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The Development StageEveryone fixates on set: PA, runner, get in the van at 5am. Fine. But a whole phase of this business happens before a single camera is rigged, and you can get into it from a laptop. You just have to be willing to read a lot of scripts and have an opinion worth hearing. It's called development. So what is it? It's the first stage of production. Someone has an idea and starts turning it into a movie. The story gets fleshed out, drafts get written, rights to books and plays get secured, and the money starts coming together. It's the producer's period, and it can run anywhere from a few months to several years. The goal is a finished screenplay. Easy to say. Takes forever. Now the honest bit Nothing is greenlit yet. This is where "development hell" comes from. Projects creep toward pre-production while talent and financiers come and go. On studio features, a couple of years in development is pretty normal, and that's before you get to the horror stories. So yes, you may pour a year into something nobody ever watches. Worth knowing before you fall in love with a script. Where you come in Development Assistant. Scheduling, organizing scripts, research, tracking where every project stands. You'll also write coverage and give feedback. Advertised rates in New York sit around $19–$28 an hour. Treat that as advertised, not gospel. Script Reader. You read scripts and write coverage: a summary plus a critique of strengths, weaknesses and market potential. Studio decisions get built on that paperwork. Plenty of readers freelance, but production companies keep in-house readers too. Union story analysts make around $40 an hour. If you're a full-time assistant, coverage is just part of the job. Development Executive. Not your first job. Reading scripts, taking meetings, giving notes, hunting for IP. Don't apply yet, but know it's there, because that's the ladder you're on. Do this today Pick three scripts you can find online. Write coverage on each: logline, synopsis, strengths, weaknesses, market. That's your portfolio, and it's what you attach when you apply. An internship is a great way in too, just don't work unpaid for long. Then start applying. The listings are in today's job list. That's what this community is for — questions, career goals, whatever's on your mind. We're always in your corner. All the Best, Liv Today's New Jobs167 roles are live this morning with 27 of them new since yesterday, and the fresh ones are still wide open if you move before the rest of the queue does. Recommended Job of the DayFilm & TV Internship is our pick. A multi-media production company wants an intern across its film and TV departments: script coverage, industry research, watching films, admin and special projects, plus meetings with people who actually work in the business. The best bit is the end of it, where you build your own film or TV pitch and present it to executives. Paid, part-time, in person in Burbank, and open to juniors, seniors, grad students and recent grads. Write a page of coverage on something you've watched recently and let that sharpen your application. Get it in today, because they'll be reading and shortlisting as applications come in.
Production Company Trainees is a paid, full-time, year-long placement with one of the world's biggest film studios and distributors. Phones, meeting prep, errands, pitch materials, creative projects, sat right next to executive assistants and senior people. Built for recent graduates and career changers, with structured learning and real networking attached. Studios start sifting the moment applications land, so don't sit on it. Digital Distribution Internship comes from an acclaimed independent distributor in Los Angeles, working with the home entertainment and digital teams on releases across streaming and transactional platforms. Metadata, asset coordination, platform monitoring, competitive research, clips and stills, plus physical media work. If the business side of film is where you're heading, this is a rare in at entry level — one worth putting your name to this morning. Also on the board — 167 live roles, 27 new today
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Upcoming Virtual Workshops Thu 8 Oct, 7:00pm EDTMFJF Monthly Career Clinic Free for members
Starting a career in the film industry is a lonely business, but just imagine each month if you could speak with an experienced filmmaker and get answers to all your questions and concerns. Better still you can share your worries and listen to others, compare notes and learn all the tricks and tips to getting ahead in the Film Industry. Well, now you can via the MFJF Monthly Career Advice Clinic! Come along each month to get your questions answered and learn from our amazing community. The clinic takes the form of a virtual 60-minute workshop hosted by experienced filmmaker Christina Northrup. Christina will present each month and take live Q&A from anyone who wants to talk, if you want to just listen that is absolutely fine. The overall aim of these monthly workshops is to help you establish your film career! Starting a film career can be very lonely, constantly thinking you are on the outside looking in, desperate for somebody to recognise you have what it takes. And the truth is you are not alone, everyone feels the same. Sharing our concerns, listening to others and having an experienced filmmaker pass on her guidance is one very large step in the right… Book your place |
Today's Daily Job ListFilm & TV Internship Internship · 2 Weeks · Closes 23rd October A multi-media Production Company is looking for a Film & TV Intern to support its Film and TV departments. You'll be doing script coverage, industry research, watching films, admin support and special… Television Assistant Permanent Job · 2 Weeks · Closes 18th October Assistants Permanent Job · 2 Weeks · Closes 18th October A Talent Agency with offices across the US is looking for full-time Agent Assistants in their Theatrical (TV, Film and Theatre) Division in Los Angeles. You'd be one of three assistants supporting five… Nonfiction Internship Internship · 2 Weeks · Closes 23rd October A multi-media Production Company working across feature film and documentary is looking for a Nonfiction Intern. You'll support the nonfiction team with admin, coverage and industry research, and sit in on… Script Readers Internship · Part-time · Closes 2nd November We are a script competition looking for remote based volunteer script readers. Digital Distribution Internship Internship · 2 Weeks · Closes 18th October An acclaimed independent film distributor is looking for a Digital Distribution Intern for Spring 2027. You'll work with the Home Entertainment and Digital Distribution teams, supporting film releases… Script Readers Volunteer · Freelance · Closes 2nd November People submit with scripts and we give them feedback. The winners get their script performed by professional actors. We are looking for readers to help us. We will send the readers examples of what we are… PAs Production Crew · TBA · Closes 6th October An independent short film shoot is looking for Set PAs and Art PAs to join the crew in New York City. These are volunteer roles across four shoot days in October, on a coming-of-age story set in a… Short Film Reviewers Internship · TBA · Closes 2nd November A short film festival is looking for volunteer film reviewers to join their team. Various Crew Production Crew · TBA · Closes 6th October An award-winning short film the employer Company is looking for Various Crew for a 72-hour film challenge in November 2026, shooting in the Greater Toronto Area. They're crewing up across camera, lighting… Script Readers Internship · TBA · Closes 2nd November We are a script competition looking for remote based volunteer script readers. Script Readers Internship · TBA · Closes 2nd November We are a script competition looking for remote based volunteer script readers. Assistant Camera & Sound Production Crew · TBA · Closes 6th October A the employer team is looking for an Assistant Camera and a Sound Recordist/Boom Op for a 48-hour filmmaking challenge over the weekend of 17-18 October. Both are volunteer roles, which is the nature of… Production Company Trainees Trainee · 2 Weeks · Closes 18th October One of the world's biggest Film Studios and Distributors is looking for Production Company Trainees. This is a paid, full-time placement running from early January to mid-December 2027, in person at their… Story Trainee Internship · 2 Weeks · Closes 18th October One of the world's major Film and Television Studios is looking for a Story Trainee to join the Story Department within its Motion Picture Group. In this job, you'll support the team that handles script… Industry news
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