Resumé, and maybe some other things.

So, I said in the last post that I would talk about resumes.

First of all, resumes are living entities. They grow and change with the years as you get experience and also adapt depending on the job you are applying for. I, for example, wouldn't submit the same resume to someone looking for an LD as I would to someone looking for a Costume Designer.

Not that I would ever want to be a costume designer.

You need to know what the employer wants in an employee and then highlight the aspects that you have that he finds necessary. That does not mean that you should lie. If an employer asks for someone with two years professional experience, don't lie. He'll probably be able to catch it when you walk in. Not a good start...

Most people have problems with the format of a resume, but that's pretty silly in my opinion. That's why god invented "Google". Just google "resume format" or "resume" and you'll get pleanty of hits...trust me.

As long as you take the time to read the job discription and expectations before you try to write a resume, you'll be fine.

Good luck in your resume-ing.

All the best

-Me.

Before College

As much as I would like to say "I do everything myself!" I do have people trying to help me out with my journey. My ex high school puts on a summer production to acclimate the new students to how the program is run and I was lucky enough to be hired to come back and do sound design and teach a little bit of basic lighting to the new lighting techs. Taking that summer job, even though it was ten hours a day four days a week for five weeks (talk about a third of my summer gone...and did I mention that I wasn't paid?), was a wonderful decision. It taught me, in a nutshell, to be aggressive about work early on.

What do you mean?

Well, I mean, get your resume (and your name) out there! Don't worry about rejection, it's unavoidable. (corny, but bear with me)

As a matter of fact, chances are that you wont get hired before you finish at least two years of school. Most people hiring aren't going to say "Oh look, someone who will probably be a liability and who I will need to take time to train! Yay!" I recommend going for volunteer positions as you start out. Things like "Laborer" or "Box pusher". Lots of places (churches, playhouses, theaters, convention centers, amusement parks...) need volunteers to help with the work.

Its a good way to get your name in the heads of people who can get you more interesting work later on. I'm going to a gig next weekend as a volunteer carpenter (not the knotts one).


I think that's all for now...to reiterate, I recommend you try as hard as you possibly can to get any work at all. Paid or un-paid. Skilled or un-skilled. Just go and work.

Oh. I almost forgot!

I'll do this quickly, beacuse I want to sleep.

You need a resume, which I guess I'll get into next time. Once you have it, start firing it off to people. Apply for anything you think you can do. Electrician. A2. I don't know your skill level.

Good place to start : Backstage Jobs

If you don't get accepted at all, don't fret just yet. If you do, good for you! Have a blast

That's all for now.

All the best

-Me.

Last High School Show

Man, that was a while ago, but I guess I can still write about it.

The show? Beauty and the Beast.



Lovely choice in my opinion. Our town is kind of a sanctuary for the very old and very young, so we had a great turnout. The audience was surprisingly energetic, despite their extreme ages. The show was held, not in our high school theater, but in the local playhouse. Wow.


The house.


4th electric


SR

It was like I was a pro already!

I had the honor of being appointed sound design and A1. It was my my first time SDing, and it was a blast! I had the help of 3 professionals, all of whom were very useful. They taught me everything from basic board-op techniques (it was my first time with an analogue console!) to speaker and mic choice and placement.

Hectic 3 day load in and set up followed by probably the worst rehearsals ever. Everything came together at the dress, however, and the show was a blast!

There isn't much I learned from the show about the real world that I can speak of here...I had an enormous safety net, and boy did I use it. I guess if I can say one thing about your last high school show, I would say aim high. Apply for a "crew head" position (that's what we called people like A1s and LDs at my high school) and if you get a design position, go all out. Do everything they will let you get away with.

I'll leave you with this. Its the teaser for the show that the choreographer put together. It makes the show look almost as good as it was.

Beauty and the Beast Preview

More later.

All the best

-Me.

Welcome

Hey, how's it goin'? This is my stagecraft blog! I decided to start this puppy up because I'm 18 and about to start school to become a theater technician. Good times.

Anywho, I've seen plenty of people posting around blogs and forums asking for advice on how to break into the technical side of the entertainment industry...mainly because I've been posting around forums and blogs with the same questions. Seems that no one my age really knows what to do (including myself...). I'm hoping that, by the time I make my way to a steady job (god willing), there will be enough experience here to help others going though what I am right now.

And some funny stories won't hurt either.

My school starts on the 2nd of this month, so Ill hopefully have some pictures of the theater ill be in by then. Thanks for reading!

All the best

-Me.