Thursday 06th of November 2003
« « Hallowe’en| Gu3stb00k » »One Month
I’ve been here one month today, so I suppose it’s a good time for a quick assessment. It’s very worrying. I like New York a lot. Greenpoint is a great area, and I really enjoy living here. There’s a really nice atmosphere, and the people are friendly.
I came with about enough money for three months. I had decided that I would come home for Christmas, and that if I hadn’t succeeded in making enough money to make it feasible for me to come back by then, I wouldn’t. But I don’t want to do that now. I haven’t gotten a job, and the only money I’ve made has been $100 from renting out my DAT recorder, but It’s become obvious to me that a month, or two months, isn’t long enough to be able to tell whether or not my staying in New York is a viable proposition. I’ve made some good contacts, and I feel that if I can stick it out work will come my way sooner or later, but how much later can I afford?
I’ve booked my flight home for Christmas (arriving on the 16th of December, fact fans), but I’ve made it a return flight. I’d like to spend New Year’s in New York – it’s always really crap in Dublin. This is optimistic of me. Not only do I not know if I’ll have enough money to pay rent for January, I’ll actually have to move. The place I’m staying now is only short term – I’ll have to leave at the end of December, give or take a few days. Should I look for another short term place, or just commit myself?
My problem, essentially, is that I was planning to make my decisions based on the cool logic of situational assessment – am I working? Can I afford to stay? – but now I find myself basing my decisions on the slippery slope of what I want. I want to stay, for a little while longer, anyway. Three months isn’t enough.
This means I have to really think about alternative ways of making money. My roommates temp and work in diners to make ends meet when they’re not working. I have never done any work like that – I was lucky enough to have been supported by my parents right up until the point where I was making a living doing what I wanted. Is it too late to start? I really think I’d be a crap bartender. All those cocktails…
Sound editing is so specific. It doesn’t really allow for much flexibility. My choices are: edit sound or teach sound editing. Either of these could happen in the next month, but I can’t count on it. The other problem is that I’m trying to get in at a fairly advanced level – if all I was looking for was an unpaid internship I’d be in the door already. But I can’t do that. I don’t mind going back a couple of steps, but that’s too far.
I need to stop waiting and start thinking. Does anybody have any suggestions for madcap moneymaking schemes? Although, mind you, I have another month of seeing movies and visiting museums before I’m really in the shit, so maybe my anxiety is a little premature.
In other news: The Poll. One of you wants to be able to choose which movie I see next, two of you want to decide who my next cold call should be, three of you want a say in my Hallowe’en costume (too late, too late), and >drumroll< four of you want to send me out on a serious of random, possibly dangerous dares. At this point I should come clean and state that I have never had any intention of abiding by the outcomes of these polls. Any similarity between my actions and my poll results have been entirely coincidental. Sorry. Fun though, right?
Incidentally, I visited the Guggenheim yesterday, which was great, and I also went to see Lost in Translation, which I have reviewed.
Comment ID: 1183
At 4:11 pm on Thursday 06th of November 2003, Peter proclaimedLatest poll presents some wonderful options, wanted to vote for all of them, though the mismatched gang has to shade it.
It’s possible that the diner type job may be the only short-term option if you want to stick it out and find proper work eventually. It may also not be as appalling as you think, and if it keeps you at the (let’s face it) centre of the known universe for a bit longer it has to be worth considering…
Btw, what’s the story with the smoking ban? Good? Bad? A success?
Comment ID: 1184
At 5:22 pm on Thursday 06th of November 2003, Anthony attestedSmoking ban seems to be fine, although I haven’t anything to comapre it with – I don’t really know what it was like here before. It’s nice to be in non-smoky bars, although it is a pain when the conversation keeps getting broken up for smoke breaks.
I think it’s going to become a logistical problem. What are bouncers to do if people are coming and going all the time? Here they make a mark on your hand. Yeah, I think the biggest difference is going to be the complication of the bouncers’ job. Who of the people milling around outside are queuing, and who was already inside? I foresee many arguments.
