In Need of Work Experience (FREE)

[arolland94]

Hey there!

Soo i'm finding it hard to hunt down some work experience within a studio in the Melbourne area, as a part of my course i am required to gain 40 hours in a Sound Production related environment.

I am 19 years old and currently studying at RMIT, i have completed my Cert 3 in Technical Production, and have heard experience within a recording environment. I'm easy going and pretty i reckon pretty easy to get a long with

Any advice that you guys could give me would be absolutely amazing!

[Damien]

give me a call..

[wez]

Quoting myself from this thread from 8 years ago! I don't think my advice has changed since then viewtopic.php?f=1&t=217&p=1325&hilit=hairstylist#p1325

1) don't write, call
2) don't call, show up
3) keep showing up

studio people are busy. don't expect them to chase you up. be persistent but not annoying.

to second mark's post... i have a standard question i ask - "what is the most important skill an audio engineer should have?"

hardly anyone answers it right. it's not recording skills, it's not musical ability, it's not even coffee-making technique dammit.... it's people skills. you can teach a monkey to mic a drum kit, but it's how you handle a room full of different personalities, egos and insecurities whilst simultaneously pulling a cans mix and dealing with a recalcitrant computer while the clock's ticking and the pressure's building, and somehow still manage to remember what you're doing, ie capturing the magic etc and making a record - at all times maintaining an air of calm, composed authority - that makes an engineer. i think you can pick a potentially great engineer the first time you talk to them, well before you watch them work.

[Manning]

What is really interesting Wez, it how many times these sorts of posts turn up, and then how little we ever hear from that person again.

I'm not meaning to disparage young Alex of course, but it does seem to happen a lot.

Alex - follow Wez's advice, particularly #3 - Keep turning up.

[arolland94]

Thats fantastic advice Wez, and i really appreciate it.

I have been pestering studios around melbourne for about 6 months, and haven't heard anything back. I got invited to an interview session at Sing Sing, but it it seemed like they weren't interested in having first years.

I've been working in retail for almost 3 years, and i think my people skills are top notch

And Damien i will contact you immediately!

I really do appreciate the advice guys!

Thanks so much.

[Lee Cardan]

What is really interesting Wez, it how many times these sorts of posts turn up, and then how little we ever hear from that person again.

indeed

[arolland94]

I promise not to disappear!

I'll be sure to make myself noticed.

[Alastair Reynolds]

Try a commercial radio station as well, AM or FM . Radio production / imaging /commercial production is fast turn around high volume production. A good place to hone skills and potential employers that pay real money.We often take on Work experience students in Sydney from Journos to Panel operators.Our main criteria is that they are doing a related course. As you are , it would be a good start .Give our sister station 3AW a call . It may mean doing some menial shit,but it's a foot in the door.

[arolland94]

Thanks for the advice Alastair,

i've managed to gain work experience and then a job at a company called MCM Entertainment, which is responsible for such shows as Take 40, My Generation and a few others. I would be interested at gaining work experience at another radio station, i will make sure i contact 3AW and see if its possible.When calling them up is there anything that i should mention?

[Alastair Reynolds]

Very good , I know MCM well, we do satellite up linking for their live to air shows for syndication across Australia .
Certainly when talking to 3AW (or any radio station) make mention of the fact that you have done work for MCM. That is a big plus.Being handy with a fire stick (soldering iron) is a plus as well. Operations/tech resources are always in demand, particularly for someone like 3AW that do bucket loads of Outside Broadcasts.

[arolland94]

Well thats good to know, i will make sure i mention my previous work over at MCM. I was working under the late Peter Harry over there for a couple of years, doing some distribution work and editing. And i am very familiar with a soldering iron, i feel pretty confident using one of these. Which way would be best to contact them? Email? Phone? Or?

[Manning]

Which way would be best to contact them? Email? Phone? Or?

Front up.

If you can find a non-creepy way to hang around the car park, that will work too.

[mylesgm]

Fire Stick = soldering iron, GOLD!

[Alastair Reynolds]

Tricky to hang around since they're on level 7 of the Age building next to Spencer St station and have heavy security. I'll have a chat to a colleague tomorrow and get a name and contact details and PM you.Can't guarantee anything but I can short circuit the process.

[Alastair Reynolds]

Fire Stick = soldering iron, GOLD!

The old engineers I know also refer to large output valves in transmitters as fire bottles due to the early ones prepensity to burn up when over modulated with spectacular results

[wez]

Fire stick = soldering is gold indeed... but i'm more interested in learning about this non-creepy way of hanging around car parks. Would save me so many problems.

[arolland94]

Ha, thanks for the advice Manning, but i'm puzzled as to how to hang aroung car parks un-creepily (I don't think thats a word).

And Alastair, thank you for the help and advice, i completely understand that nothing will be guaranteed. Hopefully my past/present work will be enough for me to get me some sort of work experience, look i'm happy just to get the staff coffees for a whole week! At least it's one foot in the door.

[Alastair Reynolds]

PM'd with Contact details
best of Luck