What it’s Like to Work in Film

“I got to reenact my favorite skits from Key and Peele with Keegan Michael Key himself.” This is how Cory Nebe, a video assistant working in the film industry, described one of his memories from working on a movie set.

Working in the film industry can be very rewarding according to Nebe, who has been working in the industry for over five years. He mentioned that he believes starting at any position in the industry can give you connections and experience to move up in the industry all while making memories and having fun in the process.

One of the biggest perks of working in the film industry is making connections and forming friendships with idols and people that you have looked up to for years.

Nebe’s favorite memories come from working as a production assistant on “Keanu” with Keegan Michael Key and Jordan Peele.

Since Nebe’s job assignments consisted of getting the cast their breakfast and escorting them across the set, he and Key became close and in their free time, they would reenact old “Key and Peele” skits together.

He has always loved movies and never thought that he would ever get the opportunity to work on them or meet the actors that he loves. Sometimes he even meets actors that he did not know of before and they build relationships, too.

Cole Leonard worked on the same movie as a production assistant as well but did not have the same experiences with the actors. His job was to focus on keeping people on set quiet during filming, so he did not work closely with the cast.

Nebe said that that is part of the job. Sometimes you have to deal with getting stuck with the jobs that are not so fun.

When working on season two of “Preacher,” Nebe became close friends with the entire cast. Their friendship got to the point where they would have drinks together outside of work and play PlayStation with each other in their trailers.

“I have experience working closely with directors, too,” Nebe noted. He worked with director Ethan Hawke while he was shooting his independent movie “Blaze.” They created a connection and enjoyed many meals together while they discussed things they enjoyed like music.

From being able to watch Hawke work and talk to him personally, Nebe now has the experience working with a director and then a connection or reference for moving up to a different job.

One of the biggest perks and something you can greatly benefit from is getting the opportunity to talk to other people who are working in the industry.

Nebe has plans of moving in a different direction with his career and feels that his current position is the perfect place to be for that.

While working in the industry, he is in the film union which gives him the many benefits that make the job worth it.

“I have health insurance, pension, retirement, and great pay on top of all of that,” Nebe stated also mentioning he feels like he has job security.

You do not always get to work with the people you want to on the set. Working on the set of “Bill and Ted 3,” Nebe was a video assistant while his friend Hunter McHugh was the assistant for Keanu Reeves.

McHugh and Reeves became so close that they would do fun stuff on the weekends like going to the movies. McHugh even got to take a vacation to Los Angeles to visit Reeves.

“Keanu Reeves actually knows who I am,” McHugh mentioned when talking about the experience.

He said working in film can be very unpredictable. You never know what could happen or who you could meet on set because your job assignments for each film are always different.

Matthew McConaughey was another actor that Nebe had the pleasure of working closely with during the production of “Free State of Jones.”

Nebe’s job role as a camera assistant on the movie was to show Mccohnaughey playback of the scene that they had just shot. In his experience with the actor, he learned that McConaughey looks at himself as a normal person just doing his job like everyone else.

“McConaughey told me he thinks film school is a waste of time because the best way to learn about the industry is to actually work in it,” Nebe stated.

While there are so many things to love about working in the film industry, it is not always fun.

“What I hate the most about my job is the hours,” Nebe commented. He feels that he is never home when he is working on a film or show, and it can get very tiring.

The weekends feel shorter than what they are because most of the time he is getting off on Saturday mornings and has to be back on set before daylight on Monday.

Crystal LoCicero, Nebe’s fiancé, has mixed feelings about him working in film.

“I love that he is doing what he loves, but sometimes I just wish that he was home more,” she stated. She works a normal nine to five job, so their working hours do not always align.

Another disadvantage that Nebe pointed out is once a film or show you are working on ends, you do not have work until the next show so you could go weeks and sometimes even months without work.

Nebe said he feels that to work in the film industry, someone has to be very dedicated to their job and love what they do. You are definitely working for your money.

“Working in the film industry was not for me,” Leonard explained as he does not work in the film industry anymore. “It has its perks like meeting celebrities, but the long and unusual hours are not fun.”

Nebe only began in the industry when his uncle invited him to work on a film with him in Mississippi and that is when he fell in love with it. If that would not have happened, Nebe would have never known of his passion for film.