Q: I've been seeing a lot of postings for "industrial films" lately in the newspaper. What are they?
A: "Industrial Film" is a broad term describing any film that is made by a corporation or organization for internal distribution and use. They can range from instructional films for fast-food chains to office etiquette videos for business men to public service shorts about playground safety shown to children in grade school. They are not made for public viewing, and in some cases the corporations in question would not be happy if the material was released outside the company.
Basically, you're not going to get a lot of exposure for doing an industrial film. The pay is very good, however, and the time commitment for each shoot is usually quite small. Industrials are a great way to make supplementary money as an actor, and unlike doing commercials or extra work, there's no danger of working yourself into a niche because industrials are only seen by a small number of specialized people. You can also use clips from industrials to add to your video demo reel. The acting probably isn't going to be particularly dramatic, but it will give casting directors an idea of how you look and handle yourself in front of a camera, which is half the battle in screen acting.
Industrials are also one of the steadiest kinds of work in many regional markets like Texas, Florida, and the Northeast. This can be a great way to build up experience working on a film set and get credits to add to your resume before you head to the big city.
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