hi clarette,
Whilst i have been researching your question i have not found any
evidence to show that there's a "special" or different way for mature
entrants to get into the film industry. I believe having an MA, and a
background in Art, Languages and German films, is certainly an
advantage! Here are some snippets of information and advice on how to
get into the film industry and how various people came to be art
directors and what they advise to those who wish to find work in the
film industry:
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"....If you're really interested in working in film, working in the
art department as I do, you should certainly research it, call up
production, or call up an Art Director and see if you can meet with
them and maybe go to a shoot. See what actually happens on a set."
(last paragraph)
http://www.sasknetwork.gov.sk.ca/pages/lmi/luv/p_artFilm.htm
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How to become a Production Designer
"In production design, the progression route is often from Trainee to
Assistant Art Director to become an Art Director and Production
Designer. This is governed by the art department in the film and video
section of The Services Industrial Professional Technical Union
(SIPTU). To join SIPTU as a trainee Art Director, applications must be
accompanied by a CV and a portfolio of work showing the applicants
abilities. Trainees must then work under the supervision of an Art
Director and can apply for upgrading to Assistant Art Director when
they have fulfilled all the qualifications required. Many trainees in
art direction are recruited from art colleges and architecture
courses. Others working in the field have come from the theatre.
Production design applicants to RTE are required to hold a third level
qualification in design and an aptitude for design work in the
electronic medium is essential. As is the case with most careers in
the industry, on-the-job training and experience are most valuable."
[...]
Employment And Promotional Prospects
"The progression route in this department is usually from Trainee Art
Director to Assistant to Full Grade Art Director and Production
Designer. As is the case with most jobs in the industry, progression
involves learning and upgrading through the union with experience.
Thus, on-the-job development is limited by the amount of work which is
available, however, opportunities are expanding in the film and
television industry in general. Film work is on a freelance basis..."
http://www.fasnrcvg.ie/careers/jobs/P/proddes.htm
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"....Cecele "Cece" Destefano, has just won her first Emmy award for
"art direction on a single-camera series", for the pilot episode of
ABC's hit television action drama Alias. Growing up on the northwest
side of Chicago to a blue-collar family, Cece said, "it was embedded
in me to support myself. Art was definitely not the area to do that."
Cece didn't really know what she wanted to do until her junior year of
high school. She explains "I did not excel in all areas of school, but
I was really inspired by the art classes." One evening while she was
at the movies with some friends the answer presented itself. She
recalls "I saw a movie and I noticed the title of art director in the
credits, and I thought, 'I can do that!' " She enrolled in Columbia
College to study film and art, because Columbia College "ranks right
up there with the schools on the West Coast. A lot of good people have
come out of Columbia." Although she started with the core film tech
classes, she also took classes from other departments, like fine art
courses and set design for theater. "The film program didn't have
anything in the art director realm whatsoever. There were no creative
classes like production or costume design. So I began taking the core
theater classes." By this time she had realized that she, "had
obtained enough knowledge in the field of film making and that it was
time to transfer that to the focus of my studies, to become an Art
Director. I decided to go back to the art side of my studies, and
continue taking courses in interior design, architectural drafting,
and related Fine Arts classes...For aspiring art directors, Cece
recommends that "The best thing anyone can do is have a strong work
ethic, regardless of what you're doing. Work your butt off. Show
people that you have passion for what you are doing every day, because
there is no second chance. Every single minute matters in life."
http://www.colum.edu/alumni/profiles/Destefano.htm
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"ADW: How did you become an Art Director at EA?
TC: I came to EA with a graphic design and illustration background and
initially worked on front end (interface) design. From there I started
doing character art / design and models and became a Lead artist on
the FIFA soccer titles. I worked on the Sledstorm series and learned
even more about the various facets of game development. I am now an
Art Director working with producers, designers and development
directors on various game projects. Some of them are top secret so I
can’t talk about them!"
