Should I quit my day job in the hope of becoming a filmmaker?

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Pure way

New member
Hey Indies!

This is obviously my first thread here and it the first Filmmaking forum I ever joint.I hope my thread is in the right section.

Let me first tell u my story with films!

I studied Business Administration and Marketing and now studying Master in computer science and working in the field of marketing and customer relationship...

Just a year ago (am 27 now) I discovered my passion in cinema and filmmaking! I was late in that maybe because they don't give theater classes in schools my country!

Now that I discovered where my passion is I dream to come back on time to study Media/communication/filmmaking in university and to work in that filed! am working now so its impossible to study full time for a university degree in Media.. I just dream if I had fortune one day I will quit working and go back to university to study what I like!

However scene I discovered where my passion is, I started reading books and watching videos about filmmaking and attending Workshops. We did a documentary and a short in these workshops...

My questions is:
- On what age did everyone of you discovered his pasiion in filmmaking?
- Did u go to film school?
- Should I quit my day job in the hope of becoming a filmmaker? I mean does it produce enough money to live?

Cheers!
 
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I'm new to dvxuser as well but i can answer your questions and maybe help you out. I figured out i want to do film when i was in 8th grade, i am now a freshman in college (19 years old). I am currently not going to film school because it cost too much but i dont think a film degree is some magical degree that guarantees you a job in the film industry. I suggest you save the money from your day job, write a feature script, than use the money you have saved and assemble a crew and find new ways to get noticed and break into the industry full force. In your case film school would be a cool experience but a waste of time (just my opinion) i suggest you keep making documentary's, and TV or Films or both which ever you prefer. You already have useful degrees and knowledge from school that can help you become great. So make some amazing films and go for it dude. Keep your day job and quite school you already have a degree time to get into the industry with what you have to offer no more wasting time. Good luck and i hope my biased opinion helped.
 
I'll be 25 in a week. I knew I wanted to make movies when I saw my first movie at age three. I started making flipbooks, got my first camera when I was ten, and shot my first feature at 22. I'd recomend against quiting your job. If you want to learn to make movie, go make movies. Make a bunch of short films in your free time. Then write a script for your first feature. Plan it out in your free time, and take two weeks of vacation to go shoot the thing when you're ready (exactly what I did). Then you go back to work and edit in your free time.
 
Pure Way, since you already have a degree in Business Administration and Marketing, you should find filmmakers who are filmming in your area. Offer them your services in business and marketing and work with them as a member of the team. You will learn all you need to enter the film business according to your skills.

Quit your job when you get offered a job in the film industry, not before. As for film school, yes, after you complete computer science, study film. Get a doctorate in film. Good luck.
 
I am currently not going to film school because it cost too much
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Its not necessary to be a film school. You can study Media or communication. Its has many common courses.. What are u studying now?

and assemble a crew and find new ways to get noticed
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Yea I am thinking of benefiting from the power of social sites like facebook tocreat a group of interested people in film making in my city to start making films after that.


I started making flipbooks, got my first camera when I was ten, and shot my first feature at 22.
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Well I started writing stories and loved shooting videos since I was a kid but I didn't realize the filmmaking passion itself until lately!

and take two weeks of vacation to go shoot the thing when you're ready
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Does it required 8 hours in 2 weeks to shoot an 1.5 hours movie? It took us 8 hours to shoot a 1 Minute film the other day! Is your film ready now?

The nice thing in my country is that they provide free filmmaking workshop and they even offer to take you in a trip to other country for two weeks to learn the whole process of film making and to make one.


Offer them your services in business and marketing and work with them as a member of the team.
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indeed am lucky to be working in marketing in a Media TV production company. I just need to switch my department!

Get a doctorate in film
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without a bachelor in film?!


Thanks all for your relies.
 
I'm 28 years old. I'm married with a 2 year old son and I hate my day job. But, I'm halfway through production of a feature horror film, that I wrote and am producing, and doing a little acting in. How did I do it? I gathered a group of people who all wanted to do the same thing, and we went out and are making a movie. We film on the weekends, and edit and do promotions and such during the week after our dayjobs. Sure it takes longer to get it filmed, but we are out there doing it. I wouldn't quit my job just yet though. But I'm a testament to the fact that you can do it with a dayjob.
 
