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How do I get a job in the video business ?
I am seeing more and more, “where do I learn this” , or “what class should I take”, or “is there a book I can get on ….”.
As our business seems to be moving faster, and changing faster than ever before, I chuckle as I see questions like the ones I stated above, because I am in that same boat. How do I learn –
Things I don’t know, but better learn real fast –
How do I learn the entire Telestream product line?
How do I deliver my video’s via digital delivery (thanks Creative Cow!)?
How do I transcode my files so they can be played back on a TV stations server in MPEG-2 file format ?
How do I get much better at OS-X Server ?
How do I get MAC’s to work seemlessly on a PC network ?
How do I learn all these new plugin’s for the DSLR cameras quickly ?This is just a brief description of things that I have either learned recently, or still need to learn in a very short amount fo time. All of them are not easy, all of them are in subjects I barely know anything about, and all of them will keep me employed. If anyone thinks that you can go to Barnes and NOble and pick up a book on these subjects, or go take a course for 6 months at the local community college to get good at them, you must be dreaming. When a company is looking for someone qualified with RED workflow, or Cinema 4D graphics, it’s unlikely that your local school, or professor is goign to make you an expert in these subjects. To “get the job”, it’s YOUR job to learn what you need to do, to get that job. Is this easy, absolutely not.
Bob ZElin
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7 Replies
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I’m in the process of teaching my nephew about all this stuff in a kind of mentoring capacity. I was trying to look for a book that would teach all the stuff he’d need to know just to turn on final cut and not be thwarted by a red line in a sequence. Frame rates, codecs, data rates, RAIDs, uploading, etc. I don’t think that book exists, and if it did, you’d have to rewrite it every 2 weeks.
I guess you just gotta scrape your knees and learn things the hard way – or find an master/apprentice scenario like in the days of old.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
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Zelin,
I wan to learn, and I learn quickly. Can I work for you?
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Meteor Tower Films
We make music videos, design video for live theater, and build interesting contraptions. -
Of course what really needs to be taught is HOW TO LEARN.
People need to learn how to test workflows before they do paying work as well. I see that issue on the XDCAM EX forum constantly and I’m sure it’s evident elsewhere on the COW.
If people learn concepts about codecs and wrappers and metadata they might be able to reason through what to do with a new codec.
Problems Solving and Trouble Shooting need to be learned. You can’t learn this by rote.
Software changes, hardware changes. Many concepts are fundamental and people have to learn how to apply such reasoning skills.
Gone are the days when you could learn a CMX3400 editor and Betacam deck and camera and pretty much had the bases covered.
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Ha! Extremely, fantastic reel. Now…can I work for YOU?
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[Craig Seeman] “Problems Solving and Trouble Shooting need to be learned. You can’t learn this by rote.”
Craig – well put and in agreement with something I say all the time.
I have had people ask me what college is good for if you can learn on your own. That is the answer, in my opinion – it teaches you critical thinking.
If you ask college professors what college is good for, they may say something different – I should ask one sometime.
Hunter, maybe you can conduct an experiemnt for us. Ask some of your professors what the purpose of college is and see what they say. Make it open ended so as to not sway their answers.
Mike
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Will do, I like the idea.
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The truth is, nobody is ignorant enough that they don’t know how to educate themselves. What is really being asked when you hear this qustion is “can you give me a lag up so I don’t have to work as hard?” They also know that answer is no. So why do they ask? Because folks sometimes give them confidence they are lacking to fullfill the tenacity required to catch a dream. They are looking for “you can do it” and “it’s very possible” because they didn’t have an authority figure to tell them that as a child. In the end we all know we are the masters of our destiny.
I see lot’s of youngans leave school with a degree feeling like a six figue salary is owed to them for some reason. They leave bitter and work for their dads. Bottom line is they all know they have to start at the bottom and some are not willing to. Simple enough.
How do get into any industry? Just freakin rock at it, man.
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