Making sure your game is fun should be your first priority, but getting people to actually notice it is important too. One of the best ways to let the world know your game even exists is the internet; mainly, gaming websites. This is why so many game developers shoot e-mails at sites in hopes that they’ll write an article or review on their game. And as we’ve mentioned in other articles, like Four Things To Consider Early In Game Development, you’d be smart to begin marketing your game as early as possible.
Of course, you also have to consider that no video game news site can satisfy the request of every email they receive from developers. This means that only a select few games will get any attention from the guys and gals in charge of the site. Whether your game is one of them often depends on the quality of the actual email, not the game itself.
Here are a few surefire ways to get website writers to pass up on your press emails:
1. Have a terrible subject line
The subject line is number one on this list for a reason: it’s perhaps the most important part of the press email.
It is the first thing the person will read, which means it is likely to get sent straight into the virtual trash can if it isn’t up to snuff. If a site receives dozens, if not hundreds, of PR emails in one given day, you can be sure they’ll only bother opening the ones with subject lines that don’t read like they were written by a 1st-grader.
Make sure the subject line describes your game as much as possible with as few words as possible. This will allow the reader to immediately get an idea of what your game is about and what you want. Whether you’re running a Kickstarter campaign or need more votes on Steam Greenlight, make it clear and concise. Here are two examples of subject lines. Which do you think would get opened, and which would get deleted?
Subject Line #1: Hi! My name is Whatever and I’m making an awesome game for PC. It’s like Halo but better! Think you can help us get coverage? Subject Line #2: Cool Studio would like to announce that Game Title is releasing for iOS this month. Press kit inside.
2. Make the email body a wall of text.
When browsing Facebook or the comments section of a site, chances are that you never sit there and read the 500 word rants someone left. So what makes you think that website writers and editors will bother reading your massive press email? The truth is, it’s not about word count, but how neat and presentable it looks.
Instead of getting wordy, simply provide the essentials: an intro sentence that talks about the game in a nutshell followed by important details like the genre, platform, release, date, etc.
150 to 200 words is all you need to inform the reader, especially when you also have an image or two and a trailer to show off. Last but not least, definitely toss in a download code in there so they don’t have to buy the game, and make sure it is very visible so they don’t miss it.
3. Don’t include a press kit.
In this day and age, failing to provide a link to a press kit of some kind is a big mistake if you want sites to help you get coverage. Many would argue that it isn’t necessary, but usually this is coming from people who have never worked for a game site. Those with experience will tell you that they absolutely love press kits for one reason: it means less work for them.
For those of you unaware, a press kit is basically a bunch of promotional material that is both convenient and informative.
For example, you can learn all you need to about Shovel Knight by checking out the fantastic press kit page Yacht Club has provided for it. Theirs is a perfect example because it has all the essentials: a good-sized description, list of key features, and quotes from other sites mentioning their game.
As you may have noticed, they also sprinkled around screenshots, links to social media pages, and videos as well. It also doesn’t hurt to have a section talking about you and your studio if you make it interesting. Your game is more likely to receive coverage if the writer/editor can easily pull info from your press kit, which also helps them get more excited about your game.
Although it has only been around since 2012, the Steam Greenlight process has changed a lot since its launch just a few years ago. In its early stages, developers saw the system as a bottleneck. The number of games that were actually be approved by Valve was very small compared to how many were submitted.
Fast forward to 2015, and now we’re seeing the complete opposite. Getting your game Greenlit is significantly easier. Today, you don’t need 30K votes, but only need to meet a minimum of 2K. They are also now approved in a steady stream instead of batches. Of course, there are still plenty of games that fail to meet the vote requirements to get the Greenlight.
To avoid being one of these disappointed developers, check out the following tips that will help you see your game launch on Steam!
1. Make Sure Your Trailer Is Amazing
If there’s one way to guarantee that you fail on your Steam Greenlight adventure, it’s having a bad teaser trailer. A significant number of people that end up on your game’s page will only do one thing: watch about 30 seconds of your trailer before X-ing out. Their voting for you solely depends on how impressed they were with what they saw.
This means that you should do everything in your power to create a polished, informative, and entertaining trailer. The best way to do this is to show gameplay as soon as you can, and as much of it as possible. People don’t want to see logos or you talking for five minutes. They want to check out the game, so make it look awesome in the trailer!
2. Make Sure Your Visuals Don’t Stink
We’re not talking about pixel art graphics vs gorgeous AAA visuals here. However, whether your game is a retro 2D platformer or a 3D platformer, make sure it doesn’t look like junk. Since people will only check out your trailer for a few seconds, and maybe quickly scan your page, you could garner a significant number of votes only due to good visuals.
One way to turn people off right away is by using placeholder graphics for your page or trailer. This will lead viewers to assume that either the visuals are bad, or the game is in such an early development stage that even if it gets greenlit, it probably won’t get finished any time soon.
