[NEohioPAL]Rotten Resumes that lose work - in applying for video type of work
Johnny K. Wu
johnny at mdifilm.com
Sat Dec 23 06:42:41 PST 2006
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
------=_NextPart_000_016C_01C72676.B2258BF0
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
This was an article written by my friend Norman Berns, he is also the
moderator for the budgetting yahoo group=20
http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/FilmBudgeting/=20
There are tons of good info about budgeting, raising funds, etc, but
membership is required to download (or view) any of our files (there are
about 20MB of them now)
Enjoy this:
Rotten R=E9sum=E9s that Lose Work
by Norman C. Berns
I don't often have open calls for crew, but I was in a new city with a
producer who liked to post public notices. R=E9sum=E9s poured in - most =
were
tossed right back out again. =20
I=92m not really heartless =96 just too busy to be nice right now. And =
YOUR job
is to make MY job easier. Want your r=E9sum=E9 to be read? Here=92s 24 =
ways.
1. Make your r=E9sum=E9 current before you send it. Don=92t send =
updates -
they just clog my mailbox. =20
2. One job, one r=E9sum=E9. Don=92t send one to the UPM and a another =
to the
AD. We talk to each other. =20
3. One r=E9sum=E9, one job. Make up your mind if you want to be the PA,
gaffer, gofer, editor or DP. Send extra r=E9sum=E9s and they=92ll all =
get
trashed. This came in yesterday - now he won=92t get either job=85.
I wrote to you earlier conserning (sic) the production assistant =
position. I
also want to apply for the DP position....
4. Put your job at the top of the page, next to your name. =93Mary =
Smith
=96 Gaffer.=94 Don=92t make me hunt to figure out what you do for a =
living. =20
This person owns a thesaurus (but not a grammar-checker). And the
information is useless. I have no idea what job he wants.
My natural aptitude for synthesis, strengthen by my intrinsic ability =
for
creativity and reinforced by my experiences, should enable me to =
effectively
fulfill the assigned job.
5. Prepare your r=E9sum=E9 so I can read it with ANY program I use to =
open
it. The only thing I know about you is how your r=E9sum=E9 looks. And =
that=92s
what I think of your work, too.
6. Lets knip this in the but - proofreed you=92re kover leters.
Mistreaks kan hapen, butt youve gott too fixum befor the leaf you=92re =
desk.
And don=92t tell me to sea you=92re web sight. =20
Technicians can be forgiven the occasional spelling gaffe. POCs and =
script
supervisors cannot. For them, no spelling errors. No typos. None. =
Never.
If you plan to work in the office, your spelling and grammar are =
critical.
7. There=92s a place for punctuation-free texting and =93CUL8R=94 =
messages.
Not on a job application, unless you=92re going for the go-go gig at the
hip-hop club. =20
8. I really don=92t care if you hope to run a studio someday. Tell me
what you can do for me NOW. I need to know your skills, NOT your =
ambitions.
9. Skip personal goals like =93improving my knowledge.=94 Not on my =
dime.
Go improve yourself on your own. I=92m interested in how you=92ll =
improve my
film.
10. Don=92t tell me things I don=92t need to know. Don=92t explain you =
pay
the rent by working as a go-go dancer. I don=92t care =96 I just want =
to know
what you=92ll do on this show.
11. Don=92t save your r=E9sum=E9 as =93My Latest R=E9sum=E9 on =
Tuesday.=94 When I
save your file, that=92s what I see. Save your file as =93Yourname, =
Yourjob=94 to
save everyone a lot of trouble.
12. Don=92t repeat the name of the film as your email subject. Tell me
WHY you=92re sending the r=E9sum=E9. An email headed =93Your Recent =
Request for
R=E9sum=E9s=94 is useless - the subject =93R=E9sum=E9 for Art =
Director=94 helps. =20
13. Don=92t apply for a job as a PA and tell me what equipment you own. =
I
don=92t care. PAs don=92t bring cameras, lights or sound gear to the =
shoot. =20
14. Know what grips and gaffers do before applying for their jobs.
Here=92s an application destined for the trash.
I am looking for work as a grip or PA. I have experience and my own
gloves....=20
15. Don=92t tell me all about your film school films. Now that you=92ve
graduated, they don=92t matter to anyone but your grandmother.