Hello,

I currently am working as a graphics and camera operator at a local news station. I love my job but the payscale is pretty low. I have been freelancing as a videographer/editor/animator since graduating in 2002 (BFA:Film.Animation/Video)(I'm 30). I always was an artist and figured out I wanted to make films in seventh grade(made claymations, flipbooks) My senior year of high school I made a fifteen minute claymation and figured this was the trade for me. Film school was good, but I never stopped learning. When I graduated I was kind of lost on how to make this a living, then I found an ad for a wedding videographer. I learned a lot through shooting all kind of different events, but I always had side work in construction. Eventually that led to me documenting the different stages of certain construction projects. Then I found a great client who had me make a feature documentary(2 & 1/2 yrs. of work). That reference got me the low paying but steady job at the news. Currently I'm working for another great client making their feature live action movie on the side, editing and shooting HVX P2 along with S16 film. The freelance work is great money when it comes around, but now owning a house and needing to refy, I need to keep something steady on paper. For some reason banks dont take 20 1099s seriously. So I would say keep your day job until you know you can nail a few serious clients who can regularly give you work( not the one's that need you for a week or a month, those are added bonuses). Other than that as hard as it can be to maintain as a living, filmmaking is the most gratifying job mentally as long as it doesnt bog you down and drain your passion. I had a Great professor tell me, "Make sure whatever you do, you enjoy What you shoot, because you'll be seeing alot of it." For example, once you get a few weddings you'll be doing a lot of weddings(if you're good), just like if you start filming medical operations, you'll probably start getting a lot of that work. I try to spread myself out: I still film weddings, but I also film any event of interest that comes up to stay fresh... fashion shows, art shows, musicians, school plays, and of course I always try to keep an interesting feature film project to keep me inspired and steadily working for at least a year. I also have a gig once a year teaching young children animation(which is really refreshing and always inspiring) I feel bouncing around makes the work less monotonous and always a new challenge. Good luck to you!
 
Pure way said:
Hey Indies!



My questions is:
- On what age did everyone of you discovered his pasiion in filmmaking?
- Did u go to film school?
- Should I quit my day job in the hope of becoming a filmmaker? I mean does it produce enough money to live?

Cheers!
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I always knew. Movies were and are cool and I knew I liked them enough to try and make some.
No I didn't go to film school.
No you shouldn't quite your job. If you want to be a filmmaker, use your job to buy a camera and some gear and go shoot films on the weekends. You can even pay someone to come show you the ropes and how to use your new toys... since you have a job... hahah.
 
hi pure way,

this is my .02:

1) you don't need to study film to make a film.

2) you should only quit your day job for film if you're already making money off of film.

3) having a degree in business will give you an edge as to how your film is to be developed, made, and distributed.

4) write a good script then write a solid a business plan.

5) show the business plan to potential investors, and have them put up money to make the film.

6) make your film.

7) sell your film.

8) if your film's returns are worthy, develop an idea for a second one.

9) repeat 4-8.

10) quit your day job.
 
No way i plan on quitting my day job. Im 29, and got into this last year. Ive been writing for years and had the back burner plan of eventually selling some of my work. After some witers block and about 30 short stories, i came up with a plan. Maybe i can turn my passions for writing, and photography (been also doing it for fun for the past 10-15 years), and make a film.

Im a huge film fan, i love everything from the 30;s and 40s greats to, indie films to todays blockbusters. If anyone knows what makes a film good or bad its me right?

Well, that and the Nikon D90. I had my first DSLR the D50, great camera, but the new nikon could do HD video, i saw that as an opportunity go upgrade and try film out, if i didnt like it not that much of an investment.

I since dithced the nikon and upgraded to 7d, shoulder rig, tripod, h4n, slider, glidecam etc... .later im buildint up my gear. My way to learn how to do it better is taking some classes at the community college. Not only does it give you others to collaborate with it can introduce you to some young and up comming talent around town.

I just submitted my first script to the writers guild, and we are already in rehersals for a short that i wrote, and im going to DP. Total we have about 30-40 people working on it (between cast and crew), its really exciting.

Will i quite my job in healthcare IT any time soon? Probably not, id have to easily clear a really large amount of money to be able to justify quitting my job. Until then, just gonna keep at it with my free time.
 
By high school I'd added film my list of other passions. I really got the bug in College when I took classes. I didn't go to "film school" but I went through Columbia College's film program. Columbia College Chicago is the midwest's best arts and entertainment college. A lot of the People teaching other colleges (like me) came from there.

Should you quit your day job? If you have $50,000 - $100,000 saved up + whatever it cost to shoot your film, I'd say go right ahead, but something tells me you don't have $50,000 saved so the answer is no. I have a decent day job and can barely afford equipment. Use your day job to buy equipment. I have almost everything, but I need something kind of important, a computer and Final Cut Pro (or Express) would help. LOL. I actually have AE and I'm also saving up for Action Essentials which I may go half with my producer on. But you need money, even if everyone works for food, you still have to buy the food and you need transportation, equipment, etc.

I did my first film on $800 and my second on $4500. Both features. They opened some doors for me but I haven't become rich or famous yet. I did write a filmmaking book called "Action Filmmaking" which people seem to like and did a DVD to go along with it. People do buy them and they bring in a little extra cash too. (I've paid a few monthly bills at times with the money it's bought in).

-Nate
 
http://www.amazon.com/Action-Filmma...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272164470&sr=1-2

I can attest to the fact that Nathyn's book ACTION FILMMAKING on Amazon.com is the best digital video production book for indie filmmakers -- especially if you haven't been to film school. It not only takes you step by step how to shoot a feature film, it actually inspires you.