3. Make Sure The Audio Quality Is Good
Even if your game’s gameplay and graphics look amazing in the trailer, poor audio quality will most certainly result in lost votes. Even if you clearly state that your game is missing the sound and music that will feature in the final version, people will still react negatively to raspy music, scratchy sounds, etc.
We suggest you do whatever you can to get some decent audio equipment, even if it means begging a friend or family member. You’ll regret not bothering to do so when you start getting comments like “the game looks neat but the sound is awful,” and you miss out on votes. Good audio means your game will come off as professional instead of amateurish.
4. Make The Description Captivating
If you provide walls and walls of text about every feature, character, and power-up in your game, there’s a good chance that few will bother reading it all. As we’ve heard a million times before thanks to a certain viral YouTube video: “ain’t nobody got time for that”; not even Steam users. Since people tend to spend less than a minute on a Greenlight page, aim for a description that they can read in that small time frame.
While you’re at it, make sure the descriptions are not only informative but also gripping as well. If your game is story-driven, end the “About The Story” part with some kind of hook to get people interested. Also make sure to list unique and/or popular gameplay features that will catch a viewer’s attention.
5. Make A Comparison To Similar Games
You know what people who like [insert game genre here] tend to enjoy playing as well? Games that are similar enough to already feel familiar, but different enough to provide a fresh experience. So if your game is a retro 2D platformer with tough but rewarding combat, you would do well to add some kind of reference to Shovel Knight, or at least Spelunky.
Comparing your game to other popular games in the same genre benefits you in two ways. The first is that now you can spend less of your (hopefully) brief description explaining certain gameplay features. Secondly, it will earn you a nearly-guaranteed vote because many viewers will think “Hey! I like Shovel Knight, so I’ll probably like this game too!”
It’s been quite a rough road so far for Microsoft. Although the Xbox 360 managed to fare better than the Playstation 3 throughout most of the seventh generation, even outselling the seemingly-unbeatable Wii with the release of Halo 3, the Xbox One has struggled to keep up with its greatest competitor.
While the PS4 continues flying off store shelves, selling more than 22 million units as of March 2015, Microsoft’s newest console barely managed to sell half of that as of December 2014.
So is it too late to turn things around? Certainly not, especially when you recall how the PS3 managed to end up amassing a large fan base despite having its own bumpy start. But now that the Xbox One has been out for more than a year, and gamers want to play some real next-gen titles, there’s plenty of pressure on Microsoft this E3. The following are a few predictions on what Phil Spencer and his division will show off this coming June.
1. A New IP Or Two
While many gamers can’t wait for the next Gears of War, Forza, or Halo, there are plenty who want to see something completely new. Fortunately for them, Microsoft has come out and directly told the industry that they are cooking up a fresh franchise or two. Sequels and remakes are fine, but both Microsoft and Sony know that in order to continue pleasing their fans they’re going to need something that hasn’t been seen before.
Worth mentioning is that Microsoft has been doing a decent job of delivering new experiences to their fan base, perhaps even better than Sony has. The system launched with Crytek’s Ryse: Son of Rome before seeing games like Titanfall and Sunset Overdrive release in 2014. Quantum Break is another new IP that Microsoft has been hyping up a lot, although we’ll have to wait until 2016 to play it.
2. More Halo: Guardians And A New Gears Of War Reveal
We’ve already seen tons of trailers, and have even played a multiplayer beta, but that won’t stop Microsoft from making Halo: Guardians one of the highlights of their E3 presentation. This is because 343 Industries’ second stab at the acclaimed series has been the Xbox One’s most hyped and anticipated title since the system released. Showing off the next Halo one last time may just help get last year’s awful Master Chief Collection multiplayer woes out of players’ minds and, instead, have them excited for this coming November.
Of course, if there’s one other Microsoft series that can win the hearts of all the Xbox 360 gamers that jumped ship to PS4, it’s Gears of War. After buying the franchise from Epic Games, and entrusting it to Black Tusk Studios, it’d be a huge surprise if the next entry in the series didn’t receive some attention this E3. And with a Gears of War remake already announced, it’s also possible that we see the entire original trilogy (no judgment please) re-release on Xbox One.
3. More Details On Games We Know Are Coming
Microsoft revealed a good number of anticipated titles last year at E3, and many of them have received little to no attention since then. This includes Scalebound, PlatinumGames’s first title ever in partnership with Microsoft, as well as the reboot of Phantom Dust. We can also expect gameplay footage from Crackdown 3, and perhaps even a release date.
Other titles that will no doubt receive time during Microsoft’s E3 presentation will be Fable Legends and Forza Motorsport 6, both of which are sure to release in 2015. Crystal Dynamics’ Rise Of The Tomb Raider will also be hyped up since it’s not only a timed exclusive, but also won’t have competition this holiday season now that Uncharted 4 has been delayed to 2016.
