From: email suppressed
Date: Sat Feb 05 2005 - 17:38:06 PST
I think you should probably go into the construction trades. There's no money
in making experimental films, and only subsistence wages in teaching--and you
have to support yourself. Jim Jennings, whom I consider a master filmmaker,
is a licensed plumber here in NY. I don't know of any other filmmaker doing
plumbing. Despite all the jokes, plumbing requires a lot of skill and
knowledge, so don't think it'll be easy. It's so difficult that there are only 1,000
licensed plumbers in all of NY City. You can do plumbing without a license,
though, and still earn about $40-an-hour. You'll have to find--and pay-- a
licensed plumber, however, to sign off your jobs, provide insurance and worker's
compensation, and make sure you're following the proper codes, which change
constantly and are quite complex. To get a license, you'd have to work as a
plumber for 10 years, pass an infinite number of tests on the physics of water and
the local codes for sprinkler heads, boilers and the like. You'd also have to
pass tests for 19th-Century techniques, such as lead wiping with molten metal.
So, be prepared to spend 10 years working for someone else and preparing for
lots of exams with high failure rates. In other words, you'd earn a decent
living doing plumbing, even without a license, but you'd be dependent on someone
who is licensed, you'd be doing work that's a great deal more mentally and
physically taxing than you might think, and worst of all, you wouldn't have much
time for filmmaking. If you're realistic, though, you could still make a
decent life for yourself as a filmmaker/plumber. How old are you? Would you be
learning plumbing from Step One? Do you know people in that trade? Good luck--and
please tell us what you decide to do.
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For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.