It's really hard to not care what other people think.

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ironpony
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17 Oct 2017, 5:21 pm

I've been wanting to become a movie director or have some kind of career in filmmaking for years now, but find it hard to break into the business.

Basically I feel it's best to break in by making a feature film and trying to either sell it, or get noticed that way. However, it seems that almost everyone is not supporting me at all in this and I keep being told that I am nowhere near ready and that I don't have "it".

I am pouring all my fortune and savings into it and everyone thinks I am crazy. However, if you read what other movie directors had to do go get there, they all had to do the same thing, and put their life savings on the line.

So I feel I am not doing anything different than almost every successful movie director had to do to get there.

But I find people's warnings incredibly discouraging and can't help but feel that I might very likely be making a mistake. I talked to a movie director about it, and he said that it's true what directors say that they had to throw everything into the pot, and not listen to anyone, and that the only beliefs that matter are one's own.

But what do you think? How do other people in this kind of position do it, where they have to convince themselves that they are the one right person and that everyone else's opinions don't matter?



BirdInFlight
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17 Oct 2017, 7:09 pm

How about making a really great short first, instead of a full length feature film?

Many directors actually break in by making shorts first, which is also easier on the budget of an unfunded filmmaker, and then when the short or shorts plural draw attention, it's easier from there to attract other people's funding ultimately, for a full feature project. This is what I gather from reading about filmmaking and directors' career stories.



ironpony
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17 Oct 2017, 7:43 pm

Well I made a few shorts so far, and assisted others in their shorts and feature films. The shorts didn't turn out as well, mainly cause I could have used more money to up the production of them, but I want to save my money for a feature. Or at least I don't know if I should show these ones to the real pros cause of lack of money in them.



hobojungle
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24 Dec 2017, 2:46 pm

Why not create content for YouTube? It doesn’t have to be expensive. Even kids are doing it & making money.



ironpony
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25 Dec 2017, 3:30 am

Well I wouldn't know where to start, or what to create. I thought about creating a series that talks about filmmaking itself, but I'm so busy helping on other people's film shoots to gain experience, that I wouldn't really have time for a youtube channel.

Most people who have them, don't even have time to make bigger movies, cause that's all they can do really, it seems.