4. Some Big Surprises
Remember that little developer Microsoft paid a cool $2.5 billion dollars to purchase late last year? We’re obviously talking about Mojang, the creators of a game no one expected to be one of the biggest hits in the history of this industry: Minecraft. Now imagine if a Minecraft 2 was revealed to be in the works and would be exclusive only to Xbox One. Suffice to say, you’d have a lot of young gamers suddenly begging their parents for Microsoft’s next-gen console.
Gamers are also excited to see a new Battletoads in the works, which Phil Spencer himself has teased several times in the last few months. And with all the buzz surrounding the new Yooka-Laylee project by ex-Rare developers, it’d be pretty awesome to see the long-awaited return of a beloved bird-and-bear duo: Banjo-Kazooie.
Digitized casting is changing television and film for good. Actors are routinely expected to put themselves on tape for auditions; and often on short notice. We all became actors because we were drawn to performance and not necessarily to the technical side of video production. Now, actors are essentially required to be their own mini-producers.
There is no sympathy or guidance, there are only expectations. By having a plan and understanding of what is desired by casting directors in self-tape submissions, actors can take the frustration out of the self-taping process and focus on their craft.
There are some general rules that all self-tape auditions should follow.
Preparation
In an ideal situation, you will have a camera, editing software, a camera person, a fellow actor to read with, and a quiet environment.
Having a reader who is a fellow actor is ideal but anyone is better than no one. A reader can also run the camera, to limit the amount of editing and making the recording of a self-tape easier.
Always start by reading the self-tape submission guidelines closely so you can follow the specific directions of the casting director.
For those with the time and resources to go above and beyond, dress appropriately for your character and be completely off-book.
Recording
Record your audition with a neutral background like a plain wall that receives plenty of natural light. In general, make sure that you can be seen and heard easily. Then, decide if you will sit or stand in the scene.
Choose whatever you are most comfortable with or whatever is most appropriate for the scene. Whatever your position, frame yourself in a medium shot so that your torso and head are the focus of the scene.
When it comes time to record, always remember to slate before the audition. A typical slate is directed at the camera and includes your name, your agency, and the role you are auditioning for.
Use the slate as a chance to show a little of your personality to the person who will be watching. Then, perform the audition, directing your focus to your reader. As a general rule, make sure that the reader is not seen in the frame and that they are not louder than the person who is auditioning.
After the scene is recorded, edit out excess footage and only send the best take of your scene to the casting director. Remember to leave yourself time before the deadline to upload the video, which can take one to two hours.
Following Up
Finally, whether you are submitting a self-tape to an individual or a large casting agency, it is always good form to follow-up. Make sure the link was received and thank them for the opportunity to audition
Making The Most Of Your Resources
In an ideal self-tape situation, actors receive the call with plenty of time to plan, prepare, and create a great audition video. But in the worst of self-tape scenarios, time, support, and resources can be severely limited.
In this situation, a little creativity is needed to produce a self-tape that captures your talents accurately. The good news is that most modern cell phones have a camera quality and ability to record an acceptable audition.
Follow the same procedure as above, by finding the best lit and quietest place that is available and try to find a reader.
If there is absolutely no one to read with, a last resort is to record yourself reading the other character’s lines and to play it back as you film your audition.
If you have to do this, record the other character using a different voice and anticipate the amount of time you will need to act in the final audition.
When shooting your audition without all the ideal equipment and people, take any steps you can to make the tape the best it can be. First and foremost you want to be seen and you want to be heard. While a self-tape is not a Scorsese film by any means, it should be of enough quality to show what the actor can do on camera.
You NEED To Learn The Skill
Self-tape auditioning streamlines the casting process and will only become more common in film and television casting. Casting directors look at hundreds, sometimes thousands, of audition tapes a year, so an actor should do anything they can to make their audition stand out.
Learning to produce good self-tape auditions can make all the difference in future casting decisions. By informing yourself and using the best possible practices, you can put yourself ahead of the pack and nail your next self-tape audition.
At the time of writing, Cannes 2015 is underway and it was touted by the organizers themselves as a festival that would look to redress the imbalance between the genders. As if to reinforce this promise, the official festival poster prominently features Ingrid Bergman.
Even so, Cannes has generated much inequality-related controversy so far on two counts. Firstly, there was the outrage caused by festival staff turning away any females not wearing high heels (even those with disabilities). Secondly, out of the 19 contestants shooting for the Palme D’Or this year, only two directors are women.
We’ve already discussed the woeful state of affairs regarding marginalization within the film industry, and this recent example points to the fact that positive change is slow…
…But it is coming.
While we continue to both celebrate and promote diversity in our own screenwriting school and across other programs, there are a growing number of diversity initiatives that are well worth checking out.