Comment ID: 1185
At 2:07 am on Friday 07th of November 2003, Douglas Murray typedAn experienced Australian sound editor, Hugh Waddell, came into my edit room while I was working on a film in the early nineties. He’d just moved into the SF bay area with his wife and was looking for work. I offered him the only job I had at the time: unpaid intern. He helped edit some of the ADR for the film and he impressed me with his attitude and his creativity. He soon became a much sought after ADR editor here in the states. The moral of the story is: ask yourself if “But I can’t do that. I don’t mind going back a couple of steps, but that’s too far.” is the right approach at this moment.
Comment ID: 1186
At 11:57 am on Saturday 08th of November 2003, Anthony was inspired to addThat is certainly food for thought. Thank you, Doug.
Comment ID: 1187
At 4:12 pm on Saturday 08th of November 2003, Nigel opinedI think Doug may have a point Anthony. My main goal in my first year here was to earn enough to pay my rent until I got some proper jobs. As a fellow emigrant I’d encourage you with the thought that year 1 is about survival.
I’d certainly hope that anybody who did hire you as an intern or assistant would swiftly realise you had more to offer. And you never know who you might bump into in the kitchen. I’ve received thousands of pounds worth of work from an editor I got to know that way. It enabled me to keep myself available for a possible 2nd series of Keen Eddie but still enjoy a decent earnings level.
Comment ID: 1188
At 4:33 pm on Saturday 08th of November 2003, Anthony wroteInternships here are unpaid, and therefore not particularly helpful in terms of short term survival. If they were paid at all, I certainly would have considered it more seriously before now. But it’s probably worth doing anyway – I’m not doing anything else.
My perceptions of interning have been negatively coloured (sorry – colored) by Ardmore – I don’t want to end up gardening! But the more I talk to other people doing internships, it seems that they don’t make you do that stuff here. They respect that you’re not getting paid, and get you to do more interesting things. So maybe I’ll give it a shot, if the opportunity’s still there.
Comment ID: 1189
At 10:22 pm on Saturday 08th of November 2003, Douglas Murray testifiedThe “runner” position doesn’t exist in America. There is no one whose job is to get tea and do the gardening. Interns are typically film school graduates with a lot of potential, or else people with some experience. They are expected to work for free on one film only. Afterwards they are either never called again, or they get real work.
You have to tend to your own plants and get your own tea, or more likely, coffee, around here.
Comment ID: 1190
At 4:33 pm on Sunday 09th of November 2003, Peter started typing, with this resultIgnore my earlier post, Doug’s advice sounds excellent. Is there any possibility of trying to sell some Irish rag the idea of an American-centred movie column or some such? The money might not be great (NB especially Hot Press who probably wouldn’t pay you at all)but I’m sure you could cobble some local info and make it sound interesting.
Comment ID: 1191
At 7:37 pm on Sunday 09th of November 2003, Douglas Murray announcedYes! Become the NYC film/cultural correspondent for some Irish journal. Then you basically get paid to blog. (But not paid much.) You can be the cultural arbiter that you truly are. That’ll keep you from getting bored before your first job, and between jobs thereafter. Is that a random possibly dangerous dare?
Comment ID: 1192
At 1:03 pm on Monday 10th of November 2003, Anthony impartedThank you for acknowledging my cultural arbiter status – I was wondering when somebody would notice. I don’t know about the whole column thing. I don’t really want to write about a film industry while simultaneously trying to join it. I sense that that would be an untenable position – “Well, yeah, I did write that, but I didn’t really mean it. Now about that job…”. And I don’t know enough people. I don’t really feel “in” New York enough to write interestingly about it. Blathering in an online blog is one thing, but if I was actually under pressure to provide content – well, the mind boggles.
Maybe I’ll just start charging for the blog. Credit card numbers anybody? No nude pictures.
Comment ID: 1193
At 7:57 am on Friday 21st of November 2003, jon discoursedHave you thought about trying a FULL TIME drug habit? – kind of like those ‘lump into one’ financing offers out there – instead of having lots of little life problems, why not have one REALLY BIG one.
Hope this was of some help
:)
jon.
Comment ID: 1194
At 10:57 am on Friday 21st of November 2003, Anthony was compelled to shareI suppose that would put things in perspective for me. Why worry about trying to get work as a sound editor when I could be worrying about where my next hit is coming from? Much easier to deal with – and it would stop me agonizing over ways of making money. Suddenly bag snatching and burglary would seem like entirely reasonable options. The simplicity of it certainly appeals to me. Thanks, Jon!