What Can I do With a Degree in Film?

Career Center Library Resources

The Career Center Library has a variety of resources to help students explore potential career fields. These resources include information about typical responsibilities, qualifications, career paths, job outlook, salary, and related careers.

Books Specifically Related to Film Majors

• 100 Best Careers in Entertainment
• Career for Film Buffs and Other Hollywood Types
• Oregon Media Production Directory

Vocational Biographies

Vocational Biographies describes the career success stories of 1001 real people. Search by career title, keyword, topic, and career cluster. Username: portland su and pass code: 3w9n

• Actor
• Animator
• First Camera Assistant
• Lighting Designer
• Screen Writer
• Cable TV Production/Training Coordinator
• Film Editor
• Multimedia Designer

Professional Associations

• ASIFA-Portland (International Animated Film Association) — "ASIFA is a worldwide organization of professional animators and those involved with the production of animated films (such as directors, producers, musicians, and traditional artists)."
• ASIFA-Seattle (International Animated Film Association) — "ASIFA is a worldwide organization of professional animators and those involved with the production of animated films (such as directors, producers, musicians, and traditional artists)."
• • ASIFA Seattle Members' Biographies
• Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences
• American Federation of Television & Radio Artists (AFTRA) — The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) is a national labor union representing over 70,000 performers, journalists, and other artists working in the entertainment and news media.
• American Film Institute — AFI is a national institute providing leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television, and digital media.
  
• American Screenwriters Association — National nonprofit organization supporting screenwriters of all levels through networking meetings, industry contacts, and screenplay competitions.
• The American Society of Assistant Cinematographers — The American Society of Assistant Cinematographers is a honorary fraternal organization of professional men and women who work as camera assistants.
• Association of Independent Video and Filmmaker (AVIF) — The mission of Independent Media Publications is to inform, encourage, and mobilize independent and grassrood media-makers.
  
• Directors Guild of America ( DGA) — The DGA seeks to protect directional teams' legal and artistic rights, contend for their creative freedon, and strengthen their ability to develop meaningful and credible careers.
  
• Mid-Oregon Production Arts Network (MOPAN) — "a non-profit professional trade organization representing those in the media production arts."
• Motion Picture Editors Guild — The Motion Picture Editors (MPEG) is a national labor organization currently representing over 6,000 freelance and staff post-production professionals. Ours is the world's premiere craft guild that sets the standards for excellence in the post-production industry. The requirements to become a member of the Guild and placed on our Industry Experience Roster ensures the highest level of professionalism.
• Northwest Screenwriters Guild — "The Northwest Screenwriters Guild is a [Seattle, Washington} non-profit screenwriting organization dedicated to helping screenwriters in the Northwest further their craft and careers."
• Oregon Media Production Association (OMPA) — "OMPA is the largest nonprofit film, video and multimedia association in Oregon." Provides forums for networking and professional development. Search The Source: Oregon's Media Production Directory.
• POWER UP! — Professional Organization of Women in Entertainment Reaching UP!
• Reel Women — An Austin, Texas, non-profit organization that provides a support system for women at all levels of experience in the film and video industries.
• Society for Cinema and Media Studies (SCMS) — "...professional organization of college and university educators, filmmakers, historians, critics, scholars, and others devoted to the study of the moving image."
• Southern Oregon Film and Video Association (SOFVA)
• University Film and Video Association (UFVA) — "UFVA members are image-makers and artists, teachers and students, archivists and distributors, college departments, libraries, and manufacturers."
• Women in Film (WIF)/Seattle — "WIF/Seattle is a professional, nonprofit organization supporting and advancing the work and opportunities for women in films, video, television, and new media."
• Writers Guild of America — To promote and protect the professional and artistic interests of all writers of literary material in the fields of radio, free television, pay television, basic cable television, informational programming, video discs/video cassettes, and theatrical motion pictures and other related industries.
  