Much like tax incentives — in which an entity (usually a state government) offers tax relief in order to attract movie production to an area — diversity incentives offer additional benefits to those who strive to keep a balanced team in terms of gender, race, and sexuality.
In fact, some states are even making this mandatory. As such, it’s in a production company’s best interests to make sure they promote diversity, and that in turn benefits the wider community.
Below you’ll find a list of some of the main—and most enticing—diversity programs and incentives which exist for both screenwriters looking to break into the industry and producers looking to improve their own practices.
Film & TV Diversity Incentives and Programs
CBS Diversity Institute– CBS has a number of great diversity programs for screenwriters and others working both behind and in front of the camera (as well as a very good blog which explores the topic of diversity within the industry as a whole).
WriteGirl – A truly fantastic outfit that has successfully paired hundreds of high school girls—usually from underprivileged communities in LA—with female writers who have already made it in the business and are offering mentorship in writing.
HBOAccess Writing Fellowship – While HBO’s new program has closed its doors for this year, it’s certainly one to watch—in the most recent intake, eight semi-professional screenwriters were invited to a series of master classes at HBO’s Santa Monica HQ, before being paired with an executive developer for an eight month mentoring session (as well as an industry meet-and-greet held in their honor at the end). Keep an eye out for next year.
NLMC Television Writers Program – A long-running workshop group that is catered towards Latinos looking to break into professional scriptwriting, this program addresses the fact that only 2.8% of staff writers on televisions shows are Latino.
Alliance for Women in Media – Based in Washington D.C., the AWM is a nonprofit organization run by both men and women to advance the influence of women in numerous forms of media. Part of that includes a number of scholarships and fellowships, including the longstanding Gracie Awards Fellowship.
Diversity in Casting – One for producers. As the most well-known (and possibly oldest) diversity program still active for actors, the Screen Actors Guild allows producers of low-budget productions to take advantage of contractual benefits in conjunction with the guild as long as certain conditions are met.
Illinois Film Tax Credit – Another one for producers to look into. As mentioned above, some states are making diversity conditions mandatory in order to qualify for tax breaks. Illinois is one such state, and as long as you can track and prove you’ve “made good faith efforts” to achieve a racially diverse film crew, the benefits are quite substantial.
Sony Diverse Directors Program– One for directors.Introduced last year, Sony Pictures Television began their own program entitled the Diverse Directors Program. While details for this year are yet to be announced, qualifying candidates last year were invited to shadow high-level TV directors as they produced numerous acclaimed series.
Know of any more that we should be including on this list? You know what to do—drop a comment below, and let’s support those who make the entertainment industry a more fair and balanced place to work.
While the number of female directors in Hollywood is depressingly few and far between, the state of play is a lot more balanced in the world of nonfiction with some tremendous female talent coming out of documentary filmmaking school and going on to create magnificent work.
From industry stalwarts with numerous award wins behind them to brand new talent currently making waves, below you’ll find six excellent documentary filmmakers who just so happen to be women. Dive right in, and you may just find a new favorite…
1. Barbara Kopple
A regular name which has appeared on every decent Top Documentarians list since the mid-90s, Kopple has won not just one, but two Academy Awards for her documentary work. Hallmarks from her extensive filmography include dissections of American culture and biopics of intriguing figures, particularly the controversies (such as Woody Allen and his relationship with Soon-Yi Previn, or the Dixie Chicks’ anti-war backlash.)
If You Had to Watch One: Go with Harlan County, USA. It was one of her Oscar winners and a classic example of a documentary crew becoming part of the story itself, cementing its status in the documentary film canon. The above link plays the full feature.
2. Abigail Disney
Since the release of her debut documentary Pray the Devil Back to Hell in 2008, the granddaughter of the famous animation studio’s co-founder has come into her own as a force to be reckoned with. As well as a slew of critically acclaimed documentaries, Disney is also responsible for the formation and success of numerous pro-female causes and peace initiatives.
If You Had to Watch One: The aforementioned Pray the Devil Back to Hell—co-directed with Emmy Award winner Gini Reticker—is a great place to start.
3. Kim Longinotto
A British documentarian who draws from inspiration from her tumultuous early life, Longinotto began working as a director way back in the mid-seventies and has since become a benchmark for the cinema vérité approach as applied to documentary filmmaking. With her material typically highlighting cases of women who are subject to discrimination and/or oppression, Longinotto usually leaves those she films to tell their own story (to great effect.)
If You Had to Watch One: Her most recent documentary, Dreamcatcher, is well worth checking out and won the World Cinema Directing Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
4. Chris Hegedus
Another luminary from the style of Direct Cinema, Hegedus has won more lifetime achievement awards for her documentary filmography than we could possibly list here. Along with her husband D.A. Pennebaker—a hugely influential filmmaker in his own right—the duo have blown open the stories behind numerous significant events in contemporary American history, as well as produced some second-to-none profiles of many musical legends.
