The Black and Blue

Filmmaking Tips for Camera Assistants

  • Blog
  • Camera Guides
  • Menu
  • 
  • Blog
  • Videos
  • Free Ebook
  • Pocket Guides
  • Topics
    • Behind the Lens
    • Camera Assisting
    • Cameras
    • Getting Work
    • Industry News
    • Miscellaneous Tips
    • Production Stories
    • Toolkit
    • Website
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • About The Black and Blue
  • Sponsorship
  • Comment Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure
  • 
  • U
  • 
  • R
  • @
  • Q
  • ˆ
  • ‰
×

The Struggle of No-Pay “Experience” for Filmmakers

by Evan LuziGetting Work

  • 4

Linda Essig takes a stand against a donut shop company that sent a mass-email looking for film students to shoot a promotional video in exchange for “some good experience” and “a dozen free glazed doughnuts every week for an entire year”:

The email was sent to a long list of faculty members at film programs in the region. I hit reply all with the question “What is your pay rate for these skilled services?”

Predictably, there was no pay-rate – unless you consider a dozen donuts a week for a year payment.

(Side note: why not just take the cost of free donuts and make that the rate? Cost of a dozen donuts is $5 – $8. Assuming the profit is about $3 per dozen, that’s $150 right there. An extraordinarily low rate, of course, but these are students who are looking for experience and it can at least help pay the bills.)

There was no payment because it was a “volunteer/intern opportunity.” That triggered Essig to push further and she replied with US Department of Labor rules of an “internship,” but it fell on deaf ears.

Notably, Essig doesn’t rule out freebies or internships as a viable pathway to gain experience. Instead she’s speaking out against companies using them purely for free labor and not as a partnership in which the gains are less lopsided between the parties.

And so, to bolster that point of positivity, a few days later she wrote a post about saying “yes”:

Just – or even more – important than knowing when to say “no,” is knowing when and how to say “yes.”  Giving builds community; giving builds friendships; giving builds social capital (although one need not think of it in those terms); giving lifts the spirit of both the giver and receiver.  We may give of our time, we may give of our money, we may give of our things, we may give of our talent.  Related to giving is sharing – we may share knowledge, share food, share an experience (good or bad), without any exchange of material goods.

I’m glad she wrote the second post because there are some genuinely good opportunities that unfortunately offer little to no-pay. I started off my career as an AC this way and have built several connections in my network with pro-bono work.

The key is knowing when you’re getting hosed and when it’s an investment in a relationship that could pay off later. That’s something I talk about in my post “Pay Me, Teach Me, or Create with Me” in which I basically say a project has to offer me money, worthwhile experience/networking, and-or creative satisfaction. The interplay between these things drives my decision to accept or reject a job.

Unfortunately, the donut project had no money, didn’t sound that interesting, the learning opportunity seemed limited, and it was a one-time thing with no tangible promise of networking.

Evan Luzi

  • U
  • 
  • z

Creator of The Black and Blue. Freelance camera assistant and camera operator. Available for work: Contact Evan here. Learn more about Evan here.

An Essential Resource for Digital Cinema Filmmakers

Get the Complete Library of 30 Digital Cinema Pocket Guides

  • Canon C500 Digital Cinema Pocket Guide
  • Blackmagic Cinema Camera Digital Cinema Pocket Guide
  • Nikon D800 Digital Cinema Pocket Guide
  • Canon 5D Mark II Digital Cinema Pocket Guide
  • Sony FS700 Digital Cinema Pocket Guide
  • Sony F65 Digital Cinema Pocket Guide
  • Phantom Miro 320s Digital Cinema Pocket Guide
  • RED Epic Digital Cinema Pocket Guide
Click Here to Learn More

Read Next

The Ultimate Guide to a Camera Assistant's Toolkit

The Ultimate Guide to a Camera Assistant's Toolkit

Every camera assistant will have different tools depending on how they work. That’s why it’s important to peak into what other camera assistants have to offer. So I’m going to show you what I have in my toolkit today and also give you advice on what I think you should have in yours.

  • Deciphering the Film Slate (Part 1): What to Write on a Clapperboard
  • Film Set Lingo: General Production Slang - Part 1
  • On American Naturalism and Stephen Crane's 'The Open Boat'
  • 25 Hilarious Filmmaking Meme Jokes: The Animated GIF Edition

'The Gift of Room Tone' featuring Martin Scorsese, Roger Deakins, Cristopher Walken, and More

"Capturing room tone requires [Criterion Collection] interview subjects to sit quietly for thirty to sixty seconds, and of course when you ask a bunch of people to do the exact same thing, they’ll all end up doing it differently. As you’ll see, some are very playful while others are more meditative; some close their eyes, and some look around the room or check their phones."

  • Focus Puller Chris Silano on Using the Preston Light Ranger
  • Tom Cruise Isn't Messing Around with COVID Safety
  • 20 Holiday Gifts for Camera Assistants (That Your Family Can Actually Afford)
  • Get Answers to These 9 Coronavirus Safety Questions Before Taking a Job
  • Most Popular
  • Most Recent
Becoming the Reel Deal eBook Cover on iPad

It Only Takes One Gig.

Becoming the Reel Deal is a free downloadable eBook written to help you get your first job on set in the camera department so you can launch your film career.

Sign up now to get your free copy and exclusive tips from The Black and Blue.

Get Your Free Copy
  • Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • Credits
  • Contact

Copyright © 2021 The Black and Blue, LLC