Moving to LA

[Donald Harvey]

So I am deciding to make a move to LA to start a career in Film. Now I know I am 1 of the millions making the move, but I don't care because this is what I want to do. So someday, I want to be a DoP, and maybe even a director, but I know that it will be sometime before that occurs. I know that LA is an expensive, very expensive place to live, and I know it is a very fast city. Some people have told me that you have to certain personality to live there, or something like that. But, I don't care I am going to make it there one way or another. But I am asking you guys if you could give me some advice about LA, such as, where not live, because you will get shot if you live there, or what's the best way to get into film, or to get onto a paying crew, basically anything that would help out.

Thanks for the help, much appreciated.
Cheers
DH

[Batutta]

So I am deciding to make a move to LA to start a career in Film. Now I know I am 1 of the millions making the move, but I don't care because this is what I want to do. So someday, I want to be a DoP, and maybe even a director, but I know that it will be sometime before that occurs. I know that LA is an expensive, very expensive place to live, and I know it is a very fast city. Some people have told me that you have to certain personality to live there, or something like that. But, I don't care I am going to make it there one way or another. But I am asking you guys if you could give me some advice about LA, such as, where not live, because you will get shot if you live there, or what's the best way to get into film, or to get onto a paying crew, basically anything that would help out.

Thanks for the help, much appreciated.
Cheers
DH

Don't live south of the 10 freeway or east of downtown and you should be okay. You absolutely need a car.

[Doc Bernard]

Hmmmm, I would avoid Compton, for one.

You got a good car? Gonna need it here.

You could live on the outskirts of LA and not pay as much as in LA. The Inland Empire is nice, and still only about 45 min away from downtown LA if you time the drive right. Oh, and avoid Montrose, Batutta lives there.:)

[Batutta]

Oh, and avoid Montrose, Battuta lives there.

Montrose rules! Best place for a family. But it's not cheap.

[patbooyah]

i wouldn't live very far outside of LA unless you're older and have a family. you can live in the valley if you want, but it's not exactly "hip and happening." i'd recommend universal city, studio city, north hollywood if that's where you want to live. north hollywood should be cheap.

you can also probably find a decent spot to live in silverlake, los feliz, echo park area and be centrally located. parts of echo park aren't safe.

as far as "breaking in," you'll have to know someone most likely. try to get a job as a stage PA if you work in TV. you'll spend a lot of time with the director/DP.

[Charli]

Here is a thread on another site I visit: http://messageboard.donedealpro.com/boards/showthread.php?t=15354 and it's all about LA neighborhoods, where to live, what we've experienced, has over 10,000 views. So read up and what other writers think.

[Jim Brennan]

So I am deciding to make a move to LA to start a career in Film.

Just remember that is why you moved there. It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day.

[Donald Harvey]

Thanks for the help guys, much appreciated. I play hockey how about living places now? lol

[brianluce]

Don't live south of the 10 freeway or east of downtown and you should be okay. You absolutely need a car.

Hey I live east of downtown for a long time. It's fine there. Some parts. North EAST LA is great, Eagle Rock, Highland Park, El Sereno even has some good areas.

[Donald Harvey]

Yeah, I can't wait to move there, but for lack of better words I am a newbie. However I am determined to make it work. Most of my buddies have made the venture out there and came back, said the lifestyle didn't work for them, or it just wasn't working. My mindset is, I am going to go out there and fail a few times, but those few times i do fail, are going to make me smart for the next time I try. Not going to give up.

Maybe this is too much to ask, or just stupid to ask, but I figured I would anyway, why not? If anyone there has any hook-ups, connections, etc, it would be great to get as many of those as I can before I make the trip out there. If not thanks for helping me find a place to live. I'll submit some of my work here as soon!

DH

[Tom Marshall]

I would say wait on the move until the economy picks back up a bit.

And as for where to live, I live in the valley, North Hollywood. It's cheap rent and pretty safe. I don't care about "hip and happening". I just want to save money on rent. :)

[SMGINC]

i live in he corona area we have roller and ice take your pick!

[fredrickkinsman]

Not to be the downer,but unless you know some one which is the most absolute way of getting work,you will be pulling cables for the next few years and if your lucky you will move on from there.Jim Brennan gave good advice about getting caught up in the daily aspects of living. just stay focused.Either way your gonna have to pay your dues unless like i say you know someone.Good luck and make the most of it.its a life experience and should none the less be cheerished.

[Richard J. Johnson]

LA is the S#!T! I love it out there. I have been trying to convince my wife for years to move but she won't do it. The weather alone motivation to me.

[Doc Bernard]

LA is the S#!T! I love it out there. I have been trying to convince my wife for years to move but she won't do it. The weather alone motivation to me.
LOL! Just your wife? Ohhhhhhh, both of you.

