Best Way to Create a Film Resume: 2023 Guide with 10+ Examples
Click here to directly go to the complete film resume sample.
How to make an exceptional film resume?
You’re a cinephile.
You know almost every possible thing about films/filmmaking, production or acting.
But is it enough to get you that job you have been eyeing?
It is if you can put it all down on your filmmaker resume or film production resume or whichever post you are applying for.
Just like creating films, tailoring a perfect resume is also an art. You don't have to perfect it over time, just going through our blogs or heading towards our online resume builder will give you multiple film resume examples and film resume template to choose from.
Here’s the summary of our film resume guide:
- The best format for your film resume to optimize your strengths.
- How to write the film resume summary or film resume objective.
- What skills to put on your resume if you’re looking for film production resume or any other post.
- How to capitalize on the education section of your film resume.
Without further ado, we present to you some tips, which can help you curate an exemplary resume:
- Which format should you use for your film resume?
- What do you put on a film resume?
- Should you choose a film resume summary and film resume objective?
- How do I write a resume for film industry?
- Mention your academic and co-curricular accomplishments in your film resume
- Portray your expertise by creating a skills section
How to format your film industry resume
While you're writing your film resume you stumble upon a lot of questions, they might sound insignificant, but they are really not!
A wrong resume format can become the reason for not getting called in for the interview you’ve been waiting for.
You must be wondering, How so?
Let me explain.
In this fast-paced world where everyone is looking for a job, the number of resumes received by the companies is proliferating, it becomes difficult to filter through those hundreds of applications to find the optimal candidate.
This is where ATS ( Application Tracking System) comes in.
It helps the recruiter to filter through those applications with the help of the inserted keywords.
So the first step to making a perfect film resume is to make it ATS friendly.
Reverse chronological format is ATS friendly and it is often the acceptable industry-standard format.
It lists your achievements, education, and all the sections in the reverse order so that your latest accolades are mentioned first.
Choose a professional-looking font rather than the fancy-looking ones as they might not get parsed by the ATS
The white space on your resume should be used wisely, it will give a proper and sharp look to your film production resume.
It will walk you through all the pros and cons of different formats, you can use them wisely for your film resume.
Find out more: What is the best resume format for your experience level?
Dividing the film resume into different sections
Dividing the film resume into different sections gives it a polished look.
It also makes it easier for the recruiter to navigate through your Resume.
Here are a few mandatory sections that your film production resume needs, without them it will be incomplete-
- Header
- Personal Information
- Profile Title
- Summary/Objective
- Key Skills
- Professional Experience
- Education
Also read: How many sections should you have in your resume?
Film Resume: Header
The header of the resume should have your name, your contact details, and your profile title.
It is important to keep the header free from any error. A lot of professionals have the habit of titling their resume as 'Resume' or 'CV', it is a rookie mistake.
Always title and save your resume with your full name.
Also read: Beginner's guide to creating a perfect resume header
Film Resume: Personal Information
The contact number you provide in your resume should be working all the time.
It has been noticed that candidates often miss the call for an interview because of providing a number that isn't active at all times. Now, you wouldn't want that person to be you, right?
So give a single contact number, but one with a decent voicemail and proper connection.
Film Resume: Profile Title
Mentioning your profile title in the header is the best possible way to start your resume.
Just writing your designation helps the recruiter in understanding and setting expectations from your film production resume.
It also speaks about your area of expertise and experience without giving away too much.
So, the experts advise to always mention the profile title.
Miscellaneous
Apart from the above-mentioned sections (header, personal information, profile title, resume summary/resume objective, key skill, education), there are a few more sections which can be added if need be-
- Certifications (if any)
- Awards & Recognition (if any)
- Additional Information (if any)
Formulate a Suitable Film Resume Summary or Film Resume Objective
To choose wisely between a film resume summary and film resume objective one must be aware of the difference between the two.
In a resume after the header comes the summary, it’s one of the most important parts of a resume.
It is a fact well known that a recruiter doesn't spend more than 6 seconds, on average, on a single resume and in those 6 seconds the recruiter decides if they want to invest more time in that particular Resume.
Since the summary is at the top you need to tailor it in a way to keep the reader interested.
You can choose to write a resume summary if you are a working professional with a few years of experience and make the reader aware of your past achievements.
While if you are an intern or an entry level person you should go with resume objective.
In a resume objective, you tell the recruiter what your goals are and how they align with the targeted job, which in turn will make you a candidate capable of adding essential value to their company.
Here’s an example of a film editor resume, as you can see the summary written here is an apt example of how a perfect summary should be written, with the use of quantifiable data to support your claims.
