aws membership tutorial

 

Yay! You are here, which is going to make our content writer very happy.

Let’s get down to business.

AWS membership, while a virtual community, is organized in a way that reminds us of a physical production office. Think of our membership network home page as the production office bullpen full of information. It’s where you go if you need an introduction to another department, or a home base. Expanding on this theme, think of topics, events, groups, and programs as if they are smaller rooms that surround the bullpen and hold specific departments that make up a production community.

The fact that you have opened this page means that you have already landed inside one of those rooms…your membership group, either pro or core. You can always tell that you are in a group by looking at the circle icon on the upper left of your screen (mobile users will have to minimize this welcome message in order to see this). It should say 'aws core' or ‘aws pro’. If you are inside your group room, and your ‘Activity Feed’ menu item is highlighted, you are seeing posts and events that apply only within your group. Boom, you are inside your own department’s communication system.

Certainly you can familiarize yourself here, but don’t forget to visit the production office bullpen and say hi to everyone too.

Venture outside of your group by clicking the ‘Back to Network’ button in the upper left corner of your screen.

If you’re on mobile, in the upper left corner of your screen:

  1. tap the chevron to close the welcome message, then

  2. tap the menu icon to open the sidebar menu, then

  3. tap “Back to Network”, then

  4. tap the left chevron to get to the Home feed

Once you land in the production office bullpen, you'll notice the circle logo is now 'aws'. To continue the metaphor, your ‘Home’ feed (just under the logo) is where all the production office bustle happens. This Home feed is the motherlode of communication. Your Home feed includes everything from your core group activity feed PLUS everything else, too. 

Just below Home you'll see Discovery. This is our favorite way to navigate, and we recommend you head to Discovery right away, as it visually lays out the topics, events, groups, and programs. From there, you can easily drill down into:

  • focused discussion topics

  • see a list of what events are planned

  • check out other groups

  • start a program, such as the 5 day artistic cleanse

Here’s a super important note that we’ll repeat in several places, because we want to make sure you see it:

  • To explore the many benefits of your membership, you will need to request access to other programs such as the 5-day artistic cleanse, aws vlog vault, etc., or additional groups.

    • We recommend you pace yourself.

    • You’ll receive access according to your Core/Pro membership benefits within 48 hours of your request, but typically faster.

  • Core members will indeed be granted access to everything listed on the core section of the arvoldwarnerstudio.com membership page. Core members will not have access to those benefits marked ‘pro-only’. We respectfully ask that core members not ask for access to pro-only groups, as it makes us sad to have to say ‘no’.

    • If you would like to upgrade to a pro membership, please email us directly at aws@arvold.com.

  • Pro members will be granted full access to everything listed on the pro section of the arvoldwarnerstudio.com membership page. Right now this includes everything in core, PLUS pro-only topics, events, groups, and programs.

  • Mighty Networks is the Empress of TMI, and will merrily inundate your inbox unless you tell it not to. We recommend you set your email notification preferences to “daily digest”.

    • Click on your profile picture in the upper right corner (mobile: lower right)

    • Click on ‘Your Settings’ (mobile: ‘Personal Settings’)

    • Click on ‘Notifications’ (mobile: ‘Notifications’)

    • Click on ‘Email Updates (mobile: Email Updates is ON by default)

    • Select ‘Daily Digest’ (mobile: select ‘Daily Digest’)

  • Every member of the aws membership network can follow and/or direct message every other member of the network. Arvold Warner Studio sees this as a positive way to connect with other screen pros in a moderated setting and have actual, meaningful interactions. Please don’t message people inappropriately. The result of doing so ranges from warning to loss of membership to notifying authorities, depending on the severity of the infraction.

Our primary goal in creating this membership is to give screen professionals a calm harbor for maintaining their artistry ‘outside the gig’. Advice (whether giving or seeking) on craft, technique, preparation, creativity, and more are welcome, and we encourage you to share appropriately and respectfully!

A final note, about artistic respect: One of the hardest things for screen artists struggling to make a name for themselves to understand is that personal and professional boundaries exist separately from one another. Our membership creates space for the many different types of screen artists -- actors, writers, gaffers, directors, DPs, talent agents, casting directors, producers, production designers, etc. -- to coexist as artists, and not merely as their jobs. It is of paramount importance, therefore, to treat each other as co-equal artists, and not as opportunists seeking an edge. We cannot stress this enough: if you want this membership to be a place where you can reinforce your artistry, respect other artists enough to understand that they are here to reinforce their own artistry and to possibly help others reinforce theirs, but they are not here to help your career. Career opportunism is out-of-bounds here.

Seeking advice can be fine. Asking a question like, “Any feedback on how to make my self-tape pop? Would love to hear from CDs and agents too, please!” is fine; asking, “Hey, I see you’re an agent, I need someone to represent me, what’s your mailing address” is NOT. Even subtly hinting is disrespectful, no matter how much you dress it up in buttery praise; for example, please don’t do this: “You guys are the best and I learned so much from your last event; I can’t wait to work for you again in the future!” There’s a veiled implication that your career is more important than your artistic integrity, and you may wish to reconsider your words before sending a message like that.

To put this in the starkest terms possible: if you try to cozy up to someone because there is some perceived benefit to your career, and they report this interaction to us, we will revoke your membership.