Possible Job Change. What would YOU do?

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mikezip007

Active member
I graduated a year ago with a bachelor's in Film and now I work in video and commercials as a camera operator or a camera assistant. I also do editing as well, mostly corporate stuff; nothing too interesting. I would like to get into bigger things: national commercials, maybe a TV series, maybe major film, always in the camera department. I'm also working to become a steadicam operator but that's still a ways off. I get great feedback from new clients (i'm prepared, knowledgeable, great to work with) and have been referred to for more and more work as I go.

Right now I have 3 main clients (small production companies) that I work for. The work comes and goes with active times and slow times. It's nothing terribly interesting but I know that the more I work with these companies, the more industry people I will meet and more opportunities for bigger and bigger stuff will come along. The amount of work I've been getting and the production value of that work has been steadily increasing since I graduated and I would say I am pretty happy of where I am, and VERY happy and excited of where I am going.

Recently, a cruise ship company has shown interest in me. They have offered me a position as a junior videographer on a ship (could be anywhere) it would be a SIX MONTH contract being on a ship, shooting their cruise video (ship events, excursions, around the ship) and editing it as well. I would work under the senior videographer while aboard. It pays.... not too great but I get free room, and free food on the ship so all the money I make is all profit and I would walk away with about $8,000 in the end. There's also the ability for quick promotion in the video department as their video program is very young. I also love to travel and see the world.

The Dilemma: If I go on this 6 month contract, I don't want to loose the connections I've made here (Orlando) and have to start from scratch again. If I leave, the people I work for now will find someone to replace me and I don't know how hard it will be to get back to where I am now and resume my climbward in the industry. I don't want to work in the cruise video industry for very long but I think it would be a great experience to travel the world, shooting video, shooting pictures (I'm an avid photographer as well). However, I don't believe that it adds to my current path of a full industry camera operator/ camera assistant. But I also think it would be a once in a lifetime experience; something I could look back on and say, "WOW! I did that."

I friend told me to go because, "you can't pass up one oppertunity in hopes of something else to come up. Seize the opportunities as they come. Who knows, maybe the cruise job will lead to something even bigger!"

Do I go? Do I stay and continue my path here? What are your thoughts?


Cliffs: Do I continue working as I am now or go on a 6 month contract to work on a cruise ship and risk loosing current clients when I come back?
 
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NONONONONONONO......working for cruises is a terrible way to go. I have been on cruises (as a passenger) and saw what they have to do. Not fun.

1- Living on a ship for 6 months is a very difficult proposition. The crew quarters are not pleasant. Access to shore is very limited and so on.

2- The work you do is low low low end. Nothing creative.

3- Dead end job, no professional will take your cruise experience seriously.

4- $8000 for 6 months is (8 hour day no weekends) $5.5 and hour.

5- I dont think you will say "WOW! I did that" more likely "WOW! what was I thinking."

Maybe somebody on this forum has actual cruise experience and can correct me.

Just my 2c.
 
Seasonal work is a wonderful way to get a ahead in the world of film if you dedicate all your time in the off season to filmmaking.

If you want to make money let me be the first to say F the cruise ships. If you want to go to sea and make money go down to your local Coast Guard station and get a Z-card. This will enable you to work as an ordinary on deck, a wiper in the engine room or in the stewards department on large commercial vessels.
Once you have your Z-card go join one of your local Sailor's Union like the S.I.U. or S.U.P. etc.

I worked as a deckhand on a commercial fishing vessel in the Bering Sea in Alaska and with the S.U.P. out of Seattle on large container ships and cargo vessels from the ages 18-25.
I would typically do two 90 day contracts a year and earn somewhere between $18,000 and $25,000 a contract.

I know to some that this sounds great but, before you jump in head first let me be the first to warn you that a living earned at sea is always a hard living.

Sometimes physically hard but always mentally hard.
By mentally hard I don't mean you have to be a rocket scientist... What I mean is that you have to mentally prepare yourself to be cut of from the entire world for a couple months. You are locking yourself into a floating tin can and your only interactions will be with social misfits.
It's basically like going to jail with a chance of drowning.

The flip side, the money is good and the time off is great!
You can dedicate all your time off to filmmaking when your in port without having to worry about a day job.

It took me a number of years before my filmmaking turned more lucrative than working on ships.
I'm currently 33 and I still find myself from time to time threatening to return to the seas but I haven't had to for 8 years now.

Check out my current demo reel

http://vimeo.com/7658195

One thing I've alway regretted is that I never shot a documentary about the workings of the large container ships and all my travels.
So if you decide to follow my path remember to bring your camera : )
 
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After years of shooting hospital advertisements, I sometimes dream of spending sometime roaming the world on a container ship, or jumping aboard a cargo train, traveling to some far off place, or some other adventure.

