Do I Stand a Chance?

Miruna writes:

In november I’ve quit my job… The main reason I’ve quit my last job is that I desperately want to go back and work in the movie industry, it’s the perfect work place for me, I love it, I love everything about it.

The thing is, I would love to work for real movies, with real actors and directors, real movie production companies, and that is not the case here, in Romania, where I live unfortunately. So I thought I would just sent my resume to all the movies companies I know, american off course, i’ll google them, find a contact, and send my resume. And because I’m certain my experience is not enough for a job there, not even as a fourth assistant director, I want to write a not so formal cover letter, I just want to be honest and tell them all the reasons why I would want to work there, my personal reasons, and even that I would work for free, I just want a chance to prove I’m worth it.

Unfortunately, the answer is “No,” but that probably won’t stop Miruna from doing it anyway.

The reality of it is that unless the movie or TV show has an obvious Romanian slant (i.e. MEET THE PARENTS IN ROMANIA), they’re not going to take a chance on a Romanian PA when there are thousands of people in the U.S. who aren’t going to present them visa problems or lost-in-translation mishaps. (Even if they were making MEET THE PARENTS IN ROMANIA, I’m pretty sure the offices would be in Burbank, and they’d hire an American crew.)

Moreover, a movie can’t pay you nothing. That’s a violation of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. So even if you offer, they legally can’t take you up on your offer.

All that being said, Miruna will try anyway, because she’s banking on “the lottery story.” Everyone in Hollywood tells their “lottery story.” It’s the story of how they got their first job or their big break, where they defied the odds, bet the farm, and won.

(How is it that everyone has a lottery story? Because it’s Hollywood!)

But beware of believing these stories a little too hard. They overlook the toils and struggles of looking, scratching, and clawing for that first big break.