Why adding “multihyphenate” to your résumé will seriously boost your hiring potential
There are X jobs a year for a local director, Y jobs a year for a director of photography, and Z jobs a year for an editor. If you’re an expert in all of those fields, you’ll have many more opportunities for work.
By Jourden Aldredge WHEN I FIRST STARTED OUT IN THE WORLD OF FILM AND VIDEO production, I was a fresh-faced kid just out of film school who didn’t know a thing about how the industry actually worked. Luckily, I had a mentor who sat me down before my first job interview and explained some of the facts. The main lesson I took away from our discussion was that what I learned in school didn’t mean squat. The whole notion of learning a specific skill set and focusing on only that was the wrong way to go. The industry is changing rapidly as we move into a new era of multihyphenate filmmakers who produce, shoot, edit, and everything in between. Sure, I got some work as “just an editor,” but it didn’t take long for me to realize that I needed to take a more varied approach. As my skill set grew, so, too, did my opportunities and the overall quality of my work, thanks to a more comprehensive understanding of each and every project. Whether you’re just starting out in your career or are considering adding new skills to your résumé, here are some reasons why being a jack-of-all-trades will up your hiring potential.
More opportunities With the rise of new media, clients are no longer looking for a team of people who each contribute a single skill. Instead, they’re often in the market for an individual who can wear multiple hats for a fraction of the cost and time. There’s an entire world of content creation out there for multihyphenates, which
More money From there, you can either start taking on multiple projects at once, or, better yet, projects in which you wear several hats. And unless the job description is already calling for it, adding extra responsibilities often means adding more time and more pay. A client I’d worked with once as a shooter reached out to hire me again and asked if I had any recommendations for an editor. When I saw that the budget offered an even better deal than the fee I’d make solely as a shooter, I sent him my video-editing reel. I ended up getting both jobs, which made for a very nice paycheck.
means there’s a tremendous amount of work to go around. Even within the traditional world of video production, you’re much more likely to find opportunities. It’s simple math:
Gear autonomy The person performing the most jobs generally is
Clients and retainers If you can prove that your services are necessary and cost-effective, the goal should always be to turn any filmmaker you work with on a one-off project into a full-time client. Building a client base is even more advantageous when you start negotiating retainers, which means you can count on work year-round. Your own work Being employed and making money is nice, but chances are that you got into this industry to create your own work. Acquainting yourself with multiple skill sets is indispensable when it comes to developing your own projects.
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As my skill set grew, so, too, did my opportunities and the overall quality of my work.
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Project-based pay Once you have enough skills to offer holistic film and video solutions, you can begin charging per project. This opens even more doors in terms of how you bill for your services, since you no longer have to break down each role and rate individually. After we worked together on several projects and built up a level of trust between us, the client I mentioned before continued to hire me. We moved from hourly and day rates to price-per-project, which was a much higher number. Coordinating with one person saved him time and money, and it helped me because I didn’t have to wait between jobs and could just bounce straight from one role to another.
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Crew: Getting Work
One Specific Skill Won’t Cut It
responsible for calling in cameras and gear. This means that you get to choose the stuff you like working with. If you’ve reached the point where you own your own equipment, even better. I’d rather work with the camera and gear I own; I know it the best, and it’s the most practical for me. And while you can figure out how to work with gear you’re not as familiar with or didn’t choose, it’s just not quite the same in terms of skill and speed.
