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Because there aren’t normally set routes to get work in film, TV and radio, you’ll need to be determined, resourceful and willing to recover from setbacks if you want to succeed. Lord David Puttnam decided to “have a crack at the movie industry” after 10 years in advertising. “When I made the decision I knew nothing about the film industry. If I’d had any conception of how difficult it would be, I probably would never have done it.” His films ‘Midnight Express’ and ‘Chariots of Fire’ were huge hits, the latter winning David an Oscar in 1982.

For camera supervisor, Seamus Mc Cracken, it all started when he was a teenager: “The big turning point came was when I was 14 and I got a birthday present of a really good camera and a set of lenses.”

Tenacity

Movie A-lister Kevin Spacey, says “When I was beginning as an actor, I was fortunate to have gone to Juilliard, when I did go study drama with a great number of actors and actresses who were going on to become very well known very quickly. And I wasn’t. And I think the sort of greatest lesson I came out of about that was that comparing yourself to other people is a real mistake. But I also got very lucky and I was very determined and I was very, very ambitious.”

Floor runner, Matt Storey, says that he always though working in film was a bit “dreamy” but when he visited a film set he immediately realised that he wanted to be an assistant director. “I made some phone calls and sent some emails,” he explains, “but it took about a year-and-a-half before I got any positive response.” Even that was for unpaid work, but it meant that he could prove himself.

Dishad Husain, who works as a writer, director and cameraman, had to put his own money behind the first film he directed. It took a year-and-a-half to make, but the hard work and investment paid off and the film has won 11 awards.

Qualifications

It is possible to work in film and television, without specific qualifications for the jobs.

TV producer, Tim Bradley, is well qualified – as an accountant. He used that to get a job at the BBC and then spent as much time as possible learning about TV production. “The most important thing if you want to get into someone’s world is to watch and listen to what they do,” he advises. Relevant qualifications can also help. Ian Mander, an assistant editor, worked as a builder before his love for film led him to take first an A-level in film studies, then a BTEC and finally a degree in media production.

Seize the moment

Clare Gibson, a production manager, says you have to seize every opportunity: “As a freelancer you do have to take the work when you can get it.”There can be times when things don’t work out well, so you have to learn to adapt and move on.

“There are definitely things I could have done differently in my career,” concedes Nik Powell, a film producer and director of the National Film and Television School, “but the most important thing in a career is to feel you’re in control; to make choices and not to regret making them even when they turn out to be wrong.”