16. If you=92re applying for your first job, don=92t shit me. =
First-timers
get hired because they=92re smart and enthusiastic, not because they try =
to
con me.. =20
17. Don=92t detail every short, commercial, music video, infomercial and
documentary. Less is more. Learn to summarize. =20
18. Don=92t list every producer and director you=92ve ever worked for =
unless
I=92m going to be very impressed to see their names.
19. When applying for an editing job, don=92t tell me you=92re good with =
an
AVID. Knowing your tools is a given, like a film editor using a =
splicer.
This editor doesn=92t understand editing, only equipment.
I own my own HD/SD gear and have enough hard drive storage to cover a
feature length movie uncompressed.
Editing is about finding the heart and soul of a scene; it=92s the =
consummate
skill to manipulate individual shots into meaningful sequences. It=92s =
not
about storage. Tell me what you know. Explain how you=92d cut =
identical
footage into a comedy, a tragedy, an action sequence, a romance=85. =20
20. Don=92t do anything fancy to your r=E9sum=E9. No funny lines, no
graphics. Use standard fonts. Avoid curlicues. Save the cutsie-poo =
stuff
for letters home from film camp.
21. Everyone on earth is adept at Word and Excel. Tell me important
stuff that matters for your job. Do you know a cookie from a gobo? Are =
you
a whiz at Movie Magic? Can you fix the &(%)$ copy machine when it =
breaks?
Warn me if you can=92t handle the basics; don=92t brag that you know =
them.
22. Don=92t state the obvious as if there were 1980. I know
yourname at isp.com <mailto:yourname at isp.com> is an email address and
www.whatever.com <http://www.whatever.com/> is a website. =20
23. I'm really busy. That=92s why I wrote "NO PHONE CALLS." Call and
you=92ll piss me off. I can=92t afford to work with high-maintenance =
people who
don=92t pay attention. No one can.
Are there still any crew positions needed=85? I emailed my resume last =
week
and sent a hard copy as well, but just wanted to follow up and let you =
know
I am available and still very interested in being a part of the =
production.
And to be sure he=92d never be hired, he called me, too. At midnight. =
=20
24. Here=92s a great cover letter. No nonsense. I don't have to read =
the
r=E9sum=E9 - I=92m going to hire this person based solely on the cover =
letter.
I am responding to your job posting on _____ for _____. I recently
graduated from ______ in ______ with a degree in______, specializing in
post-production. I interned for ______ for six months where I did video
editing and DVD authoring. For the past year I have been employed at =
the
______ recording studio with duties including engineer, re-mixer and
production assistant. =20
I feel that my experience in sound recording, ADR, Foley and editing, =
along
with my strong work ethic and flexible schedule, would make me a =
positive
addition to your crew.
It=92s not hard to send in r=E9sum=E9s that get attention. You just =
have to pay
attention before you send them. =20
"ROTTEN R=C9SUM=C9S" WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN BTL NEWS, THE ESSENTIAL
PRODUCTION SOURCE FOR CREW MEMBERS.
Johnny K. Wu
Director/Producer/Editor
www.mdifilm.com
216.373.3278
President 2006 & 2007
Organization of Chinese Americans of Greater Cleveland
www.ocagc.org
Join Cleveland IndieClub Monthly Meeting
www.clevelandindieclub.com
------=_NextPart_000_016C_01C72676.B2258BF0
Content-Type: text/html;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN">
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<META HTTP-EQUIV=3D"Content-Type" CONTENT=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Diso-8859-1">
<META NAME=3D"Generator" CONTENT=3D"MS Exchange Server version =
6.5.7036.0">
<TITLE>Rotten Resumes that lose work - in applying for video type of =
work</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<!-- Converted from text/rtf format -->
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">This was an article written by my =
friend Norman Berns, he is also the moderator for the budgetting yahoo =
group </FONT>
</P>
<P><A =
HREF=3D"http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/FilmBudgeting/"><U><FONT =
COLOR=3D"#0000FF" SIZE=3D2 =
FACE=3D"Arial">http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/FilmBudgeting/</FONT>=
</U></A><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial"> </FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">There are tons of good info about =
budgeting, raising funds, etc, but membership is required to download =
(or view) any of our files (there are about 20MB of them now)</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Enjoy this:</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Rotten R=E9sum=E9s that Lose =
Work</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">by Norman C. Berns</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">I don't often have open calls for crew, =
but I was in a new city with a producer who liked to post public =
notices. R=E9sum=E9s poured in - most were tossed right back out =
again. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">I’m not really heartless</FONT> =
<FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Tahoma">–</FONT><FONT SIZE=3D2 =
FACE=3D"Arial"> just too busy to be nice right now. And YOUR job =
is to make MY job easier. Want your r=E9sum=E9 to be read? =
Here’s 24 ways.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">1. Make =
your r=E9sum=E9 current before you send it. Don’t send =
updates -</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">they just clog my mailbox. =
</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">2. One =
