How to Land Video Production Jobs in New Orleans
Landing a job in film production can be hard work, sometimes even harder than it is to actually DO the work itself once you get a solid position on the set. A lot of industries are competitive, but filmmaking in New Orleans is certainly one of the most competitive industries in the country. If you’re an aspiring filmmaker in the south, landing video production jobs in New Orleans may be tough, but it’s certainly not impossible. You just have to know where to start.
We’ve compiled a list of tips, tricks, and helpful points to assist you in landing top video production jobs in New Orleans. It’s everything you need to get your career started!
1. Prepare Your Resume
The first step to landing a production job is to focus on your resume. This one-page form should depict who you are and what you have to offer as it relates to the type of job you’re looking for.
Your resume is like a snapshot of your skills and qualifications as they pertain to the production industry. Make sure that it includes appropriate keywords for online algorithms as well as a visual appeal that will attract hiring managers.
2. Reel
If you’re new to the film scene, you may not have a demo reel, and that’s okay. However, if you’ve got any background experience at all that you can share in a demo, it would be a great idea to do so!
This is especially important if you’re trying to land a job operating a camera or working in any post-production field. Video production jobs in New Orleans are definitely harder to land if you don’t have a demo reel that showcases your work.
Try to create a reel and update it as you gain additional skills and experience.
3. Share Your Portfolio
Your portfolio represents the visual style that you have to share and should be on top of your list if you’re trying to land video production jobs in New Orleans that are focused on things like hair and makeup, special effects, costume design, or other visual jobs within the industry.
Share your portfolio with anyone that is willing to look — you never know when someone might see something that stands out to them as valuable or otherwise potentially interesting.
4. Create a Professional Website
As you’re trying to land video production jobs in New Orleans, you may find that you’ve got some free time. The best way to spend that time is on various activities that will help you to promote yourself in the future.
Creating a professional website is one such way that you should spend some of that time. If you don’t already have a personal website, it’s easy and relatively inexpensive to get started. You can use your own name or, some other branding of your choice.
The purpose of a website is to share your work, showcase your skills, and provide hiring managers or those in the film industry a way to find you. Sharing your past work, demo reel, portfolio and other pertinent information on your website makes it easier for hiring managers to find (and hire) you.
5. Get Out & Find Work
Once you’ve taken all the above steps to get your portfolio, demo, resume and website up and running it’s time to start finding video production jobs in New Orleans. You’ve got to get out and search!
Start by checking online for area film jobs and shoots. Apply for anything and everything you can find.
Check with local studios and film professionals if they’re hiring. If you find that nobody is hiring or that you are having trouble landing something, consider offering your services for a reduced cost or for free on a volunteer basis!
You might find nonprofits or even indie-filmmakers that are seeking help for free. While this won’t pay the bills, it will provide you an opportunity to build a reputation in the city and to get seen in the industry.
Landing video production jobs in New Orleans can take a little bit of time and effort, but in the end it’s all worth it! You’ll find your dream job — just be patient, and persistent!