You will also learn a lot about what camera to buy and how to approach the ever-changing trends in digital equipment.

Click on the link above and take a look inside the book.
 
read book

read book

Go to local book store TV and Film section and u will find a lots of books ... and read for 3 hours per day for one week and after that you will become Steven Spielberg.
read a book call "Shot by Shot"....
 
I wish I could. 2 kids, Mortgage, Car Payments etc. I have directed 5 feature films and 3 have sold and still kept my day job. So you can do both. But I need Insurance! My daughter was so sick that they flew her in a Chopper to a specialist a few years ago and that bill was 15k! I paid nothing.
 
Does it required 8 hours in 2 weeks to shoot an 1.5 hours movie? It took us 8 hours to shoot a 1 Minute film the other day! Is your film ready now?
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Not sure what you mean by the time thing. I actually never released this movie. I consider it my trunk novel. My second feature, "Leap" was shot for just $200. That one has been released to a single theater here in Spokane, WA as well as on DVD. So far we've made back $2000.
 
Are you single, no dependents? Do you have skills you can use to make a living in the movie industry, other than directing your own movies? If the answer is Yes to those questions, then you should consider leaving your Day Job.

The problem is that work in the industry can itself become a "day job". Meaning, day in day out crew or production or post production work can feel as uncreative as a regular day job, and yet you don't get the benefits. Sometimes its not, and sometimes you learn a ton working with other people in the industry, but as a support person at the end of a 14 hour day more often times than not you care more about finding time to do your laundry than any kind of passion for the movie you're working on as a crew person. If you're a creative head (DP, director, writer, main editor) then certainly, work can be very fulfilling. But if you're a "production coordinator" or some grip, perhaps not.

So you have to weigh the pros and cons.
 
1) I knew I wanted to be in film when I was 15, but I thought I wanted to do visual effects and work for a company like Industrial Light & Magic. I was and am a huge Star Wars fan. I took a CS class and hated it, and sucked at it, then decided there is no way I am going to be plugging away on a computer all day for really no possibility of ever being rich or famous. Then I decided I want to be a director, I want to tell my own stories, and that only took about a year to figure out I wanted to do that. I studied film history, film theory, criticism, etc. for many years thereafter, ran a critical review site, wrote several books, took college courses, and majored in philosophy, which was a good major for storytelling in general. I came to Los Angeles to pursue film full-time 3 years ago. I'm directing my first feature film in about 5 weeks.

2) I went to film school twice and dropped out twice. Film school isn't for me. This industry doesn't care at all whether you did or did not go to film school, which means all that is important is learning as much as you can and knowing what you're doing -- it's up to you to decide personally how you learn best and what path works. There is no such thing as whether it's right or wrong to go to film school, but it is right for some people and wrong for others. It just didn't work out for me personally with my life path. It could have, though. If things had been different, I can see myself having went to film school and learned a lot and gone that way. But since I didn't like the first college, I transferred to a college closer to home without a film major, which led me to philosophy (still a more useful major than film, in my opinion, because there are plenty of filmmakers, not many visionaries). I always intended to go back to film school after college, for graduate school or something similar. I ended up being burnt out on college by the time I graduated (with a 3.97), and I didn't want to attend a 3-year program before I could get into the industry. That just seemed way too long. I went to LAFS for the one-year program, but I didn't care for the school at all and it was a waste of money frankly, so I quit after 7.5 weeks. I learned a ton in that first session honestly, and got a good grasp of the basics of how filmmaking works, I just felt that the school wasn't prepared to teach me as much as I wanted to learn beyond that. I didn't like the way things were headed and I didn't think it was worth the money and time. Every teacher kept saying we'd all learn best "when you actually get out there and do it!" So I figured, ok, well if you say so, that's what I'll do! And I started making my own projects and learning on the job. Worked out well, 39 film festival selections later and now I'm doing my first feature, the ultimate challenge, haha.

3) Not really, no. I don't think you should quit your day job until you learn enough about filmmaking to have a viable prospect of making money in this tough industry. It really does take a lot to make it in film, and it's great you have these other skills to sustain yourself. I have to make it in film because my philosophy degree won't get me anything more than a job bagging groceries at the local supermarket ;)
 
I want this to eventually be my dayjob. I know thats pretty farfetched, but after having done this in the short time that I have. I came to the conclusion that the 9-5 is not to me. I either want to work as a film maker, or as an actor.. or some of both. Right now, I'm making my own films and doing some acting in them simply because it means I control when I'm able to do it. I'm on my own schedule. All while building production credits and experience as well. I'm using my dayjob as a means to fund this until I get to where I don't need it anymore. I may still have a "dayjob" that isn't film making forever, but I want to get to where I can be my own boss, so I can do film making when I need to.. not just when my dayjob allows.
 
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