Three Tries at the Film Industry

Three Tries at the Film Industry

By C. Clark

First Attempt – Los Angeles

When I graduated high school, I didn’t want to go to college. My parents told me that if I didn’t go then, they wouldn’t pay for it later — so I went. Looking back, I’m glad I did. When asked what I would have done instead, I said, “I don’t know.” But if I’m honest with myself, I believe I did know — I just didn’t say it out loud. I wanted to do something in the film industry. I wasn’t sure exactly what, but I knew that’s where I wanted to be. I kept quiet because I was afraid people would laugh, so “I don’t know” became my go-to response… and eventually, a part of my identity.

Still, that desire never completely went away. Every once in a while, I’d quit a job to “try and get into the film industry.” My plan was always to use my computer skills to break in, focusing on jobs in visual effects (VFX). That’s how I found myself quitting my second job in the DMV (D.C.-Virginia-Maryland) area — one that I started in August (or maybe September) of 1997. Honestly, that job ranked #3 on my “worst jobs ever” list. My lease was ending in December, and after my boss screamed at me in front of my co-workers, I decided I was done. A week later, I turned in my resignation, explaining I wanted to move to California — which was true.

With just $1,600 in my pocket, I headed to Los Angeles. My plan was to use my three years of experience and two mathematics degrees to land a job with a VFX company. Looking back, maybe Northern California would’ve made more sense, but I was drawn to the excitement of L.A. I quickly learned that Avid was the industry standard editing software. Adobe was mentioned occasionally, but if you didn’t know Avid, you were out of luck. I didn’t. So, I kept sending out résumés to film companies while also applying to software programming jobs.

During that time, I took on temp jobs — some of which gave me stories I still think about today. Eventually, I landed a temp-to-hire job at Wilshire Associates, right on the beach in Santa Monica. Just as I was about to be hired full-time, Sony Pictures called me for an interview — three times. I’ve always valued loyalty, and since I was told the job at Wilshire would go permanent, going to the Sony interview felt like a betrayal. I stayed where I was.

Second Attempt – Wilmington, NC

After moving back to the East Coast and working at TRW, Booz Allen Hamilton, and General Dynamics, I decided to give film another shot. This time, I knew a little more about the VFX world. I still hadn’t learned Avid, but I had taken an Adobe After Effects class (thanks to leftover training funds). When I told my lead I wanted to take the course, he laughed — but I took it anyway. I also gained some experience using Photoshop at work.

I headed to Wilmington, NC, knowing that several movies had been filmed there. I still didn’t understand the filmmaking process, assuming everything — filming and editing — happened in the same location. I soon learned that most production companies have their own post-production teams, usually in L.A., because post work requires high-end computers and secure networks. While Wilmington is great for filming, post-production opportunities are limited.

Still, I landed two background acting jobs — one for the series Revolution, shot on location, and the other for Under the Dome, shot at Cinespace (formerly Screen Gems Studios). I enjoyed being on set and learning more about the production side, but realized that wasn’t the part of the process I wanted to work on.

About a year later, I returned to Northern Virginia and decided to pursue a job in graphics. I was hired as a Graphic Developer — and during the interview, I learned they used Maya, a professional 3D graphics tool used in animation and visual effects. I was thrilled! Unfortunately, that job became my #1 worst job — and I never got the chance to even touch Maya.

Third and Final Attempt – Atlanta Bound

After that last awful job — the one with Maya — I was drained. Each job seemed to get progressively worse. At the time, I didn’t have words like gaslighting, microaggressions, or white fragility in my vocabulary. I thought I was the problem. With four months left on my lease and enough savings to cover rent, I quit. My plan was to try one last time to break into the film industry — but honestly, I also just needed to take care of myself. I was mentally and emotionally exhausted.

I allowed myself to rest, but also developed a general plan:I’d stay with my parents in North Carolina for a few months, look for a programming job in Atlanta, and once I got settled, I’d begin film networking.

Before leaving my job, I visited Atlanta and attended DragonCon (which I loved). I also went to a film seminar. The casting agent there shared a lot about the industry, but what stood out most was her rant about getting the wrong lunch on set. She brought it up multiple times and warned us that the industry was small — make a mistake, and you could be blacklisted. It struck me as ridiculous. I was nearly 48, and I was too old to chase people around for crumbs. I chuckled — a little too loudly — and that was that. I didn’t pursue much film work after that. Instead, I turned back to programming, this time focusing on front-end web design.