Question for all.

[Nightflyer]

O.K I'm 25 and I've realized I loved movies since I was 7 or 8, but never realized I wanted to become a Writer or Director until 5 years ago.

My main question is: Do you think it's prudant to get schooling before trying to get into Film or try and break in as is?

[Matias]

The great director/screenwriter himself, Quentin Tarantino:
"People always ask me if I went to a movie-school. I always say: 'No, I went to the movies'"
I don´t know if that's the exact words, but you get the picture...

[DaMovieMan]

Brock Landers said in one of his many posts a nice little story about P.T. Anderson:
He went to Film School and one day they got this assignment to write a script. So Anderson took the script "Hoffa" (i think it was Hoffa) and gave it in as his own. He got a C- and new from then on that he doesnt need schooling to become a great Directer/Writer.

You schould try making some some movies with 8mm or 16mm cams and see how it goes. If u have what it takes then i dont think u really need schooling.

[Crynot]

If you got the time and money to blow then I say go to Film school - it can only help your craft and teach you how to use equipment that you probably will never be able to afford on your own.

But with the Indi films on such a fast rise, School probably isn't a requirement anymore.

Crynot

[Coolkid]

I say you try making your own short films, ask people if they're any good, and if not, consider movie-school. If your films are excellent, when you're a hit director you can boast you didn't need school. Wow!

[Brock Landers]

The best way to break into the film business is by coming up with something A) New or B) Original. There is a deficit of new material in Hollywood and/or independent filmmaking. Every new film or film concept out there is from A) a book written years ago or recently [example: Harry Potter] B) remakes [example: Basic Instinct 2] or C) a combination of the two [example: franchises - Star Wars, etc...]

You need a gimmick, something that nobody else has, the rest is simple...either A) market it yourself [make sure to get a copyright] or B) present your fresh idea to a established company to rape and plunder as they will, giving you no credit and paying you hardly anything...

As far as your filmmaking skills go, the greatest directors started out just fucking around at home with cheap cameras...improvising...practicing techniques...

Some people are technical and other people are creative...If you are great at technical stuff than go to school and learn the numbers...think Spielberg, Lucas, Kubrick...but if you are artistic and expressionistic than go forth and create, fuck school and just do it...think Warhol, Godard, Truffaut, etc...and if you are lucky enough to be both artistic and a mathemetician than decide for yourself you talented prick...

[DaMovieMan]

I couldnt of have said better then Dirk Diggler has!!

[Nightflyer]

Thank's for the Feedback people.

[This message has been edited by Nightflyer (edited 10-04-2000).]

[Tuukka]

Yeah, I have always thought that you can learn to make films only by making films. Schools can give you equipment and feedback, but you can get those both even if you never go to school. There are many film school graduates who have made 1-3 short films during their schooltime, and they are still seriously lacking in experience when they graduate.