Breaking and Entering: Landing Your First Job in Film Production [Paperback]

April Fitzsimmons (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 25, 1997

An A to Z introduction for anyone who wants to get their feet wet in film production.

Editorial Reviews

Review

April Fitzsimmons' Breaking & Entering: Land Your First Job in Film Productionis a useful, informative and practical career guide to breaking into film or television production and having a good time along the way. Breaking & Entering is an insider's guide to learning the ropes and gaining the proper tools and information to successfully enter into a fiercely competitive business. Breaking & Entering is also a great introduction for anyone wanting to get their feet wet in the entertainment industry. It is full of hands-on information that pertains day-to-day operations on the "set" during production. Breaking & Entering would usefully augment any theatre and cinema reference and jobs/career day reference collections. -- Midwest Book Review

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Lone Eagle; First Edition edition (June 25, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0943728916
• ISBN-13: 978-0943728919
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #299,826 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Writer/Actor April Fitzsimmons was born in 1968 in Glendale, California. She grew up in New Zealand and Montana, served four years as an Intelligence Analyst in the US Air Force and has worked in Hollywood for the last 15 years. She's the author of "Breaking and Entering: How to Land your first job in Film Production." Her work as been published in the LA Weekly, Veterans Today, Two Hawks Quarterly and the Mad As Hell Club. She wrote and performed a solo show called "The Need to Know" from 2002-2008. She is a member of the Actors' Gang theatre company (founded by Tim Robbins) and currently teaches writing workshops to Veterans and is pursuing her MFA degree at Antioch University.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Misleading title- Useless unless you already have the job., May 10, 2002

By 

"ooner" (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Breaking and Entering: Landing Your First Job in Film Production (Paperback)

This book should be called "How Not to Get Fired From Your First PA Job." There is a good amount of detail about what a production assistant position is, but April Fitzsimmons' book does not even begin to cover what you need to do to GET the job in the first place (and I suspect that's what most people are really looking for).

If you don't have connections and want a book that will actually help you get a foot in the door, this is definitely not the one. Maybe check out Kenna McHugh's "Breaking into Film: Making Your Career Search a Blockbuster." That book covers networking, different PA organizations, effective resume writing, and so on. Breaking and Entering provides none of this.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading for those seeking careers in production, June 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Breaking and Entering: Landing Your First Job in Film Production (Paperback)

Anyone who is even considering a career in the production side of the TV/Film industry should buy and read this book. As a former PA (current screenwriter) I can only shake my head in regret that I didn't read this book before setting foot on my first set; it would have saved me a great deal of pain and worry. I can't understand that one bad review, I mean, how can something be "too comprehensive"? And believe me, someone who can unjam and revive a copier is worth their weight in gold, especially if something has to be done immediately and the damn thing is acting up. Trust me, you want to know everything this book has to say before starting out as a PA. Twenty bucks is dirt cheap compared to learning all of it the hard way.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Real Deal About Working Behind The Scenes in Hollywood, August 13, 2002

By 

Dorez Douglas (Los Angeles, CA (USA)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Breaking and Entering: Landing Your First Job in Film Production (Paperback)

I'm a film and television producer, and this is the first book I've come across that explains in plain English what it's like to work in production. But, it's tells you much more than that. By the time you finish reading this book, you'll have a complete understanding of how movies get made and the people who make it happen. You'll learn the "lingo" of the industry and the chain of command on a set. The author takes you step by step - explaining what the jobs are and how you can get one. Even if you don't want to work in production, you'll find it entertaining and informative. I have been using this book as a teaching tool in my production assistant workshops for the past few years. It has helped many of my students find work in the industry. If you want to work in this business, this is a must-read. What I liked most about the book is that it isn't the glamourized version of what it''s like to work behind the scenes, it's the real deal. In terms that anyone can understand. April Fitzsimmons has been there, done that and now written the book about it. Some of the fascinating parts include short personal stories from various people, about their experiences in the industry - the good, the bad and the ugly.

I recommend to my students that they buy this book and keep it with them at all times, as a reference and as a reminder to never give up. I only wish this book was around when I first started working in production. My struggle wouldn't have been so difficult.