[Donald Harvey]

Not to be the downer,but unless you know some one which is the most absolute way of getting work,you will be pulling cables for the next few years and if your lucky you will move on from there.Jim Brennan gave good advice about getting caught up in the daily aspects of living. just stay focused.Either way your gonna have to pay your dues unless like i say you know someone.Good luck and make the most of it.its a life experience and should none the less be cheerished.


I do have some connections/contacts, but I want to get as many as possible. But I do understand that I gotta start from the bottom and work my way up, which is ok with me, becasue then I will learn from the bottom up, and learn all the aspects of everything that has to be done for a film to be completed. I like that kind of stuff. Hard work is my thing.

Yeah I defintely need a ice rink, I was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, hockey is in my blood, I can't go a week without playing, whether it be a drop-in or a stick-n-puck, I gotta be playing, one of my favorite things to do is bring my camera out on the ice. Get some great smooth low-angle shots, as well as some great following shots, I wrote this short film about two rival Men's Hockey Teams, that comes down to a shoot-out, built some great camera angles to it, and planned the whole thing out, but lack of a crew and skaters makes it a bit hard to shoot.

DH

[Bryan]

I can recommend the valley as well. I lived in Studio City and it was a great place and pretty safe. Depends on where you get a job though! You probably don't want to live in the valley if you're working at Sony, for example, unless you don't mind a 3 hour round-trip commute.

But there's also lots of studios in the valley, like CBS Radford, NBC, Universal, WB, etc.

[Donald Harvey]

What's the best way to get a job at a studio?

[Bryan]

Well are you sure you want to work for one of the big studios? Being directly employed by a studio will generally mean you won't be working on any film/tv sets or crews. You'll be on the business side of the industry. Which is not everyone's cup of tea, but it's still good industry experience.

Easiest way is to just search all their job/career listings and submit your resume. Every studio's web site has 'em.

[kimko]

go back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jarek Zabczynski]

Don't go unless you have a reason. I've been planning the move for a while but work keeps popping up for me in NY. I've been making my connections and working on my own projects from home. I'll move when the time is right and the stars align...which hopefully will be soon.

[hoofandmouf]

I never understood the whole "move to LA" thing....

almost EVERY single one of my friends who have went out there to be a "director" have ended up working lame, cheesy, low level TV jobs that they HATE and now those are even getting harder and harder to get as the economy sinks...

I'm not being a nay sayer but I would want you to really think about why you're goin...

if you want to live the LA lifestyle for awhile and work in low level TV and party and whatnot, then go for it dude!

but if you're goal is to be a writer/director/DP then I would say do not move to LA... make a film... a short, a feature, whatever.... just make films... the equipment is readily available (24p HD, FCP, the internet)

just something to think about man, good luck

[Jim2000]

If you insist on moving to L.A., do yourself a favor and learn to ride a motorcycle. In my 24 years in this town, I've seen traffic go from horrible in the 80's to the absolute nightmare it is now. Lane splitting with a motorcycle is about the only way to get anywhere quickly.

The other thing you should do is make sure you really, really, really, really want to work in film, because you will be competing with the thousands of other industry hopefuls who come here every day.

[Richard J. Johnson]

LOL! Just your wife? Ohhhhhhh, both of you.

LOL. Now THAT would be fantastic!:Drogar-Love(DBG):

[Richard J. Johnson]

I never understood the whole "move to LA" thing....


but if you're goal is to be a writer/director/DP then I would say do not move to LA... make a film... a short, a feature, whatever.... just make films... the equipment is readily available (24p HD, FCP, the internet)

just something to think about man, good luck

You can't do that in LA? It does not matter where you live IMO. You cut your own path. Everyone's experience is just not the same. I say go for it.

and learn to ride a motorcycle for sure. I take my buddy's bike everytime I'm out there and it is the best way to get around.

[singleframe]

bring plenty of savings.
start looking on Craigslist.
network like crazy.
get a cheap place first, then move to a better neighborhood once money is flowing.
don't be afraid to do lo-no pay gigs -- i did some which landed me some great contacts. (of course some were crap too!)
just be ballsy and don't give up -- you seem like you'll be alright...it's really not a bad place to live. at all.

[Nic Aragon]

its actually an awesome place to live. The valley is epic ! I'm a newbie here still, 7 months and counting but have loved every second of living here. Burbank is kinda pricey rent wise, but i came from SF so was totally used to it. NOHO is cool though

[Donald Harvey]

Maybe LA is not the greatest place to move to, I just know that it is a gigantic place for film. That's what I want to do, I have been wanting to do it since I picked up my first video camera making James Bond Films, when I was a little kid. I know this is a one in a million chance to make it happen, and I know that there are millions of people out there with more experience then I have. If I have to work some jobs that I am not going to like just to make contacts, or work next to nothing paying jobs to get experience and or contacts, well then I am ready to do that. I am ready to do what it takes to become what I want. Well not whatever it takes, you know what I mean.