A highly-motivated individual with 5+ years of experience in the field editing videos and films with quality content. Have delivered high-quality short films which have won more than 10 awards in the amalgamation. The latest project got more than 10 million views on the OTT platform in less than 3 weeks. Eager to work with XYZ media production to take it to newer heights.
5+ years of working experience in the field of editing. Producing high-quality content for several high end production houses. A lot of the projects have been nominated for awards. hoping to use my skill sets to the best of my ability in raising XYZ to newer heights.
As you can see, it is self evident that the primary image of a film editor resume sounds articulate and precise, while on the other hand, the summary for the film production resume sounds monotonous.
There's one more piece of advice, try to write your film resume summary or film resume objective after having written the film resume, it helps you in giving an overview of your resume and in making better decisions about what to include in the summary/objective. Re-direct to our website for filmmaker resume example.
Also read: What is the best way to write a recruiter-friendly resume summary?
Mention Your Academic Achievements on Your Film Resume
It’s a false notion that people in the film industry pay no heed to the education section on resumes.
Education is an asset that’ll never get outdated.
You need to flaunt that asset too.
While putting your education section on your film director resume or your film acting resume remember to mention your college name first, and the years of studying.
Put it in a reverse chronological format too.
Mention your GPA only if it is good.
You have got your degree(s) to support your achievements. If you are a professional with little or no experience then do add your extracurriculars along with relevant internships.
For example, if you directed a decent short film during your university days, do mention that along with details as to where they can find a copy in case they are interested to watch.
If you are a working professional with more than 3-5 years of experience then there is no need to mention extracurriculars from college or school, as they wouldn't be interested in knowing the same.
You need to be careful about what you put and what you shouldn't, it all lies in the details.
Below is a snapshot of how you need to write your education section on a film resume.
As you can see -
- The name of the degree comes first
- Then comes the name of the university
- Add a line if its a prestigious university
- On the right end of the section comes the time span and geotags
- At the end, you can add your GPA if it’s good, leave it in case it isn't
If you don't have degrees and have some legitimate license or certifications or even if you have a degree and along with that you have other credentials as well.
Don't shy away from putting them up on your film resume.
Or in case you have a number of certified courses you can always add an extra section on your Resume for that.
It will give your film production resume some buoyancy and extra credibility.
Also read: How to make the most of your educational qualifications on your resume?
Describe Your Professional Experience in Your Film Resume
Having a high-quality professional experience can get you the targeted job, only if you are able to represent it in high quality fashion.
In order to make your professional experience shine through your resume you need to keep these points in mind-
One Liners
Never write any of your resume sections in a paragraph except for a resume summary.
Use bullet points to make one liners, it makes your resume look better and puts your points in a more comprehensible way.
Using one liners to highlight your past professional experiences has been highly effective, we suggest you do the same.
Power Verbs
Starting each point with a power verb will give your points the substantial weight it needs.
It is a highly effective tool, which helps in elaborating your expertise and qualities in a suited way.
Using power verbs will amplify your point.
Some of them are - Spearheaded, Highly motivated, Led, Delivered, and so on.
Achievement Figures
Using quantifiable data is what can make your resume stand apart from the rest.
Instead of long sentences, give the recruiter some quantifiable data, it will highlight your achievements and capabilities.
Your skills and abilities are best demonstrated through achievement figures.
Grouping and Highlighting
Along with using one liners. Make it a habit of creating subheadings.
By doing so you can give the recruiter the necessary information in well-curated and divided sections for each organization and designation you have worked with.
It helps the recruiter in navigating through your film actor resume and makes it easier for you to elaborate on your experience in concise points.
Bolding is also very important and can be used to your advantage, highlight the figures and words you want the recruiter to notice.
Also read: How to draft your work experience in a way that appeals to recruiters?
Call Attention to Your Skills on Your Film Resume
Your skill section is one of the most important sections in your resume.
It doesn't mean that other sections hold any less value to your resume.
The skill section is where you can make the most of the keywords.
If you want to make sure that ATS filters your producer resume then you should take a step back and look carefully at the job description.
Then add those required skills to your film production resume in a meticulous fashion.
In no way do we suggest that you add all the skills without honing them, you don't have to add them robotically, rather sit and access and then add; while being honest to your recruiter.
Adding false credibility to a resume will just dampen your career trajectory and we wouldn't want that.
There are several skills required in the film industry, a lot of it depends on the job you're targeting, if you're building a videographer resume or it’s a film producer resume or a production assistant resume then the skills listed on it will be different from those of an actor or director.
There are a myriad of working professionals in the film industry and things tend to get technical.