Too chicken, though.

Watching Sin Nombre killed my interest in this a bit. But not entirely. Nope.
 
Your what 23? If I were you I'd take the cruise ship job for the adventure. It doesn't pay much but if you like it you will have the experience to make a niche in the cruise ship video business when you are done, you can make a sweet demo reel from 6 months of your footage. I'd do it for the adventure and not care about the money.

Your current clients will understand, if they really like you they'll hire you back, if not you can find new ones.

It is a life style change but I know three 20 year old guys that are leaving from Florida next week to sail the Bahamas and Caribbean for 6 months on a 30 foot sailboat with a very limit budget. The small cabins wouldn't bother me I'd be out all day having fun but no you won't have a large room, you'll have a room mate. You'll have internet access satelite tv, all modern cruise ships do, even the little 30 foot sailboat has it.

I say you do it and don't look back. That's just me though, I love adventures and am a big risk taker, it has worked out pretty well for me. For fun I'll get my friends in my little plane, at altitude I'll circle for a while with the insturments covered up, when we all agree to stop circling we fly to the funnest city on that compass heading. I'm n KC (center of the country) so there is somewhere to go in any direction.

You have your whole life in front of you to build up a business, go have fun before your married with kids and have a business you have to attend to everyday.

I'm 39 but have a pretty crazy adventure coming up, I can't wait.
 
Im in a very similar position to you Mike.... well sort of.
I graduated last year and have been working since to build our company (with one other graduate and a final year student) and things are going quite slowly because we are obviously starting up and establishing ourselves but we are moving....
Anyway, one of my old college tutors who we were very close to put my name forward to a local News agency that supply video and photos to other newspapers and news websites locally... for a vacancy as a video journalist/photographer...

The photo editor wants me to go in for a chat about the job etc but its also a 6 month contract full time which would mean that i would have to put my business on hold... (my two colleges can still work but i did all the camera work and editing so it slows things down ALOT)

Basically i know just the position you are in... for me its either have a full time salary for 6 months where i can potentially meet new clients/contacts BUT video journalism isnt really what i want to do and i don't feel that i will learn much technically.... :-/

OR...Have NO money for months but still continue building our company and getting jobs every now and then... and not be cut off from potential freelance work which is what i really want tot be involved with in the future...

My brain says its an easy choice.. Money, some experience and contacts.... BUT my heart says that i need to stick with my business and battle through and also be able to do freelance camera work etc (which i wold have no chance of being able to do other wise...)

:p I hope i haven't hijacked your post mike!... i just though it was funny how i felt like i was in just the same position as you... What do you do for the best....?


I personally feel like i may go for this job if i am offered it because it will allow me to relax for a while and just work 9-5 and actually earn some money (which i will try and save most of..)
The company will have to go on a back burner for a few months but it will allow us to create a better website,showreel and contacts...

I think that you should maybe go for it too mike... yeah the money may not be brilliant etc but if you are young and just starting out... it may be a good way to just take some time to earn some cash and at the same time gain SOME experience working in different situations etc and then you can work on establishing yourself when you get back but you will be able to afford to take abit more time to work on things...
you will also have alot of time to work out your plan for when you get back and i would maybe use your situation/locations as an advantage and shoot some really good showreel clips... ?

When you are working 12hr days with no rest/not working at all... you might kick yourself that you didnt go on a 6month cruise! haha

Anyway, best of luck and sorry i rattled on so much! haha

tom.
 
It's only 6 months. You are back home faster than you think. Just do it!

I went to Japan in 2007 for 6 months for an internship. The time flied...

Now I am writing my diploma thesis in Hong Kong for 5 months. Only got 20 days left... everything went so fast.

6 months is nothing.
 
Sounds like an adventure. You won't be cleaning dishes or sweeping decks. You'll be holding a video camera a few hours a day on a cruise ship. Free accommodation and food. Think of it as a working holiday. Turn it in to the time of your life.
 
It sounds like your clients like your work. It's not like you'd be walking off the job. If you gave them proper notice and they like you now why wouldn't hire you in the future?

You've gotten some important things to consider here from folks who know what they're talking about. If all you're chasing is paper, that's cool. When I was your age I worked all summer at a Jewish summer camp in the Adirondacks doing sound and lights for their theatre program and ended up going home with about 1200 bucks that I hadn't spent already. It was still awesome. Sometimes an adventure can do you good. You could make a documentary about it. Make it funny=SOLD.

Know what you're getting into and your decision will become easier. Good luck.
 
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