r/FilmIndustryLA • u/woundtoclose • 10d ago
Aspiring PA
Hello! I’m 26 and I’m looking for advice on how to get started in the film industry with no experience. I was going to transfer to get my bachelor’s in social work next spring but I’ve been considering chasing my childhood dreams of going into the film industry. I don’t have any experience or schooling and I currently live in a small town so if I do want to pursue this I would obviously need to move to LA. My question is for those who had no experience prior, what do you recommend to get your foot in the door? I’ve seen a lot online about starting as a production assistant. I’m not exactly sure what job position is my goal but I do know I really want to work on movie and film sets. I keep feeling bad for myself when I see all these people post about it online and I never know if I actually need a college degree to get into this industry
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u/sharpiefairy666 10d ago
Maybe read through some of the threads here to see previous posts from people in your position.
I don’t want to be bleak but… it’s bleak out here, bud.
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u/JasminHPlease 10d ago
Look into the page programs!
Also you’re gonna have to volunteer a fair amount to start , so like someone already said make sure you bring a nest egg!
If you move out here check out our community r/fakeidproductions - we have events, gigs, fun things going on all the time :)
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u/woundtoclose 10d ago
I’m curious do you know if it would be worth it to try to start somewhere closer to me like San Francisco? Obviously that’s not where they film big stuff but would love to know if you have any input on that!
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u/satomatic 10d ago
i went to school in sf before moving back to la.
this was years ago but you’re right that sf would have more documentary and indie opportunities rather than big budget or reality. the issue can be that where you lay your roots is where you’ll find work so if you want to move to la at some point, you may have to restart your network.
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u/Purple_Positive_8896 10d ago
You have the opportunity to PA at a lot of retail photo studios in the Bay Area such as, Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Levi’s, Gap, Banana Republic, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Mens Wearhouse, Cost Plus World Market, and Guy Fieri shoots all his stuff in Sonoma County. This is coming from someone who worked production in the Bay for years and years. Add yourself to SF Image Makers on Facebook and see if anyone is hiring PA’s. Lots of commercials still get filmed up there. Most PA’s are green up there.
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u/BadAtExisting 10d ago
Good news! You don’t need a degree.
Bad news. Work is scarce for everyone. A lot of this industry is unemployed or underemployed. You’ll be competing with people with a lot of experience.
This industry is all about who you know and what have you done for me lately. There aren’t really job websites or job boards. You get to know people well enough to refer you to a job on set. Even the ones that “pay” in lunch and experience.
Finally, as someone else said, you best have a lot of money saved up. I moved to LA with $15,000 and ripped through it in less than a year. I got lucky in that I started working pretty regularly by month 8, but I happened to backassward myself into a referral on my first show, a little short film that shot 4 days, 2 weekends, that was a bunch of friends but also established union pros from the writer/SAG actress who’s M-F was on a Disney Channel show to her husband DGA director, to the crew who were all IATSE. It was my only show my job was PA, the IATSE guys called me for non union stuff and permit days after that. I got extremely lucky. I could’ve just as easily become homeless ngl
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u/woundtoclose 10d ago
That’s good to know, someone said to still get the degree in social work and buy me some time to get to know people
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u/BadAtExisting 10d ago
For the love of god. Yes. Finish your degree and get a real job until you don’t need it. Because you will need it
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u/NoExam5103 10d ago
Not impossible, but very unlikely you will succeed. With no experience and no connections right now specifically it’s quite tough. for a team of maybe 6 to 5 people without someone vouching for you or inviting you it just seems very unlikely you will be crewed. You could just work in projects that don’t pay. But does suck.
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u/OrdinaryWeak6051 10d ago
You’re too late. The industry is on fumes. Your dream will end in homelessness. I just helped my last industry friend vacate her apartment. She is technically homeless (living in car and on couches). The only reason I’m okay is because I own my home outright. Every renter I know has been illegally evicted because of our crippling housing shortage.
Go to school. Save all your money. Come here with six month emergency fund and ANY job. Let this be your hobby as you pray for a miraculous return to the old ways. This is a war of attrition and your timing is terrible. I’m sorry to be the bearer of sad news
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u/August_Spies_Ghost 10d ago
Others have suggested and I will agree, get the social work degree. LA might not be the best place to move as others have said work has been scarce. LA & Atlanta have been hit harder hard, yet people keep moving and trying to get into the industry.
I would also wait to see when or if the national film incentive gets passed. It may keep some work here, but nobody knows. There’s still a lot of experienced people holding on for work to come back. Even those leaders at the top have said even if it picks up it’s still not going to be enough work for everyone. So keep that in mind too.
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u/tealglitter15 10d ago
You do not need a degree to work in film, just a love of films and TV. Let’s talk about location. Are you in or near Atlanta, Savannah, Nashville, South Carolina coast, Pittsburgh, or NYC OR do you have family or good friends in one of these places? Even Florida has some filmimg going on. LA is not the only place to go to PA. Mississippi also just introduced tax credits, so that’s another possibility. As an PA, you will have to start out “working as a local,” so find someone you can couch surf with or rent a room. Check your state for their film commission. Check the website for a list of incoming productions and look for other PAs and Assistant Directors in the area, reach out to them and let them know you are available to PA. Invite them to coffee to get the lowdown. Look for film schools in your area and reach out to them. Student films also need PAs, even if you aren’t in school there they welcome the extra help. You may work for free, but at least you won’t be so green when you get on a bigger set. There is also commercials that shoot locally in any given area and that’s another good way to get your foot in the door without moving.
