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Link: http://www.billboardmama.com/film-internships-do-you-have-what-it-requires-p-323.html

Let us discuss what's needed to get a job for film internships.

1. Drive and determination. Are you passionate enough to enjoy working 18 hours per day? Bear in mind that longer hours are highly needed in production. Try acting if you're a flake and you want to work in the film business.

2. Creativity. Do you have a unique subject in mind? Does anyone care about your topic? Can you visualize your film in the eye of your mind? Do you dream about your story, obsess about it?

3. Do you thrive under pressure? Do you believe that Murphy's Law would oftentimes be not the case? Do you treat limitations as opportunities?

You appear to have what it takes to be successful in the film industry if you've responded positively to the three questions above. However, drive and determination, creativity and thriving under pressure are not sufficient. Obviously, you need to have above-average job skills. And you definitely need contacts, connections, hookup and referrals. Let us tackle these issues.

Learning job skills may seem pretty self-explanatory and for the most part is. Knowing how to turn on and point a camera, set lights, work an editing bay, etc. can be learned from a good mentor. Another important thing to consider if you are serious about learning the basics in the film industry is your learning environment. Most traditional film schools will teach you the practical equipment applications in a very controlled environment. This year's class does the same shoots and projects as last year's class and the one before that, and so on. The approach of the alternative film school opts for a more hands-on, learn by doing method that thrusts the student into real-world shoots where everything is being done for the first, and only, time. In this sense, traditional film schools are like practice and the alternative film institute, like the Film Connection, is like the real deal.

It may seem unfair but sometimes, who you are predicts your success rate in the business. In the film industry, this is how people get hired. A vacancy opens at a film company...someone resigns for a better job elsewhere, leaves to get married, moves out of state, retires, etc. and suddenly there's a job opening. When this happens, the person in-charge of recruitment won't gloss over resumes and start calling candidates. Nope, they are going to pick up the phone and call someone in the industry they have on speed dial to check if they know of anyone who is available. This is why connections (or to use the current buzz word, networking) are so important. To put it simply, the more "relevant people" you know, the better are your chances of landing on a job. The fact is, it is not enough to simply have the talent. Of course, if you have the talent, plus the connections, then you're clearly rising above your contemporaries.

The final consideration is financial. Traditional film schools can leave youwith $100,000 in debt and the fact is, most of film school graduates do not earn this kind of money for several years. So ask yourself, do you really want to kick off a film career with that kind of debt? Would you not rather put that kind of money towards making your own film?

All this and more are the reasons why the Film Connection Film School Alternative was started. It seeks to provide you with the best of all worlds, and not just both worlds. Your personal teacher, a working professional, will teach you on the basic technical skills of the job. As you'll be working on real film projects, you are learning from the best possible environment. You'll be responsible for a number of projects at the same time, so you gain wide experience fast. The school's structured curriculum will teach you both the traditional (theory and history; equipment and production techniques) and business (fund-raising, distribution, permits, contracts, talent releases) aspects of filmmaking.

The more shoots you go to, the more contacts you will rub elbows with. Think about it, everyone who's working on a film shoot is someone who is working in the film industry, thus, everyone you meet on the film shoot is a contact you need to make. The Film Connection film internships give you that opportunity. The course is set to last six months which is just about how long it takes to assimilate and be comfortable with everything you're learning. Lastly, the cost of the Film Connection Film School Alternative program is just $7,750. Because the simple truth is, we don't believe film school is worth $100,000, $50,000 or even $25,000.