Captivating Careers in the Motion Picture Business

In the hearts of the billions of movie and television watchers all over the world, the movie industry is a one big magical carousel ride with gorgeous women, manly heroes, attractive sets and fashions, astounding special effects, exotic locales to visit and an perpetual flow of cash.

This is just just illusions; the truth is the hard work and dedication that goes on behind every scene to create these magical images.

If you are considering joining the television business for the fun and the cash, then you have to give that notion up and look someplace else. But if you possess ability, the dedication, the correct attitude and the power to endure hard work, then welcome.

Jobs on-camera

Famed actors and actresses didn't acquire their recognition in a single day. Most of them worked as horse stall cleaners, limousine drivers, set carpenters and department store managers. Some were employed in restaurants as waiters or parking attendants in between bit part gigs.

Most movie stars started as movie extras and bit actors. Extras are the individuals in the background in a movie scene. Starting as an extra gives you the eye-opening opportunity to acquaint yourself in the various aspects of movie production. If you stand out from among the other extras in the movie, you may just catch the director's eye.

Movie stunt people are the daredevils who make the onscreen star look good and indestructible. They are sometimes known as stunt doubles who "take the fall" instead of the real actors in very unsafe scenes. The guy you saw dangling on a fire hose down the burning Nakatomi Tower building was definitely not the star. It was a stunt double wearing the same outfit as the lead guy.

Employment behind the camera

What is seen in front of the camera is just the proverbial tip of the iceberg. A scene is delineated by the change in the camera placement (or angle) in the movie. Hundreds (sometimes thousands!) of scenes are needed to finish a film. Each scene usually takes a little less than an hour to set up before it is ready to be shot. Some elaborate scenes can take weeks to prepare. Scenes of this sort often involve the building of huge sets and backgrounds, exceptional stunt set up, rehearsals of scenes involving hundreds or thousands of extras, or huge dramatic explosion scenes. Careers and positions behind the scene are just as interesting as the ones in front.

The cameraman is responsible for the recording of the movie on a movie camera. He or she is responsible for the light design that sets the mood or temperature of the scene being filmed. He or she knows how to set up his shots by capturing the perfect camera angle, using the appropriate lenses and finding the proper aperture setting.

Careers in the film industry include the team of production designers. They are responsible for the film's set and it's construction. They must set up the needed physical atmosphere whether the position is a house, a burning building, a sinking luxury liner or a ghost-ridden capitol building. Very truthfully, the set creation, decorations, background colorations, backdrops and textures all passed the eye of the production designer.

The special effects group is responsible for the construction of special sets and special devices that help make visually amazing scenes. You have seen their expertise in films: the sinking luxury ship, the great earthquake that destroyed L.A., the napalm bomb in Vietnam or the out of control bus that was set to blow up.

Post-production careers

As soon as the principal photography is finished and "in the can", the film is then processed and taken to a dust-free room where the movie editor can cut and edit it. It is the duty of the film editor and his assistants to put the scenes together, arranged in the correct sequence.