For example, if you are applying for a production assistant position then the skills listed on your production assistant resume shouldn't just hover around -
- Time Management
- Attention to detail
- Able to meet deadlines
In no way these skills are less important but they are very generic, you need to tell them your compatibility with:
- Adobe Premier
- FinalCutpro
- Pre Production Software
There are soft skills, hard skills, and technical skills. Each of them is used in a different arena and you need to place them wisely.
Also read: What is the best way to find skills for your resume?
Resume Review Service
All you need to do is upload your existing academic resume on our Online Resume Builder.
And our professionals will provide you with insightful information relating to what all changes you can incorporate in your resume to turn it into a shortlist-worthy resume.
Your resume will be carefully reviewed by our resume experts in compliance with the following listed parameters:
- Content Relevance
- Recruiter Friendliness
- Design Compatibility
- Conversion Scope
- ATS Compliance
- Global Compatibility
- Performance Assessment
- Resume Formatting
- Compliance with industry
Online Resume Builder
The resources listed below come with Hiration's Online Resume Builder:
- Option to save unlimited resumes
- Intuitive next text suggestion
- Auto bold feature
- 25+ resume designs
- LIVE resume score
- JD-resume matcher
- Full rich-text editor
- Unlimited PDF downloads
- 100+ pre-filled resume templates
- 1-click design change
- A sharable link
- LIVE resume editor
Try our Online Resume Builder and check out the film resume template download feature and experience the best resume-writing process!
Film resume sample
Here is our film resume template created on Hiration's online resume builder.
Do take note of this sample and observe the details, which can help you later.
- Software: Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro, MyGearVault
- Equipment: Sony MCX 500, Monstro 8k, Canon EOS cinema
- Story Boarding Tools: Studiobinder, PowerProduction
- Analyzing scripts and devising target idea to build an effective story line via PowerProduction while finalizing the production cost
- Constructing production facilities by selecting right type of shooting gear in accordance with the production environments
- Measuring all the technical aspects of lenses, camera angles, filters, and films before framing and composing shots
- Administering testing procedures to check lighting, audio, and video equipment before filming and camera operations
- Training a camera crew of 10+ members in handling production equipment efficiently with minimum errors
- Collaborating with costume designers, art directors, and videographers to ensure fulfillment of creative requirements
- Coordinating with sound technicians to determine sound requirements according to production size and on-set location
- Monitoring audio signals in testing phases to detect quality deviations and rectify them before the final shoot
- Managing scripts to identify character arcs and detect plot holes to fix them for intriguing story telling
- Planning shooting schedules and creating storyboards via Studiobinder in accordance with script timeline to optimize time
- Managed system installation and troubleshooting of A/V equipment to enhance operational effectiveness
- Aided in setting up multi-camera live streaming by implementing MCX-500 video switcher to improve production quality
- Manipulated live camera shots with Monstro 8k to execute video transitions and special effects including cuts, dissolves, and fades
- Optimized camera settings of Canon EOS cinema with different lighting setups to ensure maximum production quality
- Arranged score, script, graphics, and sound to encapsulate storytelling methods into video production
- Assisted in developing content ideas, programming strategies, and audience management to optimize content and storytelling
- Created database of production equipment via MyGearVault to prevent stock out while shooting at offshore locations
- Designed labeled inventory management templates of camera equipment to efficiently coordinate with videography juniors
- Handled full-set of editing activities including splicing, color correction, and music integration using Final Cut Pro
- Incorporated additional compositing, and editing systems to existing timeline and workflow for seamless video blends in Adobe Premiere Pro
- Performed maintenance on mixers, and processors while calibrating 20+ camera equipment to ensure recording quality
- Assisted in setting up and dismantling of camera equipment to optimize video output and ensure longevity
- Rendered assistance in video production including lighting and audio setup to create 50+ advertisements for fashion products
- Coordinated with 10+ team members on editing, and production decisions including locations and software management
- GPA: 3.8/4.0
- GPA: 3.8/4.0
- Languages: English (Native), Spanish (Interactive) and French (Fluent)
Key Takeaways
- Make sure to make the format of your resume ATS friendly, it boosts the chances of it getting parsed.
- Tailor your film resume summary or film resume objective to your advantage by using quantifiable data
- Never skip the education section, it is the asset that displays your knowledge in your filmmaker resume
- Choose the skills wisely before putting them on the videographer resume
- A cover Letter does nothing but works in your favor, don't forget to send in one along with the production assistant resume resume
- Insight into Hiration's resume review services
Go to Hiration resume builder and create a professional resume for yourself. Additionally, reach out to us at support@hiration.com and you can get 24/7 professional assistance with all your job & career-related queries.