My dream is to work on films, make films, create films, whatever it may be. Now as times continues, my dream will define itself into one or more areas, like DoP, or Director, or Producer. I just know that that's what I want to do. I can't afford the big films schools, and I am not a shinning star when it comes to school in the first place, much better hands on or on the job learner.

Sorry about the life story, didn't mean for it to be like that. I HAVE A DREAM! lol

DH

[joemiked]

la!! wow hell-of a town!! buisy all night cars ingesting the air!! add a scooter for transportation!! cars suck the air up a bad public transportaion system has a slow down for getting things doen!!!
but you wont find more shi@ anywhere else but nyc!! for braodcast and film technologie!!
just remember!! when your in the mix with so many social classes ,dont let the upper class snobs bring you down!! theres a large numer of good and not so cool peopel inthe buisness!!
in los angles in general!
visit the grove in beverly hills for an exelent lunch experience!! i love to vist l.a!!
i live in the sf bay area themost expensive place in america even los angles is is a cost less alternative for the northern cal folk!!! even oragne cuonty cost less than a danville home!!
oh yeah!! find those cool drive in movies!!!! yeah and theres alot to be admired of los angles man!!!! i love it there!! motorclcyes and scooters are so much faster than vehicles becouse of the petrol addiction of l.a. but thell evolve soon!!maybe
just fluant your camera skills to score babes!!! what my freinds say when they need a date!!
alot of aspiring actress!!be kind if poss ,there is some fierce-ness with certain groups of over privaliged-they get dissordly-be aware of snooty toots under 30 they suck bad!! the cool old folks do know alot and help alot!!!!!
i say go for it and write about it!!!!!
mike d!!!!!

[Tom Marshall]

What he said ^

[puredrifting]

Montrose rules! Best place for a family. But it's not cheap.

Yeah, but didn't you tell us that the Santa Claus killer was your neighbor last week? ;-)

D

[puredrifting]

Yeah, I can't wait to move there, but for lack of better words I am a newbie. However I am determined to make it work. Most of my buddies have made the venture out there and came back, said the lifestyle didn't work for them, or it just wasn't working. My mindset is, I am going to go out there and fail a few times, but those few times i do fail, are going to make me smart for the next time I try. Not going to give up.

Maybe this is too much to ask, or just stupid to ask, but I figured I would anyway, why not? If anyone there has any hook-ups, connections, etc, it would be great to get as many of those as I can before I make the trip out there. If not thanks for helping me find a place to live. I'll submit some of my work here as soon!

DH

You didn't tell us where you are moving from or how experienced you are in production. Not that those would factor into where you should live in LA but they could be helpful to know what kinds of moves we could recommend for you to get hooked up with work out here.

Dan

[brianluce]

Remember these two words and you'll be fine: "Tommy's Burgers".

[Batutta]

Yeah, but didn't you tell us that the Santa Claus killer was your neighbor last week? ;-)

D

Yeah, but he didn't kill anyone in Montrose!

[alexandroff]

I'm new to LA as well and moved here because of my other job in IT with flexible hours.
However I'd love to engage into actual project oriented productions. Nothing of massive scale, rather small yet intense limited resources approaches as I believe these are of more practical benefit to a person trying to learn... Would love to find a small tight crew that does that already and could use help and share practical knowledge. What I’m NOT looking for is a meet-up for everyone to have nice conversations, rather more “filmmaking-activity being 1st”, individual, production-specific approach, be it a music video, short, feature, etc. I’d like to learn and be of help.

My industry training has been by self studying different books, videos, workshops recommended on here (cinematography, lighting, sound, directing, writing). Now looking to connect it with actual tasks. At a stage where I had enough of just theory.

I have a Nikon D90 DSLR rig with Nikon primes, fluid head tripod, small dolly(straight track, capable of curved) and Steadicam.

Any recommendations?

[Tom Marshall]

Remember these two words and you'll be fine: "Tommy's Burgers".

Pretty easy for me to remember... :D

[Nic Aragon]

Remember these two words and you'll be fine: "Tommy's Burgers".

ive still not been , but ive heard from a ton of people about the epic burgerness going on there.

[puredrifting]

ive still not been , but ive heard from a ton of people about the epic burgerness going on there.

Just go to one of the REAL original Tommy's. There are a ton of "fake" Tommys, Tommyz, etc. around LA that aren't in the same league.

Dan

[Jim2000]

Rampart Tommy's is the best, but you have to be prepared and drink a lot of alcohol first.

[brianluce]

Rampart Tommy's is the best, but you have to be prepared and drink a lot of alcohol first.

Good point. Technically, one doesn't go to Tommy's for the food. Hard to explain.