job, one r=E9sum=E9. Don’t send one to the UPM and a another =
to the</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">AD. We talk to each other. =
</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">3. One =
r=E9sum=E9, one job. Make up your mind if you want to be the =
PA,</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">gaffer, gofer, editor or DP. =
Send extra r=E9sum=E9s and they’ll all get trashed. This =
came in yesterday - now he won’t get either job….</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">I wrote to you earlier conserning (sic) =
the production assistant position. I also want to apply for the DP =
position....</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">4. Put =
your job at the top of the page, next to your name. “Mary =
Smith</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Tahoma">–</FONT><FONT SIZE=3D2 =
FACE=3D"Arial"> Gaffer.” Don’t make me hunt to figure =
out what you do for a living. </FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">This person owns a thesaurus (but not a =
grammar-checker). And the information is useless. I have no =
idea what job he wants.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">My natural aptitude for synthesis, =
strengthen by my intrinsic ability for creativity and reinforced by my =
experiences, should enable me to effectively fulfill the assigned =
job.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">5. =
Prepare your r=E9sum=E9 so I can read it with ANY program I use to =
open</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">it. The only thing I know about =
you is how your r=E9sum=E9 looks. And that’s what I think of =
your work, too.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">6. Lets =
knip this in the but - proofreed you’re kover leters.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Mistreaks kan hapen, butt youve gott =
too fixum befor the leaf you’re desk.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">And don’t tell me to sea =
you’re web sight. </FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Technicians can be forgiven the =
occasional spelling gaffe. POCs and script supervisors =
cannot. For them, no spelling errors. No typos. =
None. Never.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">If you plan to work in the office, your =
spelling and grammar are critical.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">7. =
There’s a place for punctuation-free texting and =
“CUL8R” messages.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Not on a job application, unless =
you’re going for the go-go gig at the hip-hop club. </FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">8. I =
really don’t care if you hope to run a studio someday. Tell =
me</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">what you can do for me NOW. I =
need to know your skills, NOT your ambitions.</FONT>
</P>
<BR>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">9. Skip =
personal goals like “improving my knowledge.” Not on my =
dime.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Go improve yourself on your own. =
I’m interested in how you’ll improve my film.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">10. Don’t =
tell me things I don’t need to know. Don’t explain you =
pay</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">the rent by working as a go-go =
dancer. I don’t care</FONT> <FONT SIZE=3D2 =
FACE=3D"Tahoma">–</FONT><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial"> I just want =
to know what you’ll do on this show.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">11. Don’t =
save your r=E9sum=E9 as “My Latest R=E9sum=E9 on =
Tuesday.” When I</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">save your file, that’s what I =
see. Save your file as “Yourname, Yourjob” to save =
everyone a lot of trouble.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">12. Don’t =
repeat the name of the film as your email subject. Tell me</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">WHY you’re sending the =
r=E9sum=E9. An email headed “Your Recent Request for =
R=E9sum=E9s” is useless - the subject “R=E9sum=E9 for Art =
Director” helps. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">13. Don’t =
apply for a job as a PA and tell me what equipment you own. =
I</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">don’t care. PAs =
don’t bring cameras, lights or sound gear to the shoot. =
</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">14. Know what =
grips and gaffers do before applying for their jobs.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Here’s an application destined =
for the trash.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">I am looking for work as a grip or PA. =
I have experience and my own gloves.... </FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">15. Don’t =
tell me all about your film school films. Now that =
you’ve</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">graduated, they don’t matter to =
anyone but your grandmother.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">16. If =
you’re applying for your first job, don’t shit me. =
First-timers</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">get hired because they’re smart =
and enthusiastic, not because they try to con me.. </FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">17. Don’t =
detail every short, commercial, music video, infomercial and</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">documentary. Less is =
more. Learn to summarize. </FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">18. Don’t =
list every producer and director you’ve ever worked for =