If You Had to Watch One: Either The War Room (for which she was nominated for an Academy Award), or Moon Over Broadway if you’ve got an interest in musical theatre.
5. Lourdes Portillo
A Mexican-born documentary filmmaker whose extensive body of work borders on the avant garde. Much of her work—which is frequently the subject of Chicano studies—centers around aspects of Latin America culture and events, but that doesn’t mean her documentaries are any less engaging for a wider audience.
If You Had to Watch One:The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo, covering the disturbing story of mothers in Argentina whose children “vanished” during the human rights atrocities of the Dirty War.
6. Gabriela Cowperthwaite
Cowperthwaite has produced a number of TV series documentaries over the past two decades, but it was with the release of 2013’s Blackfish that she gained worldwide recognition as a director and a BAFTA nomination. Interestingly, despite the unparalleled success of Blackfish, Cowperthwaite is yet to make any money off its release, admitting that she wasn’t much of a “business-minded shark” when it came to negotiating investment contracts.
If You Had to Watch One:Blackfish is as engaging as you’ve heard, but if you’ve already seen it, try her other directed credit City Lax.
It doesn’t take much to make a documentary, making it possible for anybody to break into the scene with a good piece of work. To learn more about how to make one, visit our 1-Week Documentary Filmmaking Workshop to sign up today.
Screenwriters often feel like they’re stuck between the rock of getting noticed and the hard place of not being taken advantage of.
When you’ve put in the hours at screenwriting school and have crafted an industry killer script that you’re keen to get optioned, it seems silly to stop short of going the final mile; to not do everything within one’s power and pursue all options for getting it noticed by The Powers That Be.
The first port of call in this situation is, more often than not, to upload the script to as many submission websites as possible…
… but the debate currently raging is a fierce one:
Should You Ever Upload Your Screenplay Online?
With the Internet in its adolescence, these kinds of websites—not to mention the many scriptwriting advice blogs out there—are legion and have been around for quite some time already. The idea is a simple one: you upload your screenplay to a centralized repository, producers (or their associates) crawl the repository for some untapped gold, and hopefully you’re the person with whom they get in touch.
All well and good, except that as mentioned, there’s a thousand and one such sites and they all promise the same kind of exposure and increased odds of being discovered; you never know which ones truly attract any kind of appreciable attention, and which ones attract only tumbleweed.
But even still… what if you somehow know for a fact that a script website’s claims are true? Or is there even any harm in shotgunning a load of websites with your script in an attempt to maximize your chances?
In a nutshell, yes. And here are the main risks you should consider:
1) You Could Be Throwing Cash Down the Drain
Without naming names, some script websites charge a fee (or require paid membership) before you can upload your work for the world to see.
That can be a costly business if you’re hitting up a number of different sites at once with little or zero to show for it. Only you can decide if it’s worth it in individual cases, but be suspicious of inflated claims that all the big producers are personally combing their archive—look beyond this for evidence of the site’s success rate and efficacy.
2) You Could Even Hurt Your Chances
Which, of course, is the opposite outcome that you’re after.
Some producers and agents get turned off by work that has been floating around in the public for all to see, with some even using it as a litmus test to save them some time—if that screenplay has been sitting on this site for X years without being optioned, it’s probably not worth bothering with.
In addition, you stand a better chance of gaining attention with a well-targeted, personalized pitch than by simply throwing it out there and hoping for the best. And that leads to our next point….
3) It Breeds Inertia
Many people get lulled into a false sense of security by uploading their scripts onto websites, thinking that the golden phone call might be just around the corner. In turn, that leads to inactivity at a time when you should be at your most active—after all, your job is not over until you’ve finally gotten that deal, and simply uploading the script to a few places usually won’t cut it.
4) Copyright
Disclaimer: this is actually a very minor concern. Everyone is terrified that other screenwriters are going to steal their work, but the frequency at which this occurs is practically negligible. Still, throwing your screenplay out there does put you at a greater risk—while your work is automatically copyrighted to you at the point of its creation without any need to register it (contrary to an enduringly popular myth), you may wish to file your script with either the U.S. Copyright Office or the Writers Guild of America for extra protection. The former costs a mere $30, the latter only $20 (and includes membership).
In conclusion, uploading your screenplay to one or more script websites may lead to great success… but you shouldn’t count on it. Quite often, there’s no substitute to just getting out there and leveraging your contacts.
Don’t have any contacts yet? Make them. Attending screenwriting school is a useful way of expanding your network, and a few very careful email queries can get you the rest of the way there.
This article is intended as a reference and does not represent a guarantee or implication that NYFA graduates or others reading this article will obtain a job in their chosen career nor can salary be predicted since each job and the salary associated with it depends on the individual attributes of each applicant and on circumstances not within the control of any applicant.
