By FilmInk Staff
“Film sets are an extremely strange environment to walk into, let alone continue to thrive and evolve,” writes the great George Miller in his foreword to Matthew Webb’s Setlife: A Guide To Getting A Job In Film. “Matt has been a keen and observant contributor to many elite crews and major productions. His book, Setlife is a valuable guide for anyone looking to build a career in the film industry.”
Matthew Webb has built up an impressive resume since scoring his first job as the third assistant director on the Australian TV drama, Rescue: Special Ops. Graduating to assistant director on films including The Great Gatsby, Mad Max: Fury Road, Pirates Of The Caribbean and Alien: Covenant, Webb is now a true industry veteran, and also boasts work on a variety of TV shows, commercials, short films, and music videos. In Setlife: A Guide To Getting A Job In Film, he invites readers to share in his industry knowledge in an insightful and often humorous way, as evidenced by the following excerpt…
“So, you’ve finally finished film school. Or, you’ve accrued years towards other pursuits and have suddenly realised your future involves movies. Now comes the daunting task of getting a job in what appears to be the hardest industry in the world to crack. The saying, ‘It’s all about who you know, not what you know’ definitely rings true, but this book will help you both nudge that foot in the door, and keep it there in an industry that requires the highest level of work ethic.
Based on my personal experience, this book explains exactly what to do on set, as well as the things you should definitely avoid. It’s a compendium of everything I wish I had been told before I took my first job and stepped onto a fast-paced, working film set. From the outside, a film set can be intimidating with lots of people rushing about, seemingly knowing exactly what is going on and using a smorgasbord of strange terms. Setlife will prepare you to not only nab that first job, but build a stellar career.
Throughout the book I’ve included interviews with multiple Academy Award-winning filmmakers and crew. Their insight into the industry over several decades provides priceless advice and direction for developing filmmakers. All their experiences have been different, showing there’s no ‘one way’ to develop your career, but that hard work is always rewarded if you keep pursuing your passion. Each individual shares specific information relevant to their department but all have a common understanding of filmmaking and the teamwork that is involved in producing a film. I hope you enjoy reading their personal experiences as I am thankful for how open and honest they have been with me.
The call sheet is your daily bible – it is the most important piece of paper or email you can receive each day. It contains 99% of what you need to know for the day’s filming, as well as info for the upcoming week and immediate contacts you may need. I can’t state enough how important the call sheet is and how much information is actually on there, if people read it closely. Initially, a call sheet will be an overwhelming mess of information and abbreviations that’s hard to comprehend, but with a little explanation, you will be able to decipher this film code with ease.
Work, drink, sleep, repeat. This is what some people believe the film life consists of. Early starts, beers on wrap, minimal sleep, and the same the following day. This can be accurate, but many people do manage to balance some kind of social and family life with a film career. Although every job has its own feel and challenges, they all seem to follow a pretty simple formula for each stage of production.
For those going to their first wrap party it may seem like the golden ticket to drinking as much as you possibly can at the open bar, having only been paid minimal rates for your first job. Just make sure you are aware of whom you are partying with. These aren’t your schoolmates anymore where anything goes and you share stories of how stupid that weekend was on Monday at lunch. These are your employers for the next job. Some of your department may have your back but you don’t really want a UPM holding your hair back while you vomit in the toilets. Or maybe you do and think it’s a funny story to regale at a later point, who knows?
Beg, bribe, harass and offer to work for free. Your main goal now should be to find a job that is at least remotely pointing you in the direction you want your career to develop. Don’t take no for an answer and don’t give up if the first few opportunities turn out to be dead ends.”
Setlife: A Guide To Getting A Job In Film is available now through Matthew Webb’s official website.
