After the seminar on Saturday, I wandered over to the Astor which was hosting the afternoon sessions as well as all the organizations with their stalls. I had a great chat with my tutor from RMIT about what my plans were for after graduation and I expressed my concerns to her about whether I should apply for a postgrad at the VCA or try my luck with the industry.
Her comments were rational and thought-provoking. She expressed her concern towards me getting into another program which could inevitably prolong my entrance into the industry(something I have been freaking out about for a while now). She did however acknowledge that the course could be another opportunity for me to meet others who have the same passion and engagement with the film and TV industry and who I would most probably work with again later in my career. Her comments reminded me of the conversation I had with Adam Elliott at his talk at RMIT on Monday. During this, I asked Adam what he thought about me going to VCA and he said that for the film and TV course, he would definitely recommend VCA. For the producing course however, he expressed concern over the fact that there had been some complications with the course in the past 5 years but that he was sure these had all been ironed out now. My tutor also mentioned these issues and whilst they weren't something to put me off the VCA Producing Postgrad, they were an important item to consider in my decision (unfortunately, neither person could shed some light for me on WHAT exactly these issues were so I can't elaborate sorry. This is why I didn't consider them a major factor in my thoughts on VCA) Adam did say that the success he was experiencing in his career today was due to his attendance at the VCA. So 1 point to the tertiary education team.
After speaking with my tutor for almost half an hour about this, I wasn't planning on staying at the industry day much longer as I had an assignment to go write but my tutor suggested I go speak with the girls from WIFTVIC, or the Victorian branch of Women in Film and TV. This organization are actually hosting a talk at RMIT on Monday so I thought it would be a good idea to go ask them about it. Realizing the opportunity I had accidentally stumbled upon, I realized I should ask the girls for their opinion on the tertiary education/work experience debate and they provided some useful insights. One of the girls explained that her progression in the industry came out of her internships at a local casting company in the USA and from there she went on to become a casting coordinator and then director. I asked her about whether she had attended any tertiary institutions during her career and other than acting classes, she said she hadn't. 1 point to the work experience team.
After this, I really was planning on leaving the Astor but on my way out, happened upon the VCA table and stopped to have a 'quick chat' with the guys on the chairs. Obviously, when I said I wasn't sure about whether I wanted to go to VCA or not, they had a vested interest in convincing me to go. They did a good job, I'll admit that they were convincing, outlining the many benefits to VCA such as the great resources available, access to some of the industries best filmmakers, and countless opportunities to gain contacts and future collaborators for my career, I was hard pressed to come up with reasons to say no. Another point to tertiary education.
They were all the people I spoke to for the day. So how do the scores tally up. Ok, so there weren't many points involved but VCA did come out on top. So why am I still hesitant to launch straight into applying straight away? The answer is simple. Before I began my career at RMIT, I was on a strong pathway to launching into the industry through the work experience and contacts I had managed to collect in 2008. This was relatively easy to do as Perth, where I was based then, is a small town and the film and TV industry was similarly proportioned. So essentially, it wad easy to get work because everyone knew each other. My time during this year was spread between working voluntarily and being employed with various production companies and as a freelancers for a range of projects. In October 2008, my employer at the time gave me the invitation of a lifetime - to work as his production assistant on his next big film. The only catch? Production had not been financed, scheduled or even planned so the chances of it not happening at all were high. I had already secured my place at RMIT however, during my final year at high school and the idea was I would be moving to Melbourne in 5 months time to commence studies.
I realized what I would be doing if I turned down the job offer so I travelled to Melbourne on my own expense to speak with the head of media at RMIT to ask for another 6 months off in order to remain in Perth and be available for the next film. I was told by his secretary that this wasn't an option and he would be unable to meet with me(after arranging a meeting either him weeks before) I returned to Perth extremely disheartened, scared and confused and spent the next 4 months trying to decide whether to ditch my place at RMIT and take the risky gamble of staying in Perth or, take the even riskier gamble of saying no to the job and moving to Melbourne. Needless to say, we all know which one I chose.
Why is this important to know in my decision for next year? I am still not convinced that the decision I made in 2008 was the right one. Yes, I have been exposed to so many opportunities here in Melbourne just from being immersed in a culture that supports such a large percentage of the film and TV industry but this is severely outweighed by all the other negative experiences I have had to deal with. I can not predict the future anymore than I can turn back time and change that decision I made nearly 3 years ago. Over the next 6 months though, I will be reflecting upon this decision to either commence another degree or to work in the industry and will document my findings here to avoid the mistake I made in 2008.
0 comments:
Post a Comment