I have learned from my experiences that in this industry, “WHO you know is far more important than what you know.”

In this article, I will explain the importance of meeting people in the same branch as you; then, I will give you some tips on how and where to meet those people. Ultimately, we will see what to avoid to maintain a good relationship. We’re not going to linger; let’s start right away;

The importance of meeting people

Opportunity, Stop searching for it; instead, create it. In this job, the more people you meet, the more chances you will have to get more clients. Simple, right?

I had the chance to meet one of my idols. He was a well-known music video director in my country, and when I asked him for advice on getting started, his answer was clear;

“Get yourself on set as possible as You can….“

And he was right. So I started to work as a volunteer in music video production to get more experience, and above all, it allowed me to meet people; Directors, Actors, Gaffers, and Producers. Later, these people called me for other projects and so on, until now. It’s like a snowball effect.

A famous cinematographer said;

“Make friends early, so you have allies in this business. They are the ones who call you first.“

Now that we have some ideas about the importance of meeting people, let’s see how to do it and the means to achieve it.

The means to achieve it

There are many ways to meet people in the film industry. Besides, I have already mentioned it: “Get Yourself on set.”

Get Yourself on Set

As I have already told you, I worked as a volunteer in music video production. And I only advise you to do that if you are passionate and ready to work for free. It’s not easy; it takes a lot of patience and effort, but it’s worth it. Working voluntarily allowed me more experience because I had more practice; yes, practice is much more important than knowledge. Filmmaking happens on set and not on the internet.

And as you already know, it allowed me to meet people, technicians, directors, actors, and producers. You may have other ways to be on a film set, but in any case, that’s what I did, and it’s a very effective method. Effective, yes, but also challenging. I will tell you about it in another article.

Online Communities

Whether on Facebook or online forums, make yourself known. Share your works and ask for feedback while remaining professional. Be sociable and try to respond to all comments, but don’t pick on negative ones. Your goal is to show you are experienced and create a social bond. Interact with other posts and, if necessary, organize a meeting with members in the same region as you to exchange experiences or get to know each other a little. You can Ci-Lovers Facebook group, for example. We share cool stuff there!

Competitions and Festivals

Film festivals and competitions are also influential for meeting people like you who are passionate about cinema. The best here is to participate so you can meet the other participants. So you could learn to get to know each other and make exchanges experiences.

Meet people, yes, but don’t think you could have friends and make impressions so easily.

Things to avoid and to do

If you opt for method number one, you should know that during filming, you must be attentive. Be punctual? that shows that you are ready to work.

Once on set, if you’ve finished the job you’ve been given, don’t stay there doing anything; you could, for example, organize the equipment, wipe down the materials, change or charge the batteries, or whatever, stay creative.

Avoid being grumpy, and even more, if you start a conversation, don’t talk about yourself. Ask what the other likes to do. You have to make them believe you are interested in them. Tell jokes when you have to, but know when to do it and avoid bad jokes. People love it when you make them laugh. Be the rainbow in their cloudy skies, if I may say so. And most importantly, do not hesitate to give them your business cards. Long story short, be clever.

In a community, regularly share content. The best thing is to share educational content; people love it. You could, for example, share breakdowns; by the way, if you want to create diagrams for takes, I suggest you see the Lighting Diagram Toolkit by clicking here.

Ask questions, and above all, interact with other posts and take the time to respond to all comments. Share tips, whether from your experiences or your mentors.

That will show that you are experts in what you do and of course, you will win many friends and therefore more opportunities.

If you intend to go far in this field, your dream, your talent, or even the ambition you have are never enough to succeed. The only sure way is to have the right people working, not for you.

And to conclude, remember what Roberto Schaefer, ASC, AIC, said;

“Listen to your gut instinct and believe in it. And remember that the craft-service person on this job might be the producer on the next.“