I Got Fired.

mjmcneese2 said:
Berg...sorry to hear about that. That's a good chuck of money that you're gonna be doing without. I've been through some times like that...amazingly, you'll adapt to having less money at hand, and you'll become very resourceful. Like others have said, sometimes bad things turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

Over the past year I started picking up a few freelance gigs here and there (contacts!!!), and ended up quitting my f/t job to take a leap of faith into being on my own. So far, I'm ahead of the game...busy as can be, but all the happier for it.

I say make a decision to do something with your production talents. Make a list of your contact resources and get on the horn and let them know about your situation. Call up some local sports teams and see if they have any freelance opportunities (that's how I got started, and I made dozens of contacts through that). Think of any friends/family that has a small business, and talk to them about promoting themselves with video. You might be doing some work for little or know money, but this biz is all about who you know and what you can do. And since you have some 'time on your hands' now, I say get out and get some work done...the money will come.

If you need any more of my sage-like wisdom, let me know.
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mjmcneese2... Sounds like you're makin it work, good for you.

As I've been reading DVXUSER over the past month (till late in the night realizing I need sleep for my real job) I'm wondering how many here are making a FT living using their skills in video production. How long does it take to put the pieces together? How much are people making? Anyone over $100K?

I'm wondering 'cause I'm thinking of a career change.....(even tho I've got a good job)

btw getting laid off isn't as bad as quitting, at least there's unemployment $$ while you're getting your business together!
 
Hi Berg... thats the reason they gave you? They dont have unfair dismissal laws in the US? Are you under contract? Even if you arent doesnt mean you arent entitled. Regardless if you jump into a new career there are right and wrong ways for dismissal to occur. You may be able to get something from them.

I worked for a large finance company and flew to the states a few times working, and from what I understood the labour laws there were pretty strict with this kind of thing... but possibly could have been our own company policy in the states to match global policy.
 
Berg - the hell with it all. Is this what you want to do? If the answer is yes, then you have to go for it, and I mean - really go for it. No half ass ****. Start shooting, all the time, anything at all. You'll never know what goes on your reel and gets you a job. My reel starts with a sunset shot of a dock. I got this job "The Paper Route" off of that one shot. What was I doing at the time? Doing a pick-up for another film....I turned the camera, set my composition and exposure and shot it...It's been a long time but now I am finally getting work, and I just got hired for a 2.5 million dollar feature to shoot in the fall/winter of 2006, and am in discussions for another 5.5 million feature. I was ready to quit two years ago. Keep working!

Here's the flipside. I got into filmmaking the same time as my best friend Mike - me a shooter and he a writer/director. Mike would never go on jobs with me, because he had a real 9-5 job. I offered to get him on Pieces of April, Gangs of New York and other jobs (PAing of course) and he would never come. Now he is stuck at his job and he thinks his shot is past - a kid on the way and too much responsibility. He hates this job with all his heart and may be stuck in it for a long, long time. He can't find the time to even shoot a five page short, and he calls me up for pep talks all the time.....

Where do you want to be? Go make it happen. Like Charli said earlier - feel sorry for yourself a little bit and then get out there and fight like hell. We believe in you.
 
Yes, definitely view it as a good thing. I was laid-off last year from a lucrative but stale job. I got a few temp jobs before I landed a much better gig with new people and new opportunities. Basically it was a long-overdue kick in the a$$ to move-on to something different. Plus it gave me time to explore my options for going into teaching or whatever. Enjoy your time for now. When you are ready "choose, but choose wisely" and be happy that you were forced to try something new.
 
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