Ricketts / INTERNSHIP INSIDER / 27
Gavin Ricketts
Copyright Napoleon Creative 2012
Published by Napoleon Creative Books at Smashwords
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When I first started work, I worked an Internship I found through the now defunct New Producers’ Alliance. After a telephone chat and an interview, I began working out of the producer’s flat on their almost funded feature film. I worked for that company for four months, all unpaid. It opened my eyes to the realities of film production. There were constant hopes that the funding was nearly there, that I was not far away from a pay packet, but the financing deal took longer than anticipated. I did get to work on the film when it was funded, however, in retrospect, I was exploited. I didn’t earn a thing for those months, which was tough but not half as difficult as it is in today’s economy. Now a producer myself, I wouldn’t let someone give up that amount of time without adequate compensation.
Internships can be a great way of progressing your career, just as long as the provider engages with the principle that Interns are there to get meaningful work experience, not just log tapes. You also need to enter your internship with a realistic idea of what should be expected from you and what you should expect in return, so you can develop the key skills that will advance your career. The Internship Insider will help you do that.
You’ve just graduated from University. You’ve proudly uploaded that film you directed, edited, filmed and even starred in to Vimeo. You’ve spent the last couple of years engrossed in Final Cut Pro, seeing blade and pen tools duelling in your dreams. You know your way around a Z1. You think you’re more than capable of working within the industry. You are, however, far from unique.
In 2010, there were 106 applicants for every graduate media role in the UK. Between 2008 and 2009, the number of these kinds of jobs fell by 57%. Sure, this might have been a knee-jerk reaction to the financial crisis that ran on from September 2008 – but these are still shocking statistics.
The cold, hard reality is that unless you already know people working in the industry, you are not going to be handed a starter job in media the day after your graduation ceremony. Most graduates can look forward to working for free doing work experience or Internships, or start working in another career while hoping to break into TV or film work.
Opportunities are not going to knock on your door. You have to go find them. You need to have a map to show you where they are, and people to ask for directions when you get lost.
Internships are one way of getting better access to these kinds of jobs, by meeting those people who can point you in the right direction. Gaining the experience of a working environment not only looks good on your CV, but opens your eyes to how these places function. Also, you’re creating a presence in front of your temporary new colleagues, who may keep you in mind for future project openings.
There are two types of Internships: first, those completed as an integral part of an award-bearing course, whether as one-day-a-week or in week long blocks. These are completely legal; the Internship fulfils part of an accredited course. Second, those undertaken on a voluntary basis with the Intern giving their time for free in return for work experience to build credits on their CV.
According to think-tank IPPR, many private-sector firms are “almost certainly” breaking the law by offering unpaid Internships, while many such companies believe that as long as both parties agree that the work is voluntary, then the arrangement is legal. There is an argument that the Intern should still be entitled to National Minimum Wage (NMW), and could subsequently take the company to court to claim this. In fact, at least one Intern who worked for an extended period has successful taken one company to court and won over this issue.
My personal take is two-fold. First, you should be able to offer your services for as little or as much as you like. If you want to work for free, then you should be entitled to do this. Whenever we advertise jobs at Napoleon Creative, we get over experienced people willing to do the job for less than their usual rate. So a cameraman who’s day rate is normally £400 might consider a day’s work with us for £250, if he has no other work on that day. You should have the option to sell your skills for whatever rate you chose.
Second, if you make all Internships paid positions, even at minimum wage, then recent graduates would not get a look in. If I advertised an Internship for minimum wage, I would be flooded not just with recent graduates, but also junior crew with experience who would rather be working at a low rate than not working at all. It makes business sense to take the most suitable applicant i.e. the one who already has experience. The end result? All junior roles are pushed down to NMW. And even fewer people get the chance to build their experience.
The key thing for me is that if you’re going to work for no financial benefit, you have to make the most of your time and get paid in experience and contacts. Achieving this is exactly what you’re about to learn!
There are many routes to finding an Internship.
College Courses
Many media courses arrange Internships as part of their programmes of study, and some can help you find a suitable place after graduating. If you’re on a course that doesn’t include an Internship, you could ask them to set up a graduate-level Internship for you.
Industry Websites and Newsletters
Public debate over the value of Internships has meant that many media jobs boards do not now advertise unpaid posts in the open way that they used to: for example, Production Base will not advertise jobs that do not pay the minimum wage. Shooting People will only advertise unfunded or charity positions, but it’s worth checking their daily newsletters to see what opportunities are out there. Mandy takes a broader view, so there are more unpaid openings advertised there.
Word-of-Mouth
Ask your friends and contacts in your network where Internships are available. Where did they get their Intern experience? Can they recommend some suitable companies, or even offer to introduce you to particular people they had good contact with?
Make your own luck
Research the production companies that make the kind of programmes you enjoy watching and would like to make yourself. Once you’ve found out which company made the programme, visit their website. Look at their recruitment page if they have one to find out who is most likely responsible for recruiting their Interns, then contact this named person to find out what opportunities they have. This requires a lot of polite persistence, as you’re likely to be told “they’re in a meeting at the moment” a lot of times. And don’t always rely on email to communicate. Pick up the phone and make a friendly enquiry.
2: Applying for the Internship
When you’ve found your Internship opportunity, your first step will most likely be to apply with a covering letter and CV. As your CV will probably be quite scant, you need to make sure your covering letter is spot on.
1) TLDR
Or, “Too Long, Didn’t Read”. Some applicants have sent me nearly a full A4 page of prose, their life-history practically, telling me every art form they are passionate about. Every film they’ve made, every course they’ve taken. And at the end of it all, I still have no idea what their actual skills are.
Keep it short. There are five key areas your covering letter should cover, which are detailed below. And keep it as edited as possible. Once you’ve written it, set it aside for an hour and read it again, seeing whether you can cut any content out while still keeping the sense.
2) Flattery Gets You Everywhere
Everyone likes to be liked, and production managers are no different. If you are trying to get an Internship, open by being complimentary about that company’s work. This will help them feel that they’ll be getting someone who is actually engaged with the programme, not just someone looking for any door they can wedge their foot in.
Look at the company’s website. Find a project you like and mention it in your covering letter, explaining what you have enjoyed. “I really liked the animation project because…” This shows that you haven’t cut-and-pasted generic text from another application, and that you share similar creative tastes. Give them a call and find out who you need to be contacting, and use their name when applying. Again, “Dear Gavin…” is always a more welcome opener than “Dear Sir or Madam” or even worse, “To Whom It May Concern.”
3) Prioritise Your Skills
When someone is looking at giving an Intern an opportunity, they know you’re not going to have much experience. To be brutally honest, what and where you studied isn’t really of top interest. What you got out of your degree depends on how you chose to spend your time at university. A conscientious student at a less-than-famous university might well leave their course more skilled than someone who squandered three years at a university of International repute. You need to start establishing your reputation by evidencing the skills that you learned.