Why does directing seem like a young persons profession?

J

JJ Alexander

Active member
I have gone to many seminars and short film festivals etc., etc. and what jumps out at me is always how young or very young all the directors are.

I'm a professional actor in my 50's and I have an inside view on whats involved. I'm surprised I never see a 'NEW' director over 40.

Life experience is a great well to draw from. Why is directing such a young persons game?
 
I don't think experienced directors I know hang out at seminars and film festivals. They either usually work or spend time with their families.
 
In my experience most of the people I've met who want to direct (or get into any sort of filmmaking for that matter) feel too tied down to family and day job to take the plunge. Maybe the older you get the more settled you get and you become less inclined to make a career change or take a big risk.


It's rather frustrating from a younger person's perspective, because so many people I know that I would love to work with just feel like they can't do it because of other pressures and commitments.
 
I haven't done a study on this, but it seems that the top Hollywood Directors are over 40.
 
J.D. said:
I haven't done a study on this, but it seems that the top Hollywood Directors are over 40.
Click to expand...

Cause it takes time to be a top Hollywood Director. 3 or 4 films for most directors take 6 - 10 years.
 
JJ Alexander said:
Why is directing such a young persons game?
Click to expand...
Because young because are good at BS-ing there way into high level work, or so they think. The truth is that producers are always looking for a new product to sell. Talented young people fit their business model well because their ideas are considered fresh and they will work for less money than established directors, thus providing better margins for the producer. It's not at all uncommon to be on a commercial shoot to see some kid in the latest clothes and a trendy hair cut, who at first glance looks like an intern, actually be the director! Really, it's quite common. As the kids get older, they demand better pay, and the producer starts looking for younger talent. Old guys in this business, in my observation, are usually either producers or below the line crew. There are probably more young directors in commercials than experienced ones... The smart ones trade glamour (being the director) for real money (producer, DP, etc.). The smartest ones are able to do it all (Spielberg has executive produced twice as many movies as he has directed, for example).
 
Because young punks like us havn't learned our limitations yet and are still crazy enough to try to make it as a director.
 
I wouldn't say the smart ones trade glamour for real money. I think each person approaches the medium from a different perspective. Some do it for a career, some for their own personal artistic outlet, and some do it for both.

I personally like to make music and films because they fulfill me in a way no relationship or career ever could. In fact, I prefer the easy 1k - 2k video jobs which don't require a lot of my artistic energy so I can focus all of that on projects I care deeply about. Whether I make money on these projects or not is superfluous to me. The feeling of actually connecting and communicating with other people through artistic expression is the best payment of all.
 
Well I'm 40 and I had my first screening a week before my 40th birthday.

I agree that as you age, you get saddled with certain responsibilities...or at least the illusion of them. When I went to my wife a few years ago and told her what I wanted to do (write and make movies) she pretty much said "fine, what do you need?". Never mind the fact that we have 2 kids (one with special needs), a mortgage and are painfully strapped financially. Now if she had said "are you out of your mind?" I still would have pursued writing (that doesn't cost a lot) and might have eased into filmmaking later on. Who knows. I try and remember how she handled that when she yells at me for leaving the toilet seat up :) She is now my producer and script supervisor.

At first I was bummed I had not started sooner. But then i remembered that this whle digital/24p thing is the key for me. I wouldn't be doing this if I had to work with film, or if it looked like my home video cam.

Then there's the idea that maturity brings wisdom and respect. My first film was far better that I produced it at 39, as opposed to if I was 29, or (God forbid) 19. I also get the respect of the local community that I don't think I would get if I were younger. To be able to pull aside a 50-something year old actor and actress and relate to them on THEIR level is a great gift. Even with the short track record i have, I can pick up the phone and cast and crew a film in a couple of days, no questions asked, without paying anyone. Not many people would do that for a kid.

Then there's the whole idea of the life lessons I bring to the table. I've had lots of jobs, been in lots of scrapes, and dealt with all kinds of people. I'm fairly confident in my ability to figure things out, but I'm not cocky. For me, that came with age.

I'm glad I'm coming at this the way I am. I wouldn't change a thing.
 
Thank you Jim for those words. I´ll get 40 this april and sometimes I think I wasted a lot of time in other jobs or just in loosing time doing near to nothing. I know for more than a decade now, that filmmaking - wether a cheap commercial or feature - is the only work that really fills me up, that I really can realize with passion. I went into painting, writing, music production - I´ts just not the same. Filmmaking is giving me the possibility to use all that professional experience AND the personal knowledge, too. We are now planning our first feature and I´m very hopeful that those digital 24p tools we have nowadays will give us the possibility to realize it in a very free and independent way - something that is key for my philosophy and the goal of my way of life.
 
Congrats to you on your film Joe. Do you mind translating your sig for me? I get some of it, but I think I am losing something in my ghetto spanish translation.
:beer:
 
I also get the respect of the local community that I don't think I would get if I were younger. To be able to pull aside a 50-something year old actor and actress and relate to them on THEIR level is a great gift. Even with the short track record i have, I can pick up the phone and cast and crew a film in a couple of days, no questions asked, without paying anyone. Not many people would do that for a kid.
Click to expand...

That's very true and I think a large part of it (forgive me for saying so) is that being older and doing this stuff tends to give people the impression of more responsibility (which is usually accurate). At least on crews at least, an older guy will always get a better position than a younger guy even if he has less experience. And, generally, it's well founded because you old farts have learned to take the world seriously.

That said, I do think there is something to be said for starting young but only if you keep making movies. I'm 22 but I think that my biggest asset as a film maker is that I've made roughly two to four films a year since I was 17. The knowladge I've gained has been invaluable as has starting to find my "voice" as a filmmaker. Yeah, some of the stuff I've learned is technical (what I learned about 16mm and now what I'm learning about 24p digital) but most of it has been things no one can teach you. I've learned to think from the audience's point of view. I've learned rhthym. I've learned how to manage a shoot. Most importantly, I've learned how to deal with both my crew and actors, something previously very hard for a typically shy individual such as myself. This stuff takes time.
 
Also face it, with maturity comes wisedom, experience, I mean with film takes that. There is something to starting young and keeping doing it. Learn so much by doing, so mych young directors take for granted, dont take time to learn, etc. Its good to be young on any level of film and grow, don;t have allusions of grandure. Hard trust me lol.

But if make movies at 20, still at 30, regardless if independent or in hollywood you will have matured so much. From 30 to 40... same.
 
Hi Jim, no congratulations, yet. There´s a light at the end of the tunnel but there´s still a long way to go...

Here the translation of the footnote - I pimped up my english with the dictionary and I´m afraid I did it pretty wrong:

While making movies it results unavoidable to cherish that process directly from aspects of reality and to construct with them a work, which imperatively has importance and influence regarding reality itself.

(To say it with words I can better handle: Making movies reflects reality and that reflection has an impact on reality)[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
 
Directing comes from life... someone who is 50 has had double the amount of life as someone who is 25. With a few notable exceptions, directing is an older persons profession.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top