Here at Emerson, two student organizations that produce video content, including television shows, short films, and filmed special events, utilize what they refer to as hiring weekends when staffing their productions. The two hiring weekends often line up on the same days; however they are not affiliated with each other. Here’s a how-to guide for surviving your first hiring weekend!
The first step is to attend each org’s general meeting. At these general meetings, every student who is producing something for the org that semester will give a brief presentation. They’ll describe what their production is about, what roles they are looking to fill, and where and when to interview and/or audition for them.
My number one tip for general meetings is to take pictures of the slides for shows you are interested in. That way you remember what they’re called and you know where to go when to get involved.
The next step is deciding which shows you want to interview or audition for. I would suggest doing this before the start of hiring weekend. Some shows may ask that individuals sign up for a specific interview time slot so you’ll need to decide ahead of time. The best practice is to choose three (or less) productions from each org that you want to be a part of. You can always interview for more than three, but at hiring weekend they request your top three shows that you’re interested in in order to decide who hires you. Additionally, working on endless shows each semester can be super draining, but if it’s something you want, go for it!
After you decide which productions you want to interview or audition for, make sure to figure out when and where to be. Oftentimes, each org will pick one day of the weekend for director hiring, one day for crew hiring, and one day for talent hiring. When things were in-person, some orgs chose to spread their productions out in various rooms across campus, so I would make sure to schedule interviews in the same building right after each other rather than running back and forth. However, some orgs choose to put all their shows in one room so you can walk from interview to interview as you please.
Make sure to bring a resume to your interview, as well as a headshot if you’re auditioning. In my experience, most students don’t dress up for these interviews, but of course you’re welcome to if you’d like to make a killer first impression!
At auditions, you may be reading from sides or improving based on what the production is for. They may have you read with other actors or they may have a producer read the other characters on the script. Some shows hold callbacks a day or two after auditions and some don’t.
At interviews, the producers will typically ask you some basic level questions about your experience and why you’re interested in their production. It’s almost a guarantee that they will ask you what position you’re interested in so be sure to decide ahead of time. If you don’t have any experience, it’s always a safe bet to say you’re interested in being a production assistant or a camera operator. More than anything, these student orgs can help you learn the ins and outs of productions.
Some television shows have what’s called a rotating crew. This means you’ll get to try different positions for each episode. It’s a great way to gain some experience and figure out what you like to do on set. However, if you’re not interviewing for any rotating crew shows, you can always ask one show for an entry level in studio position and another show for an entry level control room position so that you have a chance to learn both!
After hiring weekend, just sit back and relax! You’ve had some great interviews and/or auditions and it’s now up to the producers to decide who they’re hiring for each show. Once decisions are made, you’ll be emailed any offers you receive and you can get to work on set! Good luck out there!