It’s fairly easy to get a job in film, but at the same time, it’s really hard.

Why it’s easy: to get on a film crew in an entry-level position as a P.A. doesn’t require any specific training that you have to go to school to get. The easiest time to get on set is when there’s a big show in town that does a lot of location work. This means they’ll need lots and lots of Additional P.A.’s. For example, on The Dark Knight, it took a month to shoot the underground chase scene. We needed 60 Additional P.A.’s every day to lock up the streets. There aren’t that many P.A.’s in Chicago, and the ones that work regularly were already Staff P.A.’s (Staff P.A.’s work the entire show; Additional P.A.’s are used temporarily when needed). If you were in Chicago in July 2007 and wanted to work on The Dark Knight, pretty much all you had to do was fax a resume into the Production Office. But don’t let this fool you. If you think this means you’re going to get up-and-close to the action, you are in for a very sad surprise. As an Additional P.A., you’re handed a walkie and assigned a street corner, and that’s where you stay for the entire night. It’s pretty boring, but at least you’ve got bragging rights.

But back to the hiring process: I’m not saying that being a P.A. requires no skills. On the contrary, it requires a lot of skills. You have to be fast without being careless. You have to be able to think on your feet, work your ass off and juggle five things at once without forgetting about any of them. You have to have excellent listening skills. Do you know how hard it is to listen to a conversation in your ear and the one in front of your face at the same time and actually hear both of them? It may be easy for some of you, but it’s really hard for me. My former boss on The Promotion knew this was my Achilles heel, and just for laughs she used to give me assignments over the walkie when she saw that I was talking to someone. Normally it’s not so much of a problem—if you’re face-to-face talking with a crew member, they understand when you suddenly interrupt them and say, “Hold on.” But in this particular instance, I was face-to-face talking to John C. Reilly. Needless to say, I didn’t even know she had called my name.

Essentially, being a P.A. is about problem-solving, reliability and customer service. You’re there to assist the production by keeping things moving, helping people get the crap they need to get things done. But probably the most important skill you need (in any position, not just as a P.A.) is likeability. If you have to spend 14 hours a day, five days a week with anybody, you’re going to make sure you hire someone you can stand for that long.

Now here’s what makes it harder for your film career dreams to come true. There are two basic reasons:

A job in these departments requires you to be in the union. There are a few exceptions; sometimes small-budget shows are non-union. But all big shows are union shows. The way around it? Get on the union’s permit list. I’m not sure if this works everywhere with every union, but in Chicago, I.A.T.S.E. Studio Mechanics Local 476 has a permit list. The downside? They don’t usually allow permit workers on set until all other union members have been exhausted.

When someone is putting together a team, they usually hire someone they’ve already worked with before, someone they trust; or someone that a person they trust, trusts. This job is very crazy and very fast-paced—they need to be able to count on their team to get shit done. Having a working past with someone means you know their strengths and weaknesses, and you hire people who will complement each other. As an Art Department Coordinator, I get resumes all the time. I look at all of them, but then they go into a file folder. I have a hiring list of four people, and they are ranked. The only reason I’d call the person in the #2 slot is because my #1 is unavailable. I’m very particular about whom I work with, and I’m not the only one. That makes it harder for new people to get in.

So sometimes the situation is right (i.e. big show needing lots of help) and it makes it easy to break through. But what if it’s not? You still have options:

Film Commission

Of course most of the work is in L.A. or New York. But what if you want to work somewhere else? Chicago? Detroit? Wilmington, N.C.? All these cities, plus many more, have film commissions. A lot of the time, these film commissions have websites that list shows that are currently in town or coming to town. If a show’s contact information is not listed on the website, you can call the film commission directly. Typically, they’ll give you the address and phone number for that show’s Production Office. Send in your resume and then follow-up with a phone call.

The Internet

Not only can you use the Internet to spend every waking hour playing Farm Hustle or bidding on vintage NKOTB memorabilia, but now you can find a job in the movies! Aside from the aforementioned film commissions, Craigslist.org and Mandy.com are good sources. Keep in mind that these will probably be low-budget indie films, so you may not get paid much, if at all. But they’re great for experience. Even without the $100 million budget, you’ll still be able to see how things work and possibly make some good connections. Most of the jobs from my first 2.5 years came from those two sites. As a result of my last job from Craigslist, I met all the people who eventually got me started professionally in Chicago.

Film School

It is absolutely not necessary to go to film school in order to get a job in film, nor does it guarantee you a job if you did. I went to Indiana University and double-majored in Marketing and Operations Management and minored in Religious Studies (people really get a kick out of that one). It does have its advantages, though: an instant network—the friends you made at school will probably get jobs in film, you’ll be more familiar with equipment you see on set, and shows that come to town usually inform the local film school if they’re looking to hire.

Let Everyone Know You Want to Work in Film

You never know who may know someone who knows someone who works in film. If people are aware that it’s something you’re interested in, they may make a few calls on your behalf. My friends Dale & Sara from college called me about their friend, Jeremy, who wanted to work on set. They knew that I was, at the time, a Set P.A., and they totally vouched for this guy. I told them I couldn’t make any promises, but I would try if the opportunity presented itself. A little while later, I was able to get him on Fred Claus as an Additional P.A.

Become an Extra!

So here’s the thing…if someone tells you that you need to spend $500 for headshots and another $500 in agency fees in order to have the chance to be an extra in a movie, well, they’re hoping you’re one of those people who doesn’t know any better. But you ain’t a damn fool, are you? No, you’re not. Sure, headshots are necessary if you’re auditioning for principal casting (roles that have lines), but not necessary for extras casting. If you already have headshots, that’s fine, but a simple 4”x6” photograph will do. Just make sure it’s in-focus and well-lit.

If you’re asked to pay any kind of agency fees, you’re shopping at the wrong agency. When an agency starts casting for a show, they’ll do two things: they start drawing from their database of extras (people they’ve used before), and they start holding casting calls. Usually, local film commissions will announce when an agency is casting for a particular show. They’ll list the type of people the agency is seeking (e.g. white males between 20-40; model-type women, all ethnicities, ages 16-24; Hispanic families, all ages) and an address where you can send in a photograph and general statistics (age, weight, height, hair & eye color, etc.) Once they start receiving submissions, the agency will start narrowing down the selections. If you have the look they’re after, they’ll call you to come in. If they don’t call you, don’t worry. You’re now in their database and you might be right for the next show.