Please fill out the following information, and RRFC Admissions will contact you to discuss our program offerings:
Issue #71 – Mentor News
by L. Swift and Jeff McQ
Talking with Film Connection mentor Dean Baker of Post FX Digital Studios in Orlando, Florida, it’s clear that he has some specific ideas of what it takes to be successful in the film industry. He believes you need to be fearless, to be a go-getter. And that’s what he looks for in his apprentices.
“I don’t want schleppers,” he says. “I don’t want people that just fetch coffee and run errands. I want people that jump in, that want to grab a camera and start filming. That speaks volumes to me, somebody who isn’t hands-off.”
Dean also understands that sometimes the best way to help someone gain experience is to get them involved right away—and sometimes that means throwing them into the deep end of the pool. Recently, a major opportunity came his way that is helping him do just that.
“About 15 years ago, I was a VP on a project called Cycle Fever,” says Dean. “It was a motorcycle travel show. I’ve maintained a connection with the producers. The show didn’t sell back 15 years ago. And just recently, in the last six months, the producers came around again…they came back to me and said, ‘We’d like to do something. What are your thoughts?’ Well, my initial thoughts were:
‘We need to retool the show. We need to redesign, maybe instead of it being a traditional traveling, travel show, maybe we need to do more of a reality show.’ …Reality TV is such a popular thing that it really is eating a large percentage of the shows that are on our television channels. So how can I not attempt this?”
Of course, it takes a lot of people doing a lot of work to get a new show off the ground—so perhaps you can guess where this is going…
“I’m using Film Connection apprentices [on the show],” he says. “I’m using currently, two Film Connection apprentices, [Logan Blue and Rebecca Thomas]. I’ve got them editing and kind of going through footage, and I’m trying to draw upon their creativity because we’re redesigning the show. We’re not exactly sure where the show’s going to go, but it is going to go somewhere. And I’m trying to find a common vision between all of us so that we are able to create a product that someone is going to want to watch.”
Dean says he’s also using the project as an opportunity to hire one of his former students, Rob Chiola. “I’d have a freelance that opened up, and I’d hire him to do something for me,” he says. “This kind of went on for the last year and a half, and then Cycle Fever TV opened back up again, and now Rob is one of my lead guys on that.”
He’s not easing them into it, either. “I’ve got plenty of stuff for them to do,” says Dean, “Logan’s with me for a week and a half. He’s already been on a shoot. I actually deal with a YouTube video for a client of mine, kind of like a networking luncheon. I actually had him put a camera in his hands, and said, ‘Here, we’re doing a two-camera shoot here. I need B-roll of this, this, and this,’ and so he shot it and then he edited it. And basically all I had to do was play producer and say, ‘I like it, I hate it, I like it, I hate it, I like it,’ and ‘Fix that.’ I put him through the ringer. I tell these guys when they’re coming in, it’s trial by fire. I’m throwing you into the deep end of the pool.”
Dean’s methods might seem a bit abrupt for some, but the thing is—it’s working. “They’ve been doing great! They were editing in week one,” he says. “I want them to get a lot of experience, whether it’s editing, shooting, lighting, gripping, whatnot. And I’m so pleasantly surprised about what I’m getting out of them…They are learning by doing.”
And while he’s busy throwing his students into the deep end, he’s careful to add that he’s not leaving them to drown. “The thing is, I’m not a school,” he says. “I don’t grade classroom projects for them to work on. We’re working on real, client projects. I watch them like a hawk. They’re out there with real strict supervision, because my clients are my clients.”
Dean believes in teaching by experience, because in a way, that’s how he learned to do it. “One thing I learned about working in television [is] we all have positions,” he says. “We have very specific positions, but there are times when somebody left the building and the position wasn’t being held, and someone screams out, ‘We have a problem, we need this person.’ Well, what do we all do? Do we kind of crawl under the table and hide and wait for the firings to start, or does somebody just jump up and says, ‘No, I can do that’? And that’s kind of what happened to me.”
That, perhaps, explains why Dean looks for the go-getters. His advice for those who want to break into film? “You need to have a voice,” he says. “If you’re going to be quiet and soft and reserved and shy and all that, you’re going into it severely handicapped… If you want to be an editor, you need to have a voice as much as you need to have a voice as a director, or a camera person. Granted, sometimes that can get you into trouble, but more times than less, I think it’s such a benefit to anybody going into some kind of production…Find your voice, be willing to learn. If somebody wants to put a camera in your hands, take it. Don’t be afraid to be the first one to try something. . . Even if you’re being a grip for the day, or being the lighting person or the sound person, don’t be afraid to just grab it and be part of the production.”
Talking to Dean, you can tell that this is more than just teaching people the skills of TV and film. To him, the go-getter attitude and the willingness to take risks is exactly what makes a film career so exciting. “Believe it or not, the rewards for just those kind of moments, the rewards have been just incredible,” he says. “It’s really about somebody’s passion and willingness to either be wrong or right, [but] completely just jump into the pool. I don’t care how hot or cold it is, jump in.”
or call (800) 755-7597
RRFC is education upgraded for the 21st century.
Get the latest career advice, insider production tips, and more!
Please fill out the following information, and RRFC Admissions will contact you to discuss our program offerings:
Stay in the Loop: Subscribe for RRFC news & updates!
© 2025 Recording Radio Film Connection & CASA Schools. All Rights Reserved.