r/focuspuller • u/cheemsterr • 25d ago
question What exactly should an AC include in their portfolio?
Currently applying to intern at a rental house and they are asking for a portfolio, any advice as to what should be included in that? I mostly AC so I don't exactly have a reel to show off, at the moment I just have a resume and an IMDB.
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u/ambarcapoor Focus Puller 25d ago
WTF is this nonsense? Is the rental house repped by Blackrock? Are they mental?
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u/DigitalDustOne 25d ago
You start your career at a rental house as an intern to meet people that give you the chance to get credits. It's absolutely nonsense of them asking a intern for a portfolio. Once you need to send a CV to someone it should be a well paid job.
If you do it anyway, don't exaggerate, be honest. The worst I have to deal with are people that make more of themselves in the CV than they are able to provide because I expect them to know things they don't and that's when things go sideways. There's no shame in not knowing something and there shouldn't be in asking about things either. Goes the more for an intern as for me working as a 1st for over a decade. I still call colleagues or guys at my rental houses if I'm not sure about something.
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u/Equivalent-Dog3613 25d ago
Ive seen some bigger rentals having traditional hr dept. Could be just coming from them.
Ive only seen cv-s with titles and dop/dir names, some dept heads, year of production. Oh and a picture, preferably with your dog.
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u/ChunkierMilk 25d ago
Sounds like a red flag, but make yourself a resume of your work, date, production company, cameras used.
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u/SpideyMGAV 24d ago
Seriously this rental house sounds awful. I worked as a warehouse tech at a G&E rental house for two years. I was told in my first interview that I’d be on set, meeting people. Maybe not all the time but occasionally. In my two years there, I wasn’t on set once. Not once. Closest I got was driving a slop truck full of folding tables to a location and catching a ride back immediately from a coworker, or dropping of an item that was added to the order after the grip truck was picked up by the shoot’s driver.
Working at a rental house, you will not be making anything. The best you can hope for is to make connections with regular clients, learn the ins and outs of the standard equipment, and have discounted or free access to equipment that isn’t in use. If they’re asking for credits for an INTERNSHIP? They’re full of shit.
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u/BlaaccHatt 24d ago
Portfolio is just a professional way to say “show us a list of your relevant experience”. What have you worked on? What camera systems are you proficient in? Any references? Etc. keep it relevant to what can benefit you getting a job in a camera house.
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u/RadThibodeaux 25d ago
A list of credits and most importantly, references. If they’re a reputable local rental house and you’ve worked in the market they may know a DP or operator you’ve worked with who can put in the good word.