It’s never been easier to become an amateur documentary filmmaker, with some even managing to create acclaimed documentaries, despite not having a crew (such as the successful environmental documentary Gasland.)
That all said, this lower barrier to creating documentaries, simply from a technical and creative standpoint, has increased the competition dramatically to break into the field on a professional level. Your odds are even more stacked against you if you’re not surrounded by a talented team, and numerous disciplines are required to bring your vision to life.
Training at documentary filmmaking school help get you closer to your goals of creating quality work, but following graduation you’ll need to decide which type of team member you’d like to become, if you want to become a professional. To aid in this regard, scroll down for an exploration of the main roles in documentary filmmaking and the career paths some people follow.
Documentary Filmmaking Jobs: Career Paths
Producer
The role of a documentary producer – or any producer, for that matter – is hotly contested, but simply put the producer is the person who makes it all happen. Nearly always responsible for fundraising and developing the overall idea, quite often in charge of pulling together the necessary crew, and occasionally getting hands-on with other tasks such as editing and camera duties.
Documentary Producer Career Path:A general understanding of the industry as a whole as well as the various disciplines within the field can be gained at documentary filmmaking school, but some documentary producers learned about the industry on their own and made careers for themselves through hard work, starting in low-level, even unpaid, production assistance jobs and then tried their hand at producing and learnd most of what they know through experience and trial and error.
Pros: Depending on contracts, you’ll get the lion’s share of the project’s revenue…
Cons: … if there’s any to share.
Researcher
Naturally, any film project dealing with non-fiction material can benefit from a professional researcher who can get arms-deep in the subject matter and communicate all the pertinent information to others on the team. Such professionals usually work in factual TV programming for a network rather than on feature length documentaries, though many undertake work in both fields in order to keep their income stream even.
Documentary Researcher Career Path: Hard graft. Junior researchers are increasingly working for little or no pay (often as a runner) before being offered contracted positions. It’s not uncommon for someone with no experience in filmmaking but with a high degree of knowledge in a niche subject to be hired as an advisor for large projects.
Pros: There’s a good chance you’ll get to travel a lot with the job, which some researchers relish.
Cons: As mentioned, it’s tough to break into paid work (and that work can be sporadic.) The job can also be extremely high pressured with long working hours and tight deadlines.
Director of Photography
Also known as a documentary cinematographer, a DP works closely with the documentary’s director and/or producer in order to bring the vision of the project to life. The responsibilities involved with cinematography are arguably the biggest of the whole project, and being both highly creative and extremely knowledgable from a technical standpoint is necessary for the role.
Documentary Cinematographer Career Path: There are numerous paths to working up to a DP position and we’ve covered them in further depth here, but suffice to say it takes a lot of perseverance and grit.
Pros: The perfect role for those who live and breath documentary filmmaking and love to inject their own personality and creativity into their work.
Cons: The success – or failure – of a project often lies squarely on your shoulders.
Documentary Sound Designer
While the director of photography is in charge of all the visual elements of the documentary, the sound designer is – as you can probably guess – the master of audio. From scoring the documentary to making sure all interviewees are audible and mastering the final mix, the sound designer is instrumental in bringing balance and mood to a documentary project.
Sound Designer Career Path: Any kind of audio engineering training and/or qualifications can help attract interest in your services. Starting off small is often the way to go, beginning as a runner, then boom operator, then junior mixer and onwards.
Pros: As a central part of the team, the job satisfaction of a perfectly executed final mix can be exhilarating.
Cons: If you think it’s all about having fun in an editing suite, just wait until you have go through the teeth-pulling exercise of seeking copyright clearance for a hundred different pieces of audio.
Writer
The concept of a non-fiction documentary having a writer is one that puzzles those outside of the industry, but there is indeed a call for them – while the definition can be fairly fluid, voice overs and narration are usually the documentary writer’s main remit, alongside working with the director and editor to shape the narrative of the film as a whole.
Documentary Writer Career Path: There’s really no set road to success here, especially given that the producer/director on a project often wears the writer’s hat themselves. That said, if a dedicated writer is needed on a documentary, those with an existing screenwriting portfolio will be favored for the job.
Pros: You’re offered all the same benefits by the Writers Guild that your fiction writing cousins enjoy.
Cons: Having to explain, over and over, that just because a documentary has a writer doesn’t mean it’s ‘made up’.
Camera Operator
Naturally, a documentary team will be somewhat stuck without at least one person who knows how to work a camera. Working directly under the director of photography, the camera operator in a documentary setting often has to think fast to get the best out of the unscripted events unfolding in front of them.
Camera Operator Career Path: Any time spent at filmmaking school in order to learn the ins and outs of key equipment will benefit a budding camera operator, alongside gaining experience in the specific field – i.e news, film or documentary – the operator is pursuing in the long term.
