Any advice for someone who went to school to be an art director but is now more interested in working hands on in production? I’m only 1 year out of school so it doesn’t feel too late to switch but i’m so unsure how to!

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It’s 100% never too late. You more than likely will need to start next to or near the bottom of the totem pole. As long as you are willing to be diligent and add value to your team there’s no reason you cannot. Start talking to producers you know or reach out to agencies looking for production interns/juniors and pitch yourself and what skills can transfer over to the new role you are seeking.

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Thank you!! this is super encouraging and a great clear starting point! I will definitely do this :)

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Careful what you wish for. You have to be able to work fast if you want to work in production creatively, like a Designer. You need to be very good at Adobe Suite and possibly other programs, unlike an AD who only needs to be aware and know how to direct. What role in production you want to go into also matters, whether it’s production designer (closest to AD), producer, photographer, lighting specialist, etc.

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Good to know! I think I was thinking more studio production, so very hands on, making stuff, staging, running around, that kind if enviornemtn and less of a production artist!

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Are there any film / production communities you can reach out to directly for a coffee? Any younger directors, dp, producers in your city who are hustling to make passion projects you can find? I’d reach out to people making personal projects to see if you can PA or work in art department and just try to meet as many people as you can while you learn and see if you like it. It can be possible to do this on the weekends while you continue at a full time job as you learn skills and meet production freelancers.

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GREAT idea, I’ll definitely see what’s around me in the city. Would love to PA for a bit and just see what that world is like!

I’ve used to be an art director and then a producer. Happy to talk to you if you want to DM me.

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Define what you want to do in production. Direct? Cinematography? Produce? Each of these will have a slightly different approach and path to follow. You can go the PA route, however that's a slow process, which most likely won't allow you to be involved creatively, since the skills you develop as a PA realistically have nothing to do with production. Given how affordable production has become in the past couple decades, there's a lot of opportunity to leap frog your way into the industry if you have the skill set and a reel of work to shop around. My advice would be start making as many projects as you can, so you can develop your style and the type of work your interest in.

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