm pretty sure. Although it was $200 per wedding last time I heard. I think he wanted a slate in front of the wedding (you'd have to do that through your NLE), but other than that, you edit in camera and "rewind back and record over if you went too long on something", and just mail the miniDV tape to him. Hey, it's not too bad if you don't mind the price.

True, it's not too bad for the work, but I sure agree with James Emory - the video will be just horrible!

Still, if the couple only has $200, then they only have $200. :P

Yeah. . .but if it's what they agree to, then so be it. I actually have the demo video the guy sent me to show me "how it's done".

How are you supposed to do a proper star fade in-camera?

You mean you don't know? Jeez.

Okay, you have to have 30-60 differently sized star mattes, each a little smaller than the last. You hold one matte in front of the lens, and shoot for exactly 1 frame of video, then hold up a slightly smaller one, and repeat 'til you've shot a seconds worth of video. This will, when played back, appear to look as if the star has shrunk. Then you do the reverse to make the star grow again.

How could you not know that?

Hey, I'm just a rookie. Thanks for the explanation, it does sound like it will class up any video a lot!

Hey no problem. As a 50-year vet of the industry, I always look to help newbies out.