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Being a runner for Film & TV...

How to make a good impression on your first day!

By Melissa StaffordPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
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The chances are if you've just got your first job/placement in the film and tv industry its as a runner or a researcher, if it's something else then I'm going to have to stop you there and say this post might not be as helpful as you'd have hoped. But, if your first job is as a runner then well done for getting your foot in the door, jobs in the industry are so competitive and sometimes hard to come by if your not living close to the main cities like Manchester, London, Glasgow and soon to be Liverpool! Whilst there are a runners working in all different departments (floor, production office, art department, post-production, camera etc) this advice applies to all of them.

Reputation is really important as technically you are working freelance, sourcing your own jobs one after the other to make money and keep working within the industry. With this, its important to make the best impression possible on your first day so that you're remembered for all the right reasons.

Don't worry about your lack of hands on experience - Its an entry-level job, people expect you to have some gaps in your knowledge and experience, they expect you to be a bit shy and nervous, they expect little mistakes. But, what they also expect is for you to be willing to learn, to be friendly, hard-working, punctual, have good manners and be passionate about your job and grateful that someone has trusted in you enough to employ you. None of these you need a university degree for, you simply need to be aware of your attitude and how you appear to others.

Don't pretend to know more than you do - This links in with the paragraph above, no-one likes a smart ar*se and no-one likes a liar. But worst of all not being honest could cause mistakes or accidents that could affect not just you but the crew or the actual production so be honest. You might find it a bit embarrassing but politely telling someone you don't know how to do something and asking if they could show/tell you will say a lot more about you. No doubt they'd be more than happy to show you how its done.

Be prepared (Research) - Before starting on your first day I'd suggest doing a bit of research on the production company you're going to be working for and the production you'll be working on. If its a pre-existing production then get to know the format/characters/crew etc. If its a totally new production then take as much information as you can from the emails from the member of the production staff responsible for hiring you, don't be afraid to ask, after all if they're able to answer your question they will and if they aren't able to because of confidentiality reasons then it just means you'll still be able to do your job without that information.

Be prepared (Logistics) - The first step to being punctual is to arrive on time at the location/studio. Which ever way you're getting to that job make sure you have a back up plan like knowing the bus and train times, knowing more than one route to drive there, knowing how much a taxi will cost and making sure you have that money available just in case as well as knowing how long these will take you. Basically have more than one option of travel available just in case.

Be prepared (Job role) - Before your first day familiarise yourself with the job role of a runner as well as the job titles and roles of the crew members you'll be working closely with. After all you want to go in knowing what to expect and what is expected from you. www.listeninglistening.com/uploads/6/4/4/8/6448263/crew-roles-and-departments-guide.pdf

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwOogK6wcHc

Be yourself - As much as a cliche this saying is, its actually a very good thing to do on your first day/weeks of a new job. People who've worked in the film and tv industry for long enough have met and worked with so many different people that they've become adept to spotting insincerity and bad vibes very quickly so your best bet to making a good impression is be yourself; introduce yourself, ask questions no matter how silly you think they might be, if you forget someone's name just apologise and politely ask if they'd tell you again. Just don't stand there silently with your arms folded looking like you'd rather be in bed.

Hopefully this has been helpful and if it hasn't then please keep searching for tips on making your first day go well, even if this has been a bit helpful do keep looking and doing your research after all you can never be too informed or too prepared. There are lots of helpful sites available:

https://www.screenskills.com/careers/job-profiles/film-and-tv-drama/production-management/floor-runner/

https://www.screenskills.com/careers/job-profiles/film-and-tv-drama/production-management/production-runner/

Do your best, work your hardest and be a nice genuine person and you can't go far wrong...goodluck x

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