First and foremost, you have to decide if you are going to be a grunt or a star. There are jobs in lots of fields but you need to figure out what you are going to excel at and then move forward from there. Once you recognize this, there are plenty of opportunities available, you just have to go out and get them.
The no-brainer positions are the writers, directors and actors. Everyone primarily wants to do one of these jobs but have no idea how to get the skills to actually be credible and actually land one of these. Wannabe film makers are a dime a dozen but the problems is, there is no need for it. There are plenty of schools out there now that can educate you on every aspect of what it takes and what you need to do to be successful.
We have all written stories that we thought would be a great TV show or movie but the problem is we have no idea how to make it look like a TV show on paper. Well then go take some screen writing classes and learn the process. You don’t have to go to film school for 4 years to do this. There are plenty of ‘tech like schools’ out there that can teach you specifically what you are looking for and then you can take your shot at Hollywood.
You want to be a director? Same deal, go to school and learn how to direct. Get on the computer and look up the schools in New York and California that specialize in teaching you just that. The same of course can be said for actors and actresses along with several other positions in the wonderful world of television.
There was a time that a job in television was looked down upon by Hollywood and considered second class. Not anymore, now you have stars that actually prefer TV to movies because of the steady work and for the most part, much less grueling filming schedule. TV stars are making as much if not more than movie stars. Look at the price tags the cast of Friends commanded or the Soprano’s cast. These were all big time salaries that were earned in the wonderful world of television!
Another way TV show jobs have become more lucrative and more attractive to the Hollywood set is that Hollywood is now moving across the country and location shoots are mean more jobs for more people. Take a show like CSI that is filmed in three separate locations and none of them are Hollywood. This series has to have 3 separate production crews for 3 different locations but guess what? You are now part of the Hollywood scene and now that you are in, the sky is the limit.
Cable has also done wonders in adding credibility to the TV world in Hollywood. There was a time when you couldn’t curse, show nudity and many other things on standard television. Not any more, watch HBO any night of the week and your jaw will drop. I won’t even go into Skinemax, I mean Cinemax. In addition to losing all of the taboos that used to keep the big names out of television, cable is actually making real movies that are supposed to go directly to TV! That used to be the ultimate slap in the face when you never hit the big screen, but not any more. Some of these stations are putting out films that have the major studios drooling.
All in all, TV has gone Hollywood and it is bringing us with it. It has introduced and continues to create more and more jobs not just for the actors and directors, but for the everyday man that is behind the scenes. Each show now has a huge production crew when back in the day you would have the same behind the scenes people working every show that their studio had. Now everything is specialized and departmentalized because of the clout that TV now has. So you want to go Hollywood? How about going TV instead and then ride the wave to the hills of California!
