This revelation comes at a hell of a time too - I just relocated to California a few months ago for a writing job I’ve always wanted; but despite making the most money I’ve ever made in my life, I just can’t see myself doing what I’m doing now for much longer, particularly as I’m 22 and I don’t want to waste with a career I’m not enjoying.
I’ve played around with the idea of film making for a little while now. Granted, the only formal education I’ve had in regards to making films was a course or two I took back in the 8th grade, but I’ve produced a plethora of online ‘how-to’ videos and really enjoyed the entire process (capturing, editing, etc). Do note though that none of the material I used involved footage capture via video cameras, so my knowledge in dealing with film itself is very limited.
What can I do explore this career possibility? Are there schools dedicated to making films? Do community colleges offer any such courses, for me to dip my toe into and see if this career path might truly be up my ally?
A friend of a friend wants to make films. Always has wanted to–or at least always as defined as since I met him. If I’m not totally goofy, he has a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Film from a solid 4 year college(university, I guess, they do have MS and PhD programs–albeit not in film). (May not be the usual format of explaining what degree he has).
Post graduation, he got a job working for the local community access network. Got to spend a lot of time being paid to attend school board meetings, town council meetings, etc. Not good pay, and kind of iffy benefits (IIRC). He has since moved to a different city, and is working for PBS, helping to film local programs, and doing some free-lance work in his spare time. This career path is apparently common–although not universal. Both his previous job and his current one are jobs taken by people who get as much benefit out of working in the industry as they do out of their actual salary. And to do freelance work, one needs enough money to buy the equipment–my friend had some parental help.
Just to clarify… do you want to make films in Hollywood and end up completely rich and famous, or do you want to make films “on the side”, having a ton of fun and making a little extra cash?
If it’s the 1st, quit your job, go to film school, and network the crap out of yourself to every single person you meet.
You’ll have better luck with the second. I’d recommend the book “Make your own damn movie” by none other than the infamous Lloyd Kaufman, who is a semi-famous writer/director well known for his Troma movies, most notably The Toxic Avenger.
I’m semi-involved with a bunch of people who produce low budget, independent horror movies. These movies are not good, shot with a video camera and starring whoever they could manage to get to star… usually their friends or family. The budget is somewhere in the hundreds rather than millions of dollars, and they edit on an out-of-date computer using pirated software, but they have a blast with it.
There are actually distributors, and an audience, for such low-budget stuff (yours truly included), and with a little luck and some favor-calling, your movie could end up on a compilation that people will be able to buy at Best Buy or Wal-Mart, usually from the “budget bin”… you know the type… $6 for 5 movies on 2 DVDs. But it’s still a movie, and you’ll still get fan mail, but you won’t be able to quit your day job.
I can’t offer advice on getting into Hollywood, but I’ve got some connections to B and C level creators who can help ya out. My focus is horror almost exclusively, so I can’t say if there’s a market for any other type of movies in this ‘ultra-low-ultra-independent’ category.
Get a netflix account and educate yourself in the vast canon of film. The best directors are those that school themselves in the past and can thus create the future, whether we’re talking about Sofia Coppola with her nepotism and connections or some guy with a DV camera making shorts.
There are too many bad people making bad films on all levels because they don’t know what came before them.