unless</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">I’m going to be very impressed =
to see their names.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">19. When =
applying for an editing job, don’t tell me you’re good with =
an</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">AVID. Knowing your tools is a =
given, like a film editor using a splicer.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">This editor doesn’t understand =
editing, only equipment.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">I own my own HD/SD gear and have enough =
hard drive storage to cover a feature length movie uncompressed.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Editing is about finding the heart and =
soul of a scene; it’s the consummate skill to manipulate =
individual shots into meaningful sequences. It’s not about =
storage. Tell me what you know. Explain how you’d cut =
identical footage into a comedy, a tragedy, an action sequence, a =
romance…. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">20. Don’t =
do anything fancy to your r=E9sum=E9. No funny lines, no</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">graphics. Use standard =
fonts. Avoid curlicues. Save the cutsie-poo stuff for =
letters home from film camp.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">21. Everyone on =
earth is adept at Word and Excel. Tell me important</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">stuff that matters for your job. =
Do you know a cookie from a gobo? Are you a whiz at Movie =
Magic? Can you fix the &(%)$ copy machine when it =
breaks?</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Warn me if you can’t handle the =
basics; don’t brag that you know them.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">22. Don’t =
state the obvious as if there were 1980. I know</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">yourname at isp.com <</FONT><A =
HREF=3D"mailto:yourname at isp.com"><U><FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF" SIZE=3D2 =
FACE=3D"Arial">mailto:yourname at isp.com</FONT></U></A><FONT SIZE=3D2 =
FACE=3D"Arial">> is an email address and </FONT><A =
HREF=3D"file://www.whatever.com"><U><FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF" SIZE=3D2 =
FACE=3D"Arial">www.whatever.com</FONT></U></A><FONT SIZE=3D2 =
FACE=3D"Arial"> <</FONT><A HREF=3D"http://www.whatever.com/"><U><FONT =
COLOR=3D"#0000FF" SIZE=3D2 =
FACE=3D"Arial">http://www.whatever.com/</FONT></U></A><FONT SIZE=3D2 =
FACE=3D"Arial">> is a website. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">23. I'm really =
busy. That’s why I wrote "NO PHONE CALLS." =
Call and</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">you’ll piss me off. I =
can’t afford to work with high-maintenance people who don’t =
pay attention. No one can.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Are there still any crew positions =
needed…? I emailed my resume last week and sent a hard copy =
as well, but just wanted to follow up and let you know I am available =
and still very interested in being a part of the production.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">And to be sure he’d never be =
hired, he called me, too. At midnight. </FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">24. =
Here’s a great cover letter. No nonsense. I don't have =
to read the</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">r=E9sum=E9 - I’m going to hire =
this person based solely on the cover letter.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">I am responding to your job posting on =
_____ for _____. I recently graduated from ______ in ______ with a =
degree in______, specializing in post-production. I interned for =
______ for six months where I did video editing and DVD authoring. =
For the past year I have been employed at the ______ recording studio =
with duties including engineer, re-mixer and production assistant. =
</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">I feel that my experience in sound =
recording, ADR, Foley and editing, along with my strong work ethic and =
flexible schedule, would make me a positive addition to your =
crew.</FONT></P>
<BR>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">It’s not hard to send in =
r=E9sum=E9s that get attention. You just have to pay attention =
before you send them. </FONT>
</P>
<BR>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">"ROTTEN R=C9SUM=C9S" WAS =
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN BTL NEWS, THE ESSENTIAL PRODUCTION SOURCE FOR =
CREW MEMBERS.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Johnny K. Wu</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Director/Producer/Editor</FONT>
<BR><A HREF=3D"file://www.mdifilm.com"><U><FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF" =
SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">www.mdifilm.com</FONT></U></A>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">216.373.3278</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">President 2006 & 2007</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Organization of Chinese Americans of =
Greater Cleveland</FONT>
<BR><A HREF=3D"file://www.ocagc.org"><U><FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF" SIZE=3D2 =
FACE=3D"Arial">www.ocagc.org</FONT></U></A>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Join Cleveland IndieClub Monthly =
Meeting</FONT>
<BR><A HREF=3D"file://www.clevelandindieclub.com"><U><FONT =
COLOR=3D"#0000FF" SIZE=3D2 =
FACE=3D"Arial">www.clevelandindieclub.com</FONT></U></A>
</P>
<BR>
<BR>
</BODY>
</HTML>
------=_NextPart_000_016C_01C72676.B2258BF0--
More information about the NEohioPAL
mailing list