From: JEFFREY PAULL (email suppressed)
Date: Thu Oct 16 2008 - 08:39:26 PDT
Suggestion #1:
Mr. Brackhage has a very good point regarding becoming a plumber., But because we live in a classless society, we white collar folks with BAs and MAs
tend to overlook these ways to make good money. Plumbers, Electricians, any of the Trades, of which there are many that wouldn't immediately come to mind.
One experimental filmmakerI know is a Postie. His "walk" is done by 2pm, good money, good benifits.
So, with all your education so far, one suggestion is get a bit more, but of a different kind.
Community colleges often have programmes that teach so-called blue collar work - the Trades.
Often there is a shortage of these people ( inquire either government pages on net, or with career councillor (spelling?) at the CC.
Those unionised crafts pay very well. (Getting in the union can take time, but check how much those people make per hour!)
Suggestion #2:
Check out or pitch ideas for courses or workshops you might develop for Adult Ed., Seniors, Annex Learning, City recreation places.
Check out catalogues to see what sort of thing is already on the books, and how they are described in the course Descriptions.
When you pitch them to the person in charge, think about them from these civilians' POV.
An academic BG can cause you to inadvertently plump up course plans to intimidating complexity.
For training, if possible, take a course yourself to get a sense of how the teacher comes across, what's covered and how long it takes to cover only that much.
Watch the reactions and questions of the other folks in the class. Ask them informally what attracts them to this course or adult ed.
I've taught some of these courses and discovered that many people take them again and again, as it's their "night out" and a continuing interest.
And they are able to talk with people who share their enthusiams. And that situation, in and of itself, greases the skids and oils the wheels.
Suggestion #3
I think you can teach at a community college having less Official Signifiers than at university.
Look through the course catalogue to see if there's an unrealized "gap"that you see in the cluster of course presentations that you could fill.
Think of a course you'd invent as ways to help the other teachers teach their classes.
What might you bring that isn't already there, that, as you pitch, tell them NEEDS to be there.
I know people who have invented courses that otherwise wouldn't exist: Using literature to teach business ethics, for example was pitched
by somebody I know, and the department head bought it. Whatever course(s) you might invent, make it have a novel way of doing the usual.
And be very clear how this will make the programme better and so make the department head look good.
"Here's how this would help the department".
Check out existing Course Descriptions to get a sense of how that department operates, and what your pitch should contain.
Most Course Descriptions are exceedingly exceedingly boring because they are Official. Make yours official so the department head
doesn't have to make the transition from Officialdom to your pitch. But when you describe it, give it drama of a sort.
If you discover you can invent a course that looks very Right, keep at it. Try other appropriate departmens, other ComColleges.
Remember that Part-timers are paid maybe half of what full-timers get. So there are usually a lot of part-timers, and there is
turnover, so if not this year, again next year.
Leave a SHORT CV that contains only what might seem applicable to the course you apply for, or pitch.
Check website to see how you go about applying. (Sometimes you go through Human Resources, not the dept. head.
But if you invent your own, you'll need to make a "15 minutes of your time" appointment with the Dean, Dept. head. (varies).
Observation #1
Most of the experimental film makers I know are either really poor, have independant money (rich family BG) or their partner earns the bread.
Another experimental filmmaker I know: his parents bought him and his partner their house.
Jeffrey Paull
On Thu 16/10/08 10:24 , Fred Davidson email suppressed sent:
> That's a good point. Thanks for sharing. Thanks for sharing that
>
> story with us.
>
> In answer to Santi Vernetti on a note admittedly not film
>
> related I might add that if only you could learn to play the guitar
>
> you could learn to play the blues. Once done you could learn to play
>
> the blues in a blues band. And if that doesn't work and if you are
>
> really stuck I suppose there's always the steam laundry!
>
> That's what Lightnin' Slim* did. Lightnin' Slim worked for the
>
> steam laundry. The steam was hard on his hands. Lightnin' Slim didn't
>
> have much in the way of luck though. If it wasn't for bad luck he
>
> wouldn't have had no luck at all. You'll have better luck than him. I
>
> just know it.
>
>
>
> Fred Davidson
>
> Boca Raton
>
>
>
> * "Blow your harmonica, son."
>
>
>
>
>
> On Oct 16, 2008, at 6:53 AM, Chuck Kleinhans wrote:
>
>
>
> > On Oct 15, 2008, at 1:36 PM, Santiago Vernetti wrote:
>
> >
>
> >>
>
> >> Does anyone have any suggestion/leads/contacts for a
> film and video
> >> artist searching for a job related to those passions?
>
> >
>
> > A few years ago the IFC (or was it Sundance?) cable TV
> channel had a
> > series introducing experimental film mixing short films
> with
> > interviews. Stan Brakhage observed that his first
> advice to
> > students who wanted to become experimental filmmakers
> was to train
> > in a good reliable profession like being a plumber.
> Then you'd be
> > able to support yourself and your passion.
>
> >
>
> > CHUCK KLEINHANS
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
> __________________________________________________________________
> > For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at (address suppressed)
> om>.
>
>
>
>
> __________________________________________________________________
>
> For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at (address suppressed)
> om>.
>
>
>
>
>
__________________________________________________________________
For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.