Lighting

[49er]

Could somebody give any clues as to how a 43yr old (with no experience) get's in to this "Biz". ...... I mean .... Do Qualifications count for much or is it a case of "Not - WHAT - you - know - but - WHO - you - know" (Nepotism) and one "Pick's - Up" the nescessary on - the - job.... or .... is it more of a Qualified Technicians Realm ?

[prolightdesigner]

What exectly do you mean by "the biz". There are many types of tech work: Live theater, touring, mobile entertainment (DJing), studio work... Each require different qualifications.

 

-Jeff

[niclights]

Or, perhaps more accurately, some might like qualifications and some might not. I'm an advocate of on the job and work your way up naturally. Certainly in live sectors experience is essential IMO.

[berry120]

IMHO, as long as you understand the basic theory stuff the best way to learn is by practice and practical experience. Especially with sound, there's only a set amount you can read and understand technically that's useful. The thing that's going to tell you what frequencies to cut or boost to get rid of nasality or add a bit more presence for example, what frequency that mic's feeding back at, etc. is going to be a trained experienced ear, not an exam paper.

[MrBoomal]

. Don't care what bits of paper you have, if you can't go up a tallescope and rig a light then your no use to me.

 

The only problem that some people have when joining this profession later in life is that it is extremely physical.

 

If you don't like physical manual work ,then. it's not for you. However, if you are up for hard work then the most important things I look for for in someone is a lot of commonsense and a willingness to listen.

[49er]

. Don't care what bits of paper you have, if you can't go up a tallescope and rig a light then your no use to me.

 

The only problem that some people have when joining this profession later in life is that it is extremely physical.

 

If you don't like physical manual work ,then. it's not for you. However, if you are up for hard work then the most important things I look for for in someone is a lot of commonsense and a willingness to listen.

 

 

Hi; .... And thank's for the reply: ........ Though NOT being "Hard - Up" I was wondering what the "Rates - of - Pay" would be for an entry - level NEWBIE. ........ I'm currently working in a Factory environment earning a decent rate of pay for what I do (on current shift pattern 36K min') what would be the "norm" for a LIGHT'S Guy just starting out. ........ A somewhat "naive" question to ask, so your Honesty would be appreciated.

 

Oh, Yeah! ...... Would be looking for work in MUSIC (Indoor / Outdoor) :)

[themadhippy]

I'm currently working in a Factory environment earning a decent rate of pay for what I do (on current shift pattern 36K min')

Got any jobs going? You'll be lucky to earn half that amount with no or little experience

[boswell]

£36k, paid holidays, sick pay, security of work, regular hours, posibly a pension scheme

you would be mad or desperate to give that up for freelance, no paid hols, no sick pay, no security, no money.

Wait until you retire and take it up as a hobby!! :)

[LeeStoddart]

As the last two posts have said you'd find it pretty hard to "give up the day job" and earn anything close. So don't do it for the money :)

 

Your profile doesn't say where you are based but I would suggest you contact local theatres or music venues and see if you can get onto the books as a casual. You'll need some experience before you can consider actually obtaining work directly. Another approach is to volunteer in order to get some experience and start to make some contacts (however making the transition from volunteer to paid employee is not always easy) And depending where you are you may be able to find work with a local hire company - this will let you build some experience of the equipment and could get you into set up of events - depending on the company.

 

My view is that experience and attitude counts for a lot more than paper qualification.

 

Good luck

[Ken Coker]

At my local theatre - guess which one - £6 ph for casuals.........

 

KC

[niclights]

I was thinking more along the lines of no pay. Voluntary is definitely the best way to start out and get experience. And, as said, it will be a long time before you can achieve that kind of money, if ever. For most people that's not what it's about.