I'm thinking of moving to Boston from the UK?

Question

I have visited but can anyone tell me what it is like to live there? Also what kind of career opportunities are going? I have recently gaduated from university and have a BA Film Studies and Media Studies, but have no real career path set as yet.

I don't really want to work in film, I love it but the actual industry sickens me

Answer 1

I live south of Boston now, but went to college in the city (or, as we say, "in town.")

There are lots of advertising and public relations agencies as well as banks, architectural firms, hotels and large corporations that do international work. You might also want to check out the tv and radio stations for opportunities.

Why don't you "google" them and send them letters of inquiry along with a resume. Or, you can go to one of the general job hunting websites and see for yourself what entry level jobs are available.

The best sites to look for jobs are:

http://www.monster.com
http://www.craigslist.com

Good luck.

Answer 2

I did, 27 years ago...if in city, very cool, a very brainy place with lots of culture...not so great weather, hot & sticky in summer, freezing and lots of snow in winter.
Very expensive town (by USA standards) but hey, coming from UK, prices may seem reasonable to you!
If you want to get into film, why not LA? Very competitive to be sure, but that's Where It's At. Or if you want to be on East Coast NYC....it's true, if you can make it there, you'll make it anywhere!

good luck...and watch out for the crazy drivers, I got the feeling you don't actually have to have a license in Boston!

Answer 3

I want to work in film but right now I'm working in it's sister industry, television in Massachusetts.

The film scene here is primarily independent as there are a couple film schools in the area.

I think if you want to work in production, you could get a job at an advertising agency, a production company or, good luck, a television station. Boston is tough for jobs related to production and the only work you could get here might be either as an intern or on a part time basis. I began working for a station part time and it it took nearly a year to work full time. As I'm sure you know, production work is always spontaneous and when stuff comes up, you gotta do it.

I worked for High Output very briefly, which is a warehouse that supplies film equipment to any production in the area whether it be a news event or a film shoot. If you were to work there, it won't be in a production capacity except moving items around.

Right now, Massachusetts is sending a bill through the state house that will provide tax incentives to filmmakers looking to shoot. These incentives will help boost the economy and make Boston a friendly place to shoot. Unfortunately, this happened after The Departed (which I was an extra), which is set in Boston. The bulk of that movie is actually shot in New York City, save for many of the exterior shots. Much of the films you see in Boston are actually shot outside like Fever Pitch, The Boondock Saints and Good Will Hunting. Mystic River was one of the few movies I think that was shot in Boston and stayed faithful to it (thankfully Clint Eastwood held his ground and refused to shoot in Toronto, which is where parts of Good Will Hunting were shot). As for filmmakers who have made it huge, there really isn't anyone except for Brad Anderson, an indie filmmaker who directed The Darien Gap and Next Stop Wonderland. He's now directing bigger budgeted movies and recently helmed a segment for the Masters of Horror series.

Like I said, a lot of the industry here is for independent films and student films. Boston is host to Boston University and Emerson College, which have vibrant film schools that are always looking for work (although unpaid). There was a place called the Boston Film and Video Foundation off Braintree street in Allston. But unfortunately due to lack of funding, it closed. It was recently revitalized and saved by the Film Shack, a local production company in Roxbury (not a terrific neighborhood) which is terrific. Another place to check out is Boston's Center for Digital Imaging Arts (CDIA) which is in Waltham. I'm actually looking into applying for one of their programs. Btw, a GOOD editing program to know if you want to find work is Final Cut or Avid, primarily Final Cut in the area, as most of the places wants someone Final Cut or Avid certified. That's the program I'm looking to study and later Avid.

I applied to a few TV stations and was flat out rejected by all of them. But I kept trying and now I'm in a good place. But that's beside the point, you'll definitely have to go hunting for your opportunities if you want to work in film. I got denied by a lot of places but I'm looking to make my own action in order to create work for myself.

For career opportunities, I don't know if Film Studies is really production oriented but I would ingratiate myself with it as soon as I could.

If you are coming here, be sure to email me at [e-mail] I'm always looking to meet people and I've got a lot of knowledge on how to find work, whether paid or unpaid.

Meanwhile, here are some interesting sites you'll want to check out:

New England Film
This covers all the filming in the New England area. Excellent resource for people who want to work in film, television or video:

www.newenglandfilm.com

Craig's List
Always the reliable source, Craig's List has a lot of shoots looking for extras or crew. A lot of it indie film or student film based:

www.boston.craigslist.org

Hire Culture
This is for non-profit stuff. If you want to find production work, this is updated daily like Craig's list:

www.hireculture.org

Entertainment Careers
I haven't found much here, but this is a pretty good source

www.entertainmentcareers.net

Mandy's Production Guide
You could look this up on Google and it might provide you with some help.

New England Film Bureau
This is located near Downtown Crossing and they help get films into the area.

Boston is a good area but obviously there are some bad parts. You'll need a day job in order to live and eat. It's a very expensive city and the farther you go out, the easier it will be to live. But it's a catch 22 because the farther you're out, the harder it is to get to places. Boston's probably the only place to look for production work. There are production companies around here.