Internet Sites with Career-Related Information for Film Majors

• Actors, Producers, Directors — From the Occupational Outlook Handbook
• American Cinema Editors — Gives career information on film editing
• Broadcast and Sound Engineering Technicians and Radio Operators — From the Occupational Outlook Handbook
• CollegeGrad.com — List career information for Actors, Producers, and Directors
• Film Studies — Lists and briefly describes job related titles for Film Studies Majors. From the University of British Columbia.
• "Is a Cinema Studies Degree the New M.B.A?" — Article by ELIZABETH VAN NESS. Published in the March 6, 2005 New York Times.
• Television, Video, and Motion Picture Camera Operators and Editors — From the Occupational Outlook Handbook
• What can I do with a Major in...Television & Film — From St. John's University
• What can you do with a Film Studies major? — Lists potential job titles for Film Studies Majors. From the Film Studies Program at Ohio State University.
• What is Film Studies? — Gives an overview of potential career titles, related major skills, and career planning links. From the Career Center at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
• Why Study Film & Media Studies abroad? — From the Center for International Education, UC Irvine.

Internet Sites with Job Search Information for Film Majors

Northwest:

• Breaking into the Business — Useful suggestions for getting into the local film industry. From the Washington State Film Office (WSFO).
• Job Hotline — From the Oregon Film and Video Office
• Job Hunting — Suggestions provided by ASIFA-Seattle member Demian
• Northwest Production Index — This is not a job search site but the index can be useful in identifying film production professionals.
  
• Production Directory — This is not a job search site but the directory can be useful identifying film production professionals. From the Oregon Media Production Association (OMPA).
• TV/Film/Video/Radio Jobs — Portland Craigslist

General:

• BackstageJobs.com — The National Resource for behind-the-scenes jobs in the Live Entertainment Industry.
• EntertainmentCareer.net — Entertainment jobs and internships listings at Studios, Networks, Production Companies, Record Companies, TV and Radio Stations, VFX, Animation, Broadcasting.
• Film and Video Jobs — For jobs in the New England area. From NewEnglandFilm.com.
• Filmstaff.com — Where people go for Entertainment Jobs.
• ProductionHUB.com — The Production Search Engine.
• Showbizjobs.com — The Entertainment Professional Network.
• The Riley Guide — Employment Opportunities and Job Resources on the Internet.
• Variety — Media and entertainment industry jobs online.
  

Northwest Organizations Supporting Film/Digital Media/Moving Image Arts

Oregon:

• Film Action Oregon — Mission is to "foster the growth and development of film and video in the state of Oregon; to enhance the artistic, cultural and education development and understanding of Oregonians; and to engage in relevant, related community development."
• Northwest Documentary Arts and Media — Mission is "to create, instruct, and share the art of documentary storytelling."
• Northwest FilmCenter — A "regional media arts resource and service organization founded to encourage the study, appreciation and utilization of the moving image arts, foster their artistic and professional excellence, and to help creat a climate in which they may flourish. The Center provides a variety of film and video exhibition, education and information programs..."

Seattle:

• 911 Media Arts Center — "911 Media Arts Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting independent digital media artists in the creation and exhibition of their work."
• Independent Feature Project (IFP) — "IFP is a 29-year old, not-for-profit membership and advocacy organization that supports and serves the idependent film community by connecting creative talent and the file industry."
• • Independent Feature Project (IFP) Seattle
• IndieTV.tv — "IndieTV.tv, is a Seattle, Washington based website, run by indie filmmakers, for indie filmmakers, and it's all free. indieTV.tv seeks out the top indie shows on the Internet, and brings them to you."
• Northwest Film Forum (NWFF) — NWFF is "a Seattle-based non-profit organization dedicated to becoming the nation's leading center for film artists."

Film-Related Government Agencies

• City of Portland, Oregon Office of Film and Video
• Oregon Film and Video Office — Promotes " the development of the film, video, and multimedia industry in Oregon."
• Washington State Film Office

Film/Television/Video/Multimedia Production Companies in Portland, Oregon

Communications/Design Firms in Portland, Oregon

• Creative Media Development (CMD)
• Downstream
• Hot Pepper Design Studios
• Light Wave Communications

Miscellaneous

• Media Industry Internships in Oregon — From Oregon Film, the Governor's Office of Film and Television.
  
• Portland, Oregon 48-Hour Film Project — "The 48 Hour Film Project is a wild and sleepless weekend in which you and a team make a movie - write, shoot, edit and score it - in just 48 hours. On Friday night, you get a character, a prop, a line of dialogue and a genre, all to include in your movie. 48 hours later, the movie must be complete. Then it will show at a local theater, usually in the week."
• DisOrient 2008: Asian American Film Festival of Oregon — DisOrient 2007: Asian American Film Festival of Oregon

Theater Department: Film Major - Portland State University