Find the top people in your city. Offer to help for free. Once you have connections, it'll be easier to get paid jobs!
Just some insight from someone who has tried this approach. I was working for the top people in the commercial industry in Los Angeles for a while, and I started as a production assistant. These are people that worked with my aunt and uncle in the 80s and 90s, when they were working at the zenith of the commercial world.
Over the years I have poured resources and untold energy into producing my own work, and a lot of that was creating spec commercials, commercials that are made purely for proving yourself. Even though I knew the directors/producers/PMs and 1st ADs I was working for very well, and had worked loyally and tirelessly for them for years, they had ZERO interest in seeing my work. When they did, they were impressed by the production value and the execution, but gave me no advice and even tried to put me in my place with a line or two about how long other directors had been in the business, etc.
But, the real issue I had was that I just wanted to get out of being a production assistant, and these people fed me misinformation about how to get into unions, did not take my interest and wealth of knowledge in the camera department seriously, and eventually, after YEARS of working for them while pursuing my own work, they would only offer me coordinating positions AT A REDUCED RATE. These folks were tough people too, and I NAILED coordinating....was great at it. I had seen the disasters other coordinators had cause in my time as a PA, and I just was good at it....and they loved it.....but I hated it though. But they would offer my a lower rate, and turn around and give another coordinator more money. And when I asked them for a full rate, they would make up some bullshit, then would hire another coordinator at full rate if I said I couldn't do it.
I remember one time the producer I was working for was looking at another directors Indiegogo crowdfund for a movie he was making, and I asked a question about it and my producer just shut me down talking about how the guy had been directing for 30 years, blah blah blah. I've since made more impressive work than that guy....
I've realized years after, that these people had kept me in that production assistant position, for years, without helping me when I asked for it, without referring me to someone, without giving me any real advice, because I was loyal, fast, responsible, didn't complain and most important, THEY ONLY SAW ME AS A PRODUCTION ASSISTANT.
I branched out from that crew at some point, and did all kinds of impressive stuff in the industry before leaving and pursuing only my own directing work.
Those folks worked for the best directors, on super bowl spots, yadda yadda. My uncle gave them their start decades ago. They had the ability to easily refer me to someone as an apprentice, or a smaller shop as a smaller director. Never did, never would, and I've realized after talking to other professionals and family that knew them: it's because they saw the confidence in me, they saw my talent, they saw the fire in me, and they wanted to keep me back as their little production assistant because of it. They looked at my ambitions, even though I was endlessly loyal and responsible, as some sort of entitlement. They looked at what my director uncle had achieved, and thought, "this guy thinks he's gona go off and direct because his uncle did. I don't think so, ain't happenin." I had wanted to direct even before knowing about my uncle's directing career.
Anyway, working for the top folks, just do it for a year, and don't trust em.
I'll say it again, in it's own line down here: Don't trust people working at the top of the game. If you have any talent or confidence at all, they will see you as an annoyance and reinforce the idea that you need to work as an assistant for years before you can do anything serious. I guarantee you the person telling you this never worked as a production assistant in their lives.
The production manager that worked for the producer I mentioned above, she even admitted that this person had pigeonholed me into the production assistant position. As soon as I handed her a coffee or drink, or busted my ass for her, she had lost respect for me. Years ago. I had been completely pigeonholed, by a vindictive, highly successful, predatory commercial producer, who acted like a saint and savior while actually putting a person in their place.
Just watch it man. Like I said, if you work for the top people, don't trust em. Lol, I know most of you will be like "ah man this guy just had a bad experience he's giving bad advice." No, I'm giving you some insight from first hand experience. Someone like a top 10 commercial director, or whatever Big Dawg there is in your city, they don't give two shits about some other person's work, or career, unless they are an immediate family member or old friend. The only time someone like that will help you is if they are an executive or agent that sees a way to make some money from your work.
With the top guys, learn from them, analyze their career on your own, get that valuable experience, and if after a year or two, they haven't referred you to something better but are giving you wishy washy vague promises of better work next year or something, move on. Don't listen to them. If they actually have further opportunity for you, they will be specific about it.
If you can get on sets as something other than a production assistant, at any point, do it. Try to start where you want to end up. What does that mean? Well, if you want to be a cinematographer, start working as that 3rd or 4th camera operator on smaller projects, and go from there. Work as a production assistant on some big stuff to see the scale of it all, then work on small stuff in a bigger role. Start where you want to end up.