(4th question)
http://www.myvfs.com/talks/ea_nov2002.html
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"There is no set way to prepare to become an art director. In general,
a bachelor's or master's degree is good preparation. Recommended
majors are art or graphic design. Photographic arts or computer
applications technology are other recommended majors....In addition,
courses in photography, graphic arts, and journalism are helpful."
(Preparation)
http://icpac.indiana.edu/careers/career_profiles/100246.xml.print
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"My name is Victoria Catlin and I am a visual effects animator. I am
the direct product of an internship that evolved into employment. I am
a Graduate of Theatre with the emphasis on Television and Film Design,
which involved lots and lots of drafting. I have technical skills in
both Theatre and Television, and I have worked at the PBS station
there on campus four years. As a senior, I interned at a local
station, and I had a second job to boot. I decided that I could not
become an Art Director straight out of school; it wasn't going to
happen over night. So I came to L.A. and became a set painter for 4
interesting and oddly enough very fun years. Eight months ago, I
signed up for enrollment in the "Certificate Program in Graphic
Design," through UCLA Extensions. I familiarized myself with other
schools prior to my enrollment, such as: Learning Tree University,
Pasadena Art Center At Night, Cal Arts, Platt, and some good community
colleges. I chose UCLA because of the reputation I heard through
telephone interviews with professionals in both animation and software
gaming companies...."
http://women.animation.org/1998/victoria_catlin.html
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"...I decided to look into the realities of a career as a production
designer. I read whatever I could find on the subject. I also went to
the Set Designers’ local office and asked someone, ‘If I wanted to
become an art director, as it was called at that time, what do I
study?’ And he said, ‘Of course, it’s almost impossible to do that,
but if you did want to become an art director, you need a degree in
architecture.’ I thought that seemed pretty straightforward. So, I
started planning my college education with the idea of getting a
degree in architecture. I started reading about what it takes to
become an architect. You had to learn calculus, and about beam stress
and engineering. The more I thought about that, the less I could see
how it would help me make movies, so I decided that I would go to film
school and take architectural design classes. I thought that would
give me the best of both worlds. In retrospect, that’s what the guy at
the Local should have told me but he was probaly more interested in
getting rid of me..."
(Answer to question: "What about that essay you wrote about being a
production designer?")
http://www.cameraguild.com/interviews/chat_cundey/cundey_interview.htm
------------------------------------
"...Luckily, the film industry is so dependent on freelancers that it
requires those involved in it to be constantly networking to find
jobs. And truthfully, if you don't make the effort, chances are you'll
never be successful. The key to becoming a successful
behind-the-scenes worker is to build a strong foundation of contacts
and to make those contacts early through proper networking. So, the
key is to know who to contact and how to find them. The only way
you're going to establish a network of individuals to help you find
work in the film industry is to get out there and start looking.
First, you need to know whom to contact. Potential contacts fall into
three groups: people in the industry, people in industry
organizations, and people outside the industry..."
http://www.cyberfilmschool.com/columns/mchugh_4.htm
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"...The best way to find a job is to network, network, network! Join
local associations that cater to the professionals working in your
field. Try to keep up with discussion groups on the web. Try to order
the film and video directories in the states where you are trying to
find work and start calling to find out if companies are accepting
resumes. You can order the Georgia Film & Video SourceBook or The
Virginia Production Services Directory through Oz Publishing, Inc. To
find out about ordering other directories, contact the film and video
commissions that publish the directories."
(No 5 - "Can you help me find a job?")
http://www.telefilm-south.com/forms/faq.html#faq5
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Other useful links:
The Definitive Film Resource: Schools and Jobs
http://www.tdfilm.com/filmlinks/school.html
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Search terms used:
[ "being an art director" film ]
[ "find wok in the movies" art ]
[ "find work in the film industry" art ]
[ "find work" film art ]
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I hope this information helps you!
I very much enjoyed researching your question, and i wish you luck in
finding work.
* Before you rate answer *
If the links don't work, or if any part of this answer is unclear or
not answered to your satisfaction, feel free to ask for clarification
and i'll do my best to follow it up.
regards,
Jack |
