Hey guys, quick question, our company is looking to bring in a full time shooter/editor, we are overwhelmed with applicants, reel and resume only tell you so much, what do you look for when you want to hire somebody, what creative tests do you give in order to know if you have the right person? I see a lot can shoot and put together a good edit how do you test creative under pressure which is what happens like always, thanks for the tips guys.
How to hire
- Thread starter aalleexx
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rob norton
Veteran
The test is whether you can stand to be around them for 10+ hours a day.
Cary Knoop
Veteran
You must be popular with your staff as an art director......
deltoidjohn
Veteran
El Director
Veteran
This is key. It is very difficult to find out personality and performance defects in an interview, but that's what I do with virtually all of my interview time. Ask them what forums they post to and what their handle is. Read what they post. Check their facebook, twitter, instagram accounts for things that tell you things you will never find out in an interview.
Ask for client and staff references. Spend your time talking to references about personality and how they got along with everyone, how well they delivered the product.
When I was hiring, I let my staff decide if the person was qualified. I spent my interview time determining if they would fit in. I always looked for defective personalities. I once had a candidate say something to me that made me think he had a major ego. Two phone calls to former employers confirmed it. He was an excellent candidate, but for his personality.
filmguy123
Veteran
BOOO!!
Millennial culture taking over... I pray for the day I/we can be rid of social media... though I'll keep DVXuser
filmguy123
Veteran
I'd be sure to ask them for end-to-end samples, not a reel. Reels are limited... good shooters and editors shine in a full piece, not a bunch of beauty clips.
I would also cross check them and the internet to affirm what THEY actually did, I see so many people BS'ing things these days (claiming videos as theirs when they were just a b-cam operator or assistant editor, etc.).
JPNola
Veteran
References might go a long way here. If possible, speak to former employers or referenced individuals who have worked with the applicant. There isn't a freelance shooter / editor who you have worked with that you could look to hire? Most times that a production company hires a shooter / editor it is someone that they have experience with already. Maybe you could try several of the top applicants out on a freelance basis before hiring them.
Ideally you hire someone who is talented, creative, has a good work ethic, AND has a good personality / good character ( positive, enjoyable to be around, conducts themselves in a professional manner, cares about their work and will care about your company's good reputation, isn't a jerk, isn't a hothead, isn't a pothead, showers regularly ). And you of course want someone who is likely to commit some of their career to your company- someone who won't fly the coop after you go through all the trouble of initiating them, teaching them how you like things done. You'll also want to do your best to see to it that the new employee isn't someone who will leave after 8 months and try to take some of your clients with them. Ambitious...but not overly ambitious. Someone looking to serve your company and not start their own company anytime in the near future. With the cost of cameras and editing systems today being less, that is a concern because it doesn't cost all that much to purchase a camera and an editing system. It used to be that the cost was great enough that only people with deep pockets could start their own production company.
I think the best route would be for you to hire someone who like that you have worked with as contract labor already. And if that person doesn't exist yet hire shooter / editors on a freelance basis until you come across a person that you'd like to bring on full time. I would be hesitant to hire anyone that I did not have experience with already.
Ideally you hire someone who is talented, creative, has a good work ethic, AND has a good personality / good character ( positive, enjoyable to be around, conducts themselves in a professional manner, cares about their work and will care about your company's good reputation, isn't a jerk, isn't a hothead, isn't a pothead, showers regularly ). And you of course want someone who is likely to commit some of their career to your company- someone who won't fly the coop after you go through all the trouble of initiating them, teaching them how you like things done. You'll also want to do your best to see to it that the new employee isn't someone who will leave after 8 months and try to take some of your clients with them. Ambitious...but not overly ambitious. Someone looking to serve your company and not start their own company anytime in the near future. With the cost of cameras and editing systems today being less, that is a concern because it doesn't cost all that much to purchase a camera and an editing system. It used to be that the cost was great enough that only people with deep pockets could start their own production company.
I think the best route would be for you to hire someone who like that you have worked with as contract labor already. And if that person doesn't exist yet hire shooter / editors on a freelance basis until you come across a person that you'd like to bring on full time. I would be hesitant to hire anyone that I did not have experience with already.
Run&Gun
Veteran
You are being sarcastic, aren't you? I've been doing this for over 20 years with no plans of slowing down and I despise "social media". No facebook, no twitter, no instagram, no whatever the "in" thing is for today. I don't even have a website.
Run&Gun
Veteran
I'm trying to remember if it was a story I read or if it was someone I actually knew... Anyway, some clown sent in his reel to a station for a job and the chief(photog) watched the tape and at least one of the stories was HIS. The clown stole someone else's work and tried to pass it off as his own to the guy he stole it from.
Nothing can be inferred from a lack of evidence. Roger Deakin's facebook page is almost blank.
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