This is an interesting article for freelancers in Film and TV provided to us by sound recordist Ande Schurr. You can find out more from him on his website www.fieldsounds.co.nz and his blog www.mymilliondollarjournal.com
No-one likes to admit they are having a quiet month, but reality is reality. I have been fortunate along with many of you with a steady stream of work but if things slow down there is only one thing I will be doing: Self-Promotion!
‘Shameless bastard!’ – some of the older Sound Recording folk would mumble under their breath if they read this. But, joking aside, I think the bulk of people have an understanding that in times of uncertainty, a little more forthrightness is acceptable.I had a good discussion with one excellent and experienced sound technician who said the game of self-promotion is different when you are younger. “There is more tolerance for enthusiasm” – he said (thank god, I was thinking at the time, as I have more than my fair share of it) and there is more support to just getting out there and making a name for oneself.
As a technician, and not a creative by any stretch of the imagination, there is only so much I can do publicly. Plastering my image all over the city bill-boards with the words “you need a sound man in your life – err I mean – production” would confuse people (although people would probably laugh which would cause them to spend more) but take directors Louis Sutherland and Mark Albiston who have been nominated at Cannes for the second time with their film The Six Dollar Fifty Man – now that is something to crow about and publicize.
So how do we, the glorious mules of the industry who carry the vision of the creatives to the foot of the red carpet, go about promoting ourselves appropriately?
Three Ways to Successfully Promote Yourself:
1. Treat People as More Important Than You. If you are ringing a producer to say “hello – by the way, I’m free next week” then for goodness sake don’t do what I did last week and keep them talking when they are in the middle of a shoot. Instead, ask them if they have a moment to talk, and if not, immediately excuse yourself and ring them back the next day.2. Keep the Feeling Alive That You Are In the Right Industry. Don’t doubt yourself. If you have survived as long as you have then you are good at what you do. When you talk to producers and HOD’s, rest in the knowledge that if they don’t want you then NO PROBLEM – the next guys will. The train moves on and another one always takes its place.
3. Email, Ring AND Visit
People remember different things. Some producers never get back to me if I email them. And if I ring them they are usually very busy and I feel rude holding them up on the phone. The only other way is to visit them – a very brief visit. Maybe you can drop something off that they will appreciate; maybe you can just peer your head in to let them see you still have a mortgage to pay.That’s all from me. Keep busy promoting yourself. Write to me, ande@fieldsounds.co.nz, if you want to contact me.