What can I do to get noticed as a boom operator?

[Paul R Johnson]

Ryan - your career path is flapping like a flag in the wind.

1. You need too be decisive - which path do you want to go down. You can not flop from one to the other as the result of an internet comment - this is plain crazy!
2. Do by all mean research, but at some point you surely MUST see that in your immediate area, with immediate colleagues and friends, what you are assuming is normal, actually isn't.
3. Your circle of people is too small, too unprofessional in makeup, to use as 'normal'. Your experience is skewed to that which we consider 'normal'.
4. You are obsessed with job titles. If we 'do sound' then forget the silly labels - we just do whatever sound is needed. If it means wavs and radio mics, that's fine. If we end up holding a boom with a recorder on our belt, that's fine too. Just different tools for a freelance sound op.

You also miss so much of the meaning in people's posts - small asides, or added bits of triviality get treated as strongly as absolute statements. You don't read people at all well, and this frankly is going to prevent you interacting properly with the team members - or at least the folk I work with, where personal interaction is critical. I realise you may have an issue with this, and reading people may be hard - but it's fine to have blinkers when you know they're on, but it causes problems if you don't notice or understand.

When people tell me I have done less well than I'd have liked, I think back, rationalise everything and then decide if I agree. Sometimes I do, other times I'm damn sure it was ME who was right and they were all wrong. I can analyse and I can evaluate. I can interpret and develop.

From all the posts you have made I have come to the conclusion that you badly want to be in the movie industry, but - and it is a big but - you lack the skills to work as a member of a team, and you lack the skills to do that work effectively. You want to gain these skills, but don't seem able to do it. You use each success or failure as a rule. Don't do this, do that - but next time, the circumstances might mean the rule is faulty.

You also can't understand irony. 'What can you do to get noticed as a boom operator?" The entire point is that you DON'T get noticed. The job just got done without fuss, or endless questions. At the moment I have 18 people working for me. The only ones I notice are those doing things wrong. Some are less skilled than I had hoped. Some are lazy. Some are fed up. The lazy and fed up ones I can do little about. The less skilled ones I have tried to help. 50% success rate. One drives me mad with endless questions. I am not here to train people, I'm here to use their skills. If I had another sound job come up after this one and I needed somebody, I know exactly who of these people I would pick up. One of the people here worked for me in the summer, impressed me, and she flew in to pick up a role on this one. I could have selected a replacement locally. Why would I do that?

Ryan - you need to think about your career goals. Are they achievable where you live, or can commute too. How do people perceive you? Useful, or tagged as "only use if nobody else is available" - that is a tag you do not want to get. Your only solution is to work for people you don't know, away from your base, making every decision yourself and see if it works.

[Pete Cofrancesco]

We seem to keep going back to the same things that should be common sense. There probably aren’t many paid gigs making movies in your area. There a small circle and word has gotten out that you’re not desirable then it will be impossible to get a job. Boom operator is primarily used in movies. If you want to make a living you should identity what video related jobs are in demand for your area. Most people will do freelance making commercials , local tv, interviews, weddings... something that there is a demand for your area. Freelance you often need to work solo. Why don’t you go to local business and pitch them on filming short promotional video for their website for a couple hundred dollars. If you get good at it you raise your rates and get higher end clients.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh okay. I was told by other filmmakers I worked with that I got to start taking on multiple jobs and stop trying to be a jack of all trades. They said that I should pick one specific job and stick with it. But is this just not how it's done, and you have to take on multiple jobs though maybe?

[Paul R Johnson]

This is like pulling teeth. We've said over and over again that much advice you get is either wrong or misunderstood by you. You don't seem able or perhaps even willing to stick with one role from what we read from you.

If you were filming in a form, what would you say is your occupation. Film maker is NOT an option. What are you Ryan, as in you have one title. It is actually possible to be a jack of all trades, and I've swapped endlessly my entire career. My diary is full because people want me on the team because what they really want is my entire skill set which is expert at none, but very competent at most.

You need to do some real work, and soak up everything you can. Your circle of film maker friends? Are they professionals, earning a living or just enthusiasts working in 'proper' jobs? Some of their advice sounds totally strange to me - not all, but some.

[Ryan Elder]

They are enthusiasts trying to break in. One has released their features to film festivals so far.

But I was told I should just stick to directing and forget other jobs, be a director and that's it, in order to follow a goal, if that advice is correct?

[Brian Drysdale]

It depends if you're a good director. If not, go in another direction.

[Pete Cofrancesco]

Originally Posted by Ryan Elder

Oh okay. I was told by other filmmakers I worked with that I got to start taking on multiple jobs and stop trying to be a jack of all trades. They said that I should pick one specific job and stick with it. But is this just not how it's done, and you have to take on multiple jobs though maybe?

What’s the point in specializing in something that’s not in demand and you can’t get hired for? I have a friend who does sound and specializes in corporate work mainly providing audio services for events like seminars.

Since you’re having trouble breaking into the movie industry I’m suggesting you do freelance work that you can approach a client directly and build off that. Producing 1-2 minute commercials is more manageable and you’ll get paid, instead of trying to create feature film on your own dime. I’m suggesting you specialize in low end commercials to get you started. They require many of the skills to make a movie just on a significantly smaller scale.

[Josh Bass]

Yeah, I really cant see the point of working toward boom op or anything sound related unless thats your passion. Ideally you would find something, as suggested above, that helps develop the skillset for the thing you ultimately want to do.

If someone’s dream is to be a rock star they would probably tried to get paid session work, teach singing lessons, perform at weddings and corporate events in the meantime rather than trying to become a roadie.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh I just thought sound I prefer to do as oppose to some other jobs, and thought I would be good as a boom op. I am more passionate about sound, compared to cinematography or production design for example.

I've tried the solo videographer thing before, but I find it to be very difficult, if I am doing everything myself and just prefer to work in a team compared to doing everything myself.

[Josh Bass]

You probably have to work up to having a team by getting better clients with bigger budgets, so that you in effect become producer/director, maybe shoot or something too. That's what many folk in this biz do (not "filmmakers", but video production producers). If you can only attract clients with $300 budgets you probably can't hire anyone to assist you. If you work up to $3000, or $30000, etc. then you can. But you need a reel of competent work to attract bigger/better clients, which will come from having successful, smaller (possibly solo/one-man band) gigs.

[Ryan Elder]

Okay sure. Hopefully the current gig will turn out well, which is a nature corporate video. The thing I don't like doing is cinematography and I would rather leave that up to someone else, and much prefer sound, but I can try to get use to it.

[Brian Drysdale]

From what you're saying. you should be a sound recordist.

[Josh Bass]

Yes you like doing sound more than cinematography, but do you want to do sound 15+ days a month, for the rest of your career? It would be hard to become a successful sound guy and then magically transition to a completely unrelated area, i.e. writer/director.

Knowing the answers to questions like that will tell you what you should get into as you'll know what you want to work toward.

[Ryan Elder]

Yep that's true. And maybe I should stick to concentrating more on directing as well then.

[Pete Cofrancesco]

Originally Posted by Ryan Elder

Oh okay. I was told by other filmmakers I worked with that I got to start taking on multiple jobs and stop trying to be a jack of all trades. They said that I should pick one specific job and stick with it. But is this just not how it's done, and you have to take on multiple jobs though maybe?

I think you’d be better off working for institution like a university or a large company as some sort of media tech/aid.

All this creative cinema work sounds fun and interesting until you realize how difficult it is to do and that you’re not getting paid either. You’re either are going to succeed or reach rock bottom and then you’ll only be too glad to take one of those boring 9-5 jobs you looked down on.