So I’ve been reading some of the other posts from “Notes From the 4th Wall” particularly this one, from Eric Lee. Writers always write! He says! Keep training, always, even if you don’t have work! That’s how you’ll get good enough to get work!
It’s great advice for people of any profession- editors included. My roommate Alex has been in touch with editors from TheAntFarm– a post-production house with their hands in a lot of different pies, from video games to movie trailers. Their advice? Keep editing, even if you don’t have work. Want to work for a trailer house? Recut old movies and make trailers- show them you know how to do it! Want to work on music videos? Just go do it!
The example they provided – this montage of a bunch of films from 2011- was done well enough to get the creator a lot of views, and eventually get him hired!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4dEWOB6THE]
“Just go do it” sounds like stupid advice, but trust me, once you hit unemployment- it gets tough to get up and do anything. It’s all too easy to get up at the crack of 2PM, watch netflix, and do nothing when you don’t have a job. Especially when you live in LA where different weather conditions don’t exist- everyday looks exactly the same. The worst day of unemployment I ever had. I thought it was a Tuesday, so I figured I’d watch some TV before I did a little job searching. It was Friday.
Things can get away from you if you’re not careful, so make sure you use your time wisely! Unemployment does not mean ‘do nothing’ whether it’s working on recreational projects or looking for jobs, there’s always something you can do to stay sharp and not watch TV for three days without moving (wait, that’s just me). So keep at it!