Expert: Phil Nemy - 10/31/2005

Question
Mr. Nemy,
I have an interest in being an actress, however my acting talent is questionable. Realistically, I feel my greatest talents could be used behind the scenes. I'm exstremely creative, have been told I have a "designer's eye", have construction experience, a degree in Architecture, and an ever loving passion for theatre and movies (started when I was a kid). I've performed in several productions in high school as well as helped build the sets. Virtually, I would love to work behind the scenes of movies, but I'm not sure how to get there. Unfortunatly, at this time, going back to school isn't an option, and the local theatres don't usually take "just anyone" for volunteers. What should I be doing to get where I want to go and is it too late (I'm 27)?
Thanks,
Bonnie


Answer
Bonnie,

Thanks for your question. It's certainly not too late at 27. The real question is where do you live? If you don't live in Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, London, Berlin, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Prague, Budapest, Rome or Romania, then your options are limited. These are the cities and countries where the majority of film production can be found.

The good news is if you can move to one of these cities you CAN start a career in film. The bad news is that since you have no practical experience working on a film set or working in an art department or set dressing department, you will have to start at the bottom and you'll be lucky if for the first 3 years of your career you'll make $500/wk before taxes.

If you can afford to do this, then I say do it! Your passion for it will sustain you through the lean times. The more films you work on, and the quicker the study you are, the faster you'll move up the ladder. With an architectural and designer eye background, you're probably best suited to work in an art department, set dressing department, prop department or construction crew. But don't limit yourself to these. Follow where your heart leads you and you'll know what career path is right for you.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Phil