Maggie writes in:
Your blog is full of great advice and has given me TONS of useful notes so many thanks!! Here’s a question I wasn’t exactly able to find the answer to though. I worked on a very small film with a terrible title. It’s so bad that I don’t know if I can include it on my resume without specifying that it wasn’t a porn.
Now, I’m not sure if it would be a fucking awesome idea or fucking terrible idea to put (not a porn) out beside it. I think it’d be hilarious, but I don’t want to just give potential employers a chuckle and in turn not get hired. Is that too risky/unprofessional? Or might it actually help my chances? The title is “[Redacted]” so I feel like I either have to leave it off altogether or make the joke… Thanks!
I had to redact the name of the movie, because I don’t want to get Maggie in trouble, but rest assured it’s something as terrible as “The Haze of Our Love.” From the title alone, you can’t tell whether it’s a Lifetime MOW{{1}} or softcore PWP.{{2}}
I get where Maggie’s coming from, because I’ve been in the same situation. In fact, nearly everyone has. Which is why no one will look at you sideways if you have one off-color title.
Making a comment on the resume seems awkward. It draws attention to the title. Most people skim resumes, anyway. They’re not going to read each and every line, unless the porny title is right at the top.
I think it’d be fine to make joke about a crappy movie you worked on in the interview, but don’t worry about it before then.
And honestly, that’s not that porny. Have you never looked at the internet? Most porn titles these days are just ASS BANGERS 43: BANG THAT ASS AGAIN!
Now, if I had worked on AB43{{3}}, I would think twice before putting that on my resume. Porn is at the very bottom of the professionalism ladder, below reality, game shows, and, honestly, even student films.
Sometimes, though, you may not realize you’re working on a porno (softcore or not) until it’s too late. But you worked hard, did your job, and showered thoroughly afterward.
So shouldn’t you get credit for that? After all, any experience is experience, right? Well… yes and no. In this case, no.
Hopefully you learned something, like how to google the production company before you take the job, but if you put an obvious porn title on your resume, you’re less likely to get called in for an interview than if you had left that line blank.
[[1]]Movie Of the Week.[[1]]
[[2]]Porn With Plot.[[2]]
[[3]]As the fans call it.[[3]]
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