LA filmmaker seriously considering moving to Austin, TX...advice?

A

Ambler

New member
As an indie filmmaker, I've lived and worked in LA for over ten years and have grown tired of the horribly superficial and shallow environment. I hear alot of great things about Austin and am considering moving there.

Are there any Austin users that can provide pointers? What I'm looking for is:

A safe, fairly cheap place to live...that has a great run of movie theaters...a nice filmmaking scene with bars, clubs, shops, etc. I have a scooter but am going to have to sell it to make the move until I can get my own wheels, so I'd also like to know what the public transportation is system is like as well. Don't worry I'm used to hot, humid weather (lived in Orlando for 5 years). Plus an overall layout of the place, like safe vs. unsafe areas, etc.

Any other pointers would be appreciated as well! Thanks in advance.
 
I live in DFW, but I've been to Austin plenty as its only ~3 hours south of me.

Austin has an interesting mix of the hipster/yuppie/douchebagginess and grounded/hospitable/friendly Southern charm. It's also a college town, don't forget that. More liberally-inclined than the rest of Texas, but with conservative roots playing into the mix. Good mix of old & new, young & aged, left & right, etc. All work to make a nice balance, with a slight lean towards the young/new/left areas.

Basically, if you want to get away from LA but would like to retain a bit of its flavor and creative industry.. Austin is a good place, from what I can tell. Not to mention the cost of living is nothing compared to the coasts and the economy in general is stable and strong in all of Texas. Plus no personal income tax!
 
Yeah first time in LA we couldn't get past the multiple zigzag cracks in the walkways and roadways.
The chance of a SoCal tumbler worries many first timers, nice place to visit etc.

Cheers.
 
What specifically do you do in the industry? We seem to have a decent corporate videography industry, due to lots of tech and entrepreneur types. The actual filmmaking community seems pretty small, and I'm not sure how or why Austin consistently ranks on these "best cities for filmmaking" lists. You can find all sorts of filmmaking groups to attend, but somehow magically nobody in the groups ever finishes their films.


Austin seems as shallow and superficial as most places, but I suppose nowhere is as bad as LA--at least according to stereotypes. I love Austin, don't get me wrong, but it's a myth that everybody here is somehow "down to Earth" and laid back and awesome. Maybe 30 years ago. The housing market is booming right now, and all the tiny houses near downtown are getting purchased by wealthy folks who rip them down and build mansions. The same thing seems to be happening across the map. This is "progress" though by most definitions, but just giving my take.


Every part of town is safe. There are only a couple of intersections in the city where it's "unsafe." Otherwise, I'd sleep outside anywhere in the city.


Night life here is great, but I don't take part in it.


If you get another scooter, parking is free everywhere in the city. I'm not sure if this is true in other cities.


I love Austin and will probably settle down here eventually. I like the outdoors stuff. There are lots of parks and the city has done a good job keeping the place full of trees. We do have good movie theaters as well. My favorite is the Violet Crown.
 
"The grass is rarely greener on the other side of the fence" Just what comes to mind when I read this thread.
 
Victor Nhat Nguyen said:
Just wondering... can you guys clarified what you mean by "shallow and superficial?"
Click to expand...

This means that people will judge you based on characteristics considered vain, like your physical appearance, your dress, your social status, your car, your house, etc. Hollywood quite literally operates on these things. A star is made by their financial value, which is usually based on their appearance. So fame and good looks become currency. This then spills into nonprofessional life and people will act superior to you if they think you don't measure up.

The best way to deal with these things is to become ignorant to them, or recalculate your own value system to avoid them. The reason all of those characteristics are considered "vain" is because deep thinkers from all of history and geography have recognized that you can never find satisfaction by searching for any of this stuff. Vanity is insatiable.
 
Are any of the Austin folks here interested in participating in HorrorFest II? I'm a RTF graduate from UNT and I recently moved to Austin late last year. I'm still trying to find a group of people to work with on films. If anyone is interested, I'm definitely down!
 
Hey! I'm a moderator, so technically I can't enter a film for competition purposes. But I'd be happy to help out if you're going to make one of your own. :D

Kin869 said:
Are any of the Austin folks here interested in participating in HorrorFest II? I'm a RTF graduate from UNT and I recently moved to Austin late last year. I'm still trying to find a group of people to work with on films. If anyone is interested, I'm definitely down!
Click to expand...
 
I lived outside of LA for a while. People judged you on how close you were to someone in Hollywood. Did you know a producer, director, rapper, writer, actor? Then you were cool and hip! Don't know anyone that can get them anywhere? Then screw off.

IN Washington DC it's exactly the same, except politicians replace Hollywood. Do you know a member of Congress, can you get access, get in a party, know a powerful lobbyist, etc? Then you are cool! Not connected to politics in any way? Then screw off.

It's definitely very superficial.
 
In Austin people judge you based on how much titos you can drink and what establishment you feel serves the best breakfast taco.
 
I live in LA and was very worried after i read your post about how LA is superficial.
Then i spoke with my life coach and my personal wheat grass juicer and they assured me that you were broke.
I then blew a gram, did 30 mins of yoga followed by a viewing of back to back dvxfest entries and now i feel amazing!
 
The Midwest is pretty shallow and superficial too. They judge you by how many tons of soybeans you grow! 10 ounces short and you're a nobody!
 
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