My mind seeks words of those more knowledgeable...

I don't have a lot of experience in the industry yet, but what condition is it in? I mean, is it rising, falling, or just kind of staying level. To me it seems like it is starting to become a bit of an oversaturated market, which is worrying.

Just a curiosity...

Thanks for any input!

Well - L.A. is great because there is without a doubt an abundance of work.

I moved out to Los Angeles from Boston without a job lined up in 2001. After 3 months I found a job as an Assistant Editor and in less than two years I was an Editor.

There are TONS of jobs out here. (There are also alot of people applying for those jobs)

But the opportunities are here. That's not to say there aren't opportunities elsewhere - but the sheer number of jobs here make it a good place to find work and get experience. L.A. isn't for everyone though. I do miss Boston.

Hope this helps. There's alot of production work being done in Canada now too...you could check with your local film board to see if you could become a P.A. on some films.

-Chris
Studentfilms.com

starting to become a bit of an over-saturated market? In terms of the number of jobs available and the number of people wanting them, the market has always been over-saturated. Is the number of jobs growing? Well I'd say that it probably is. In the production side of the biz, when things are busy, we say "there's a lot of trucks on the road." And I've never seen it busier than right now. In fact, it's been so busy, I've been having problems getting trucks for my jobs here in LA. But, things come and go in waves and I'm sure there will be at least one lul before the summer rush.
Plus, "The Industry" covers so many different jobs and markets (or revenue streams), if one slows down, it adapts. Like, when reality tv hit. Or the teen drama genre. Or the crazy mix of multimedia web, tv, internet, and telephony that's going on right now. Someone's gotta make the programming that goes on all those video cell phones. It could be you.

Dont come to australia expecting work. In queensland, the state where i live, and the home of the australian warner bros. studios complex. since 2002 there has been 5000 of 7000 jobs dry up in queensland alone. Hopefully we will get more productions over here soon, but as for me, im moving away from here as soon as i can.

yeah, plus, they don't really hire foreigners that often (if ever). As a foreigner wanting to work in Australia or Zealand, the best bet is to find an american company shooting there and get hired stateside.

A friend of mine is going there for 6 months to film the first of three new Superman films being made in Sidney. He's getting paid in American $$$ from the US (and being taxed in the US). His work location just happens to be in Australia

i'm guessing that you weren't just referring to jobs, but to the film industry as a whole. this is probably going to be a very long response, so i apologize if i am mistaken as to what your question was asking for.

well, this is perhaps more speculation, but it appears to me that the studio system is falling apart pretty rapidly. i mean, jobs arent going away or anything, but if you are really referring to the industry as a whole, Hollywood is having some issues.

a decade ago, some 20% of mainstream movies were flops. these days, its something like 60%. the public is smarter, and hollywood doesn't get it.

a smaller percentage of the population watch movies on a regular basis than in the past couple decades. hell, in the 70's, everyone went and saw movies together and then talked about it for weeks. not so anymore.

the video game industry now earns much more money than the entire movie industry. "Halo 2" outsold "The Incredibles" back in october, and EA Games earns more money in one year than the top 3 movie studios combined.

mainstream hollywood's profits are hitting new lows.

less people watch the academy awards year after year.

now, what IS on the rise is independent film. largely, hollywood's woes arise because of 2 reasons. 1) they produce cookie cutter films, which usually were profitable, but aren't as much thsese days. 2) the money spent on making some of these films is completely ridiculous. independent films are picking up speed. they cost less to produce and have been more creative. from recent films like Garden State and Napoleon Dynamite, which were made cheaply and independantly, you can see how this works.

it is for this reason that most of the major movie studios now have their own independent film divisions. Sony has Sony Pictures Classics. Warner Brothers has Warner Independent. Fox has Fox Searchlight. these companies are doing very well.

it is my guess - and many of my Hollywood-working colleagues agree - that the film industry is on the decline. it's becoming less of a thing for everyone, and more of a niche for people who like movies. it is my guess that the major studios will continue to have problems, but they still have billions of dollars and hire lots of people. they arent going to be obsolete anytime soon, but i believe it is the independent market that is going to become the most profitable and more ambitious place to work.

the film industry isnt dying AT ALL. it's just that hollywood has always stood as the biggest symbol of american wealth and glory, and that image is falling. plain and simple, not everyone goes to see movies anymore. it sounds a little weird until you look around. i don't see as many movies. i only see films that actually look halfway decent, which isnt too often. most of my family sees a movie once in a blue moon. only my filmmaking friends really go to movies on a truly regular basis. it used to be that films were a family event. EVERYONE went to the movies. that's just not the case.

this may be a very long unrelated answer to your question, but i'm just assuming that you weren't just asking about jobs, but about the film industry as a whole.

That was actually exactly the kind of thing I was asking. You nailed it right on target man, thank you for the information. You have given me some valuable insight which is much arrpeciated. Keep it up.

south africa's film industry is on the verge of a major boom... there's a lot of opportunity here especially foriegner's with money...