Pros: No two days will ever be the same, with projects often seeing you travel far and wide to cover diverse subject matter (especially if you’re a gun for hire). Work is relatively plentiful too once you’ve built a network of contacts.
Cons: Time and budget constraints can often make it a challenging job.
Want to explore further jobs in the wider industry? Check out our earlier guide on jobs in film.
Let’s not sugarcoat it: it isn’t easy to break into the musical theatre industry, and nobody is going to hand you a leading role in a Broadway show on a silver platter…
… but there’s more than one way to skin a cat.
Below you’ll find a breakdown of numerous professional jobs in musical theatre (along with their ballpark salary expectations, career paths and difficulty of attaining paid work). The good news is that many of them lead into one another, creating a multitude of routes into the musical theatre job you’re aiming for.
Some require prior training at musical theatre school while others rely more on on-the-job experience (and a little bit of hustle). Learn more as we explore:
Jobs in Musical Theatre: Work, Salaries & Career Paths
Front of House
We figured it would be sensible to start with front of house roles given that it’s often the starting block for many a good career in musical theatre. It’s often menial work – selling tickets or refreshments and/or showing people to their seats, for instance – but hey, it’s a start.
Front of House Career Path: See a job listing calling for front of house staff, prove you’re capable of serving patrons, and away you go.
Pros: In some cases, you get to see the show for free (or at least get discounted tickets.)
Cons: Doing the same thing, ad infinitum, often without pay.
Difficulty:1/10
Front of House Salary: It depends on the theatre (and its location), but the hourly rate can vary from being totally voluntary to $15 or $20 at the top end. A front of house manager earns around $35,000 on salary.
Musical Director
A musical director generally works under the lead director and producer, and acts as a conduit between the upper management and everyone else. However, after the rehearsals are wrapped up and the show’s run begins, the director/producer tend to take a backseat. At this point, the musical director will work with the stage manager (see below) to keep the entire production on track thereafter.
Not to be confused with a theatre director, who runs the venue itself.
Musical Director Career Path: Many musical directors start of as musicians first and foremost such as violinists or pianists, working on small productions before being tasked with leadership roles. Attending musical theatre school can accelerate this, and needless to say music lessons in a chosen instrument (or many) is almost essential.
Pros: If you love mixing creativity with logistics, this is the job for you.
Cons: A lot of responsibility, not a lot of credit.
Difficulty:8/10
Musical Director Salary: Between $40,000 and $60,000 dependent on experience and production level.
Stage Manager
A broad term to refer to the head honcho who ensures everything that under the remit of the musical director (above) runs smoothly. The checklist of duties can be huge depending on the production: blocking, cues, lighting, scenery, props, and scheduling and reporting to the director and producers are all part and parcel of the job.
Stage Manager Career Path: As with the musical director, a stage manager typically starts small and works up. A deep understanding of everyone’s role on the team is essential, which typically requires formal tuition at musical theatre school.
Pros: The job satisfaction is huge, given that you’re pretty much solely responsible for putting on a good show.
Cons: You don’t know the meaning of the word pressure until you try being a stage manager on a big production.
Difficulty:9/10
Stage Manager Salary: Generally paid on a per-weekly basis of anywhere between $0 and $3000, depending on production size.
Producer
One of the most nebulous terms in both musical theatre and film, a producer can be expected to wear many hats during the course of a show’s run, but is primarily in charge of raising funds, managing said funds, and sometimes hiring personnel. The producer is usually the one to have discovered the script and initiated the production.
Producer Career Path: Business savvy is arguably more important than performance skills, but having an eye for this is also vital. Being rich helps a lot, too.
Pros: In a nutshell, the payoff can be huge (financially speaking)
Cons: You can also bankrupt yourself and/or your production company really, really easily.
Difficulty:10/10
Producer Salary: No reliable averages exist given that earnings are almost always royalty based, so we’re talking about a range of millions to negative millions.
Theatrical Makeup Artist
As you can imagine, being a makeup artist for musical theatre is a slightly different discipline to makeup artistry for models, photoshoots, and other types of beautician work, since it often calls for quite dramatic results under the harshest of lighting conditions.
Theatrical Makeup Artist Career Path: Given the technical knowledge necessary, it’s rare for makeup artists to have no specialist training in this area (though not entirely unheard of). A strong portfolio is also mandatory.
Pros: A lot of opportunity to unleash your creative prowess and work with a varied group of performers.
Cons: The overheads can be quite pricey when you’re starting out and having to purchase a lot of materials on your own dime.
Difficulty:7/10
Theatrical Makeup Artist Salary: The average hourly wage reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics is pegged at $30, with a mean average annual of $58,000. Obviously, this is just a ballpark figure for those working freelance.