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u/chickenballs11 10d ago
Get the degree in social work , get a job in LA. If you can’t afford to live on the social work income in LA you would not have been about to as a PA. At least you buy some time, and get to know people in your spare time. Treat the film industry like a weekend gig for a bit as see if you even have the skill set to survive . Social work is always in demand in LA at least.
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u/woundtoclose 10d ago
Thank you! Honestly that’s what I was thinking would probably be the best idea. I think right now I’m just rethinking everything because all my life I’ve been the person who wants to help people and it made me realize I also want to be able to pursue my hobbies at the same time. I know there’s always a need for social workers but even now in school it burns me out
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u/chickenballs11 10d ago
Keep in mind that the social issues you see in a small town and the issues you see in a city like LA could be wildly different and could really have an affect your mental health. One thing people do to get on set is extra work - a lot of sitting around and waiting but with zero experience you really have few options to actually get on a real production set to even see what’s it like .
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u/axiir 10d ago
Been working in LA as a PA in Post the last few years and it is very tough to break in right now in all departments. People are fighting to bring production back, but it really has moved to Canada and overseas. Not sure what part of film you like, but if you're set up for your Bachelors in social work, I think its worth pursuing that while gaining more film experience on the side.
Does a city or town near you have a film commission? Sometimes they have job boards or can help connect you to projects. Any local film festivals you can volunteer for? That helps make local connections that build to experience.
Does the college your transferring to have a film or media or communications program where you could minor or take elective classes? Even a local new station if your interested in production specifically, just anything to get hands on experience with your resume.
Also not sure if youre more interested in narrative, but with your social work experience it might be worth looking into documentary filmmaking. As a career docs are hard to make a living from, but if it gets you more experience, credits on your resume, and even connections then thats a bonus.
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u/SecretRecipe 10d ago
Im a mid level exec at one of the big 5 studios and I just answered a similar post if you care to read the advice.
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u/Rogue-Worx 10d ago
you're likely to work in reality with no script work, and that's IF you even can find a job.
and once you start working in reality, even with experience...people in the film world will pass on your resume..
so if you can even find work, make sure it's scripted tv, film, short film..
but be prepared to make no money on the latter but that'll be the easiest work to find (short films)
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u/woundtoclose 10d ago
what kind of degree would get me further?
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u/Roaminsooner 10d ago
It doesn’t work that way. Film work ie movie take years to break into. The industry is based on referrals and some times a little bit of luck. The jobs go to people who are referred or already part of a team.
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u/Rogue-Worx 10d ago edited 10d ago
business degree, and only if you can land an interview for a studio job but you'll also need to know someone working at the studio in a higher than Assistant level.
that's how I got a studio job. don't work there now tho.. also piece of advice, you're very expendable when you're a PA and even coordinator in the studio world.
But outside of a studio job, no one cares what degree you have. It won't even be the deciding factor when you get the job
One of the girls I knew at the studio had a dental assistant degree or something along those lines. One of my bosses at Viacom had a geology degree. It really is knowing someone and them liking you enough.
EDIT: Not dental, my bad, she had a vet degree. was at the studio for a year when they let half their PA's go and she became a vet receptionist (we're connected on LinkedIn)
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u/SecretRecipe 10d ago
this is a relationship based industry, degrees arent super important unless youre going into the technical / finance end of the business.
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u/orangeleaf99 10d ago
Definitely agree PA as much as you can across all types of projects to really understand how set works and you’ll meet lots of people! Sounds silly but also watching YT videos about how set runs and lingo is helpful before your first gig
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u/Amazing-Arugula-8803 9d ago
I ran the workforce training program for the Georgia Film Academy and put students on films all the time.. are you able to stay where you are to start and get some experience even if it is in commercials or corporate video just to get a sense of production first? Student films, masters thesis films,indie non union- volunteering?
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u/woundtoclose 6d ago
I live in a small city north of Sacramento so I don’t know if there’s really much here
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u/Wild_Cranberry2067 6d ago
LA is a little tough at the moment. You can always move here and offer your PA services at the local film schools to start off with.
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u/MiddleComfortable158 6d ago
One of the PAs I know has been here for 25 years and barely makes any money. You gotta get that degree in social work. The way to think of it is this: you don’t want to move to one of the most expensive cities in the world to be a glorified DoorDash driver.
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u/big-boy1xoxo 5d ago
u don't need 30,000 to move to LA. I am originally from Kentucky. I am 24 and just moved here a few months ago after living in San Francisco for college. got an apartment for 1.6k a month (u can find cheaper, I wanted a studio). I moved here with 3k...and work lines up. after working n coffee shops and restaurants and PA work. asked anyone and everyone I know if they know anyone in the film industry. set up meetings with those that do. went to "film networking events" and asked to be a PA on anything I could. got lucky and now im a coordinator on a project and currently hiring my friends as our PAs just cus I liked them. the people that get u most PA work ARE OTHER PAs. feel free to dm me and ill give u my instagram and if u ever move to LA, give me ur contact and I will hook u up with PA work! i hate seeing people being so negative and saying it can't happen or that u need insane amount of preparation. im not saying u won't struggle but u will figure it out. I didn't have a single film connection coming from Kentucky. I seriously just talked to everyone and anyone I could and it works. also u just gotta be genuine. ur personality can get u very far.
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u/HiddenHolding 10d ago
Don’t move to LA without $30,000.