Craigslist job post of the day - or maybe the year!

mainstreetprod

mainstreetprod

Veteran
The post says it all......:laugh:





Occasional assistant needed for video project. (Nashville)

First -- this is a paid gig.

Second -- it may qualify for internship credit if you're a student - I will work with your school to see if this is an option.

These filming projects are located in wilderness areas within 2 -- 3 hours of Nashville. This will require good physical condition as it will involve carrying camera equipment such as cranes/jibs, tripods, sliders and other support gear up to 4 miles during a one day shoot. It will involve hiking in very rugged terrain at times and you will have to sign an injury waiver.

These shoots will begin in late winter/early spring. If you have an interest, tell me a little about your outdoors and video/film experience.

Thanks!
  • Location: Nashville
  • Compensation: $50 per day
  • This is an internship job
  • Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
  • Please, no phone calls about this job!
  • Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.
 
A whole $50/day to lug gear on dangerous terrain and put my safety in jeopardy? Where do I sign up?!
 
I watch Nashville Craigslist and this is, sadly, typical.

EDIT: Well, at least aside from the whole "put your safety at risk" aspect.
 
Let's see- drive 3 hours from town to the wilderness, shoot 10 hours or more, drive 3 hours back, 6 hours at 60MPH = 360 miles divided by 20mpg = 18 gallons x 3.50 a gallon = $63.00 worth of gas to be paid $50 for a back breaking 16 hour plus work day. Hopefully they are giving the kid a ride. If not, the guy that takes this job may learn something, but it won't be about video.
 
While it certainly doesn't sound like a great gig, it doesn't seem to be the worst of the craigslist job posts that usually get mocked around here. I mean, I've had gigs that I thought were going to be good paying ones, but then in the initial meeting with the client they try to pull the "you could do it for experience/exposure" trick. I'm talking big companies and once a big hospital tried this one on me, not rinky dink operations out of some shady warehouse.

Don't the bad craigslist job posts really go more overboard than this one? No pay for months of work, plus the person placing the job ad seems to have delusions of grandeur and says how their project will be so great you don't need money or food provided, etc? At least with this one, there is pay, and for beginners or students, perhaps a possible one to look at. No, I wouldn't want to lug around stuff for $50 bucks a day in the woods, but then I've done that for free for a friend's project before. If anything, there isn't enough info in this ad to completely determine whether or not it is as bad as you guys are claiming it to be.

Again, no I wouldn't be clearing my schedule to call this ad up and book the gig, but then I don't find it evil to do a project for fun or experience where not everyone is getting paid big bucks. I learned a lot by doing stuff for little pay or even at times for free, because I wanted to learn or because I liked the script or project. Not everyone can go raise $50,000 on Kickstarter, nor is that wise to do on some of the first filmmaking endeavors a person sets out upon. Or am I supposed to save up every cent for 5 years so I can pay someone a couple thousand a day for a full Red Epic package for a short film that could be done just fine on a GH2? I guess if that is the case, I'm not a pro. Oh well.

mainstreetprod said:
Let's see- drive 3 hours from town to the wilderness, shoot 10 hours or more, drive 3 hours back, 6 hours at 60MPH = 360 miles divided by 20mpg = 18 gallons x 3.50 a gallon = $63.00 worth of gas to be paid $50 for a back breaking 16 hour plus work day. Hopefully they are giving the kid a ride. If not, the guy that takes this job may learn something, but it won't be about video.
Click to expand...

I would imagine they would provide transportation. Obviously anyone considering this gig should make sure about that in advance. They failed in giving enough info in this post really. It doesn't mention transportation at all, nor food. One or two more sentences about those two elements would greatly help anyone looking at this job post.

Anyways, the only thing that really would raise my alarm bells is that they don't say what this project is (horror or zombie movie or some snuff film set out in the woods). The other thing is no calls about the job. I'd want to know more about it before I committed to it. I also don't usually take on a job if I can't talk to the people before, so this just seems like a deal breaker on professional communication grounds.
 
Last edited:
If I were back in my late teens or early 20s I would have jumped at the chance to do this just for the adventure.
 
Last edited:
Do you not have laws on this. Here in the backward UK, we have a national minimum wage, and the exceptions from paying it are pretty tight. This one would not be allowed, and it would be pulled as an illegal advert - let alone the totally crap job it appears to be! The National Minimum Wage works out around $10 an hour when converted. Internships, and training plus claims of education don't wipe out the requirement for pay!
 
Check out this load of crap:

Wanted: Talented VIDEOGRAPHERS for Mobile App Launch (Austin)

Sightly, Inc. is an innovative tech startup that's passionate about leveraging the power of video to change how people find and choose local businesses. In March, Sightly will be launching an innovative mobile app that will allow consumers to see inside local restaurants before visiting, as well as upload video reviews (think Yelp with videos). Learn more at: http://sightly.com/app

If you're an experienced videographer in the Austin area, we need your help generating 30 sec. spots for this app. Here's what you'll need:

Preferably a DSLR - 5D, 7D, 60D (or equivalent), or a 3CCD HD camcorder
An attachable shotgun mic, or wireless mic system
Professional tripod w/ fluid head (no sticky pans or tilts)
NLES to capture/transcode footage & internet connection to upload to our server
AND a great attitude, as you interact and work with your local restaurant owners

Here's some examples of the quality of work we're looking to maintain:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaF2pLj_EI8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNFFRHFeu48
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0RJaO9hEKI

As a contracted Sightly videographer, you will earn $60.00 per restaurant covered. Most of these shoots take around 45 min. and we're looking to book 3 to 5 a day per videographer. Your job will consist of shooting 3-4 minutes of high-quality B-Roll, as well as recording about 1 min. of quality VO from the owner or manager. Once covered, you will transcode the footage to an mpeg4 format, upload the footage (along with our release) to our FTP site. That's it. No selling, invoicing, lighting or editing required.

If you're in the Austin area and passionate about your work, we'd love to hear from you and what you can bring to the Sightly team. As the app grows and the scope of businesses included increases, there will be more opportunities for video coverage.

Please attach a current resume, as well as a link to your best video work.

Thank you for your time!
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top