Choreographer
An essential role in bringing a musical theatre production to life, choreographers are responsible for a very important part of the show: working out exactly how the talent should move when on the stage (and that is usually more than just the dance routines). Like makeup artists, choreographers have been a part of the industry since the inception of theatre in Greek antiquity.
Choreographer Career Path: Formal tuition isn’t strictly necessary, but nearly all choreographers are trained dancers and go on to work either on a self-employed basis or via a dance company. Occasionally, the director doubles up as the lead choreographer on a production.
Pros: If dance is in your veins, there’s nothing better than being the person who creates the routines.
Cons: Expect outrageously long, 16 hours work days with a lot of traveling for work. Dance-related injuries are also common.
Difficulty:6/10
Choreographer Salary: Averages around $50,000 per year, but with the caveat that earnings can go up or down depending on freelance work available (if not signed with a dance company.)
Dancers, Actors and Singers
Working directly under the choreographer, directors, and stage managers are the main event: the people who the public have paid good money to see. This more generic entry covers a wide swathe of skill sets and different disciplines, with some members being proficient in just one or many.
Career Path: Entirely depends on your chosen field. Naturally, a dancer should seek expert dance tuition and a singer should undergo vocal lessons in order to maximize the chances of being hired. For a well-rounded education in all of the major skills, attend musical theatre school.
Pros: The thrill of performing, of course!
Cons: It’s one of the most competitive fields in entertainment. You could be flying high one moment, then struggling to find work the next. Also, the work itself is a lot more grueling than a lot of people are prepared for.
Difficulty:9/10
Talent Salary: Thanks to the Actor’s Equity Association, the minimum you should be paid is $1,754 per week if you’re on Broadway. If you’re off Broadway, this drops to $500 per week. The good news is it’s a growing industry with average wages rising with theatre profits.
Scenic Carpenter
As the title suggests, a scenic carpenter’s role is to create sets and structural elements of the production as requested by the production manager. Scenic carpenters typically don’t paint the set pieces themselves (which falls under the scenic artist’s remit), but may be required to also work on rigging in smaller productions which don’t have a budget for two separate professionals.
Scenic Carpenter Career Path: Simply put, proficiency in carpentry is required. Formal qualifications are usually requested given that poor structural work can endanger lives.
Pros: There’s a lot of job satisfaction to be had when you finally get to see the finished set, in action, that you helped create from the ground up.
Cons: Explaining for the hundredth time why that design might look good on paper, but it breaks numerous laws of physics in reality.
Difficulty:6/10
Scenic Carpenter Salary: Nearly always paid on a freelance, hourly basis and not much better than other low-grade stagehands at $8-$10 per hour. This can go up to $20-$25 per hour if managing a team.
Costume Attendant
Very few musicals can operate without a team of wardrobe staff, and costume attendants make up the bulk of this workforce. Tasked with making sure costumes fit the stage talent, keeping them in good condition between shows, and helping actors in and out of them during the show, a costume attendant may also be responsible for choosing the costumes themselves. However, this is usually the duty of the wardrobe supervisor (whom costume attendants report to.)
Costume Attendant Career Path: There isn’t a strict route into gaining work in the costume department of a production, and many who do so came from different stagehand disciplines. Skill with couture is obviously a prerequisite, and formal fashion training can help you climb the career ladder quicker, but otherwise it’s all down to your portfolio.
Pros: Getting to work with pretty much the entire team, from fellow stagehands to the actors, right up to the director. It’s a great job for learning many facets of musical theatre.
Cons: Work can be sporadic at best, but on the days you are requested, expect long hours.
Difficulty:5/10
Costume Attendant Salary: The hourly average as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (specifically for theatre) is reported as $26.80, which is only a shade below the same role in motion pictures at $27.02.
Lighting Designer
Along with scenic carpenters and costume staff, lighting designers fall under the umbrella category of “theatrical technician.” Lighting designers work hand-in-hand with light board operators, the former planning everything out in advance to match the artistic vision of the show, while the latter makes sure that plan is followed on the night.
Lighting Designer Career Path: A highly technical profession, lighting designers either learn from a very basic level in an amateur theatre setting, or undertake full training in electronics or another related field. Working as an associate LD under a lead designer is a good way of cutting your teeth in the industry.
Pros: The skills you’ll learn are highly sellable, even when you’re not working the theatre circuit (think music concerts, photo shoots, etc.).
Cons: It’s an under-appreciated art form.
Difficulty:7/10
Lighting Designer Salary: A healthy $50,000 per year on average, but that’s across the whole industry (not just theatre). Light board operators, on the other hand, earn substantially less; only around $10 per hour on a freelance rate, for a national average of $30,000 per year.
Develop your performance skills across singing, dancing, and acting disciplines with our 4-Week Musical Theatre Workshop with the support of a Broadway-level faculty. Visit our 4-Week Musical Theatre Workshop page to learn more.
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