I'm in agreement with Nicky. If you really want to be/become a
filmmaker, you should not betray your desire by straying too far from
the path. Since you have already made some films, perhaps you might
want to consider film school? Or a film studies course at university
that includes practical work? Or you might want to get involved in a
'real-world' film production, in whatever (probably lowly) function,
for some hands-on experience. Or, as I had suggested previously, you
might want to write film criticism. There are all kinds of ways of
getting your foot in the film world, and the best way to success
seems to be determination, knowing what you really want and going
after it (good in life for all sorts of things).
Not that Switzerland is typical or necessarily boasts great cinema,
but here, your typical filmmaker (i.e. director/writer) will have
been to university for a year or two (in the humanities, usually
language/literature) without completing their studies, or have been
to art school, done all kinds of part-time and stop-gap jobs in the
way Nicky suggested.
H
> I think you were very badly advised by the director. Film makers
> study film, first and foremost; its history, criticism, theory
> (sometimes but often not) and the work of others. If you want to be
> a philosopher, be one, but studying philosophy won't teach you how
> to make films!
>
> What kind of films do you want to make? In the UK, where I live,
> filmmakers support themselves in the following ways: painting and
> decorating, plumbing and other jobs that leave them the time and
> intellectual energy to think and make films and videos. Others
> teach, or work as cinematographers, sound recordists, or work for
> arts organisations. All spend time applying for grants, awards etc
> so that they can get funding if they need it for a bigger
> production. Otherwise, people go into the TV industry and work
> their way up from the bottom. This is what many of my students do,
> by working as "runners", until they get the opportunity to start
> working as editors etc, usually after a few months.
>
> Hope this helps, not knowing you situation exactly,
>
> Nicky Hamlyn.
>
> On 23 Feb 2007, at 13:52, Julius Bonapart wrote:
>
>> I asked about this on a past thread but noone responded so...I'll
>> try my chances on a separate thread. I've been reading film-
>> philosophy for about six months now; even though I don't often
>> participate, I do enjoy seeing everyone's opinions on all sorts of
>> topics. I know that given the diversity of this saloon I will get
>> more than one kind of answer, that's why I would like to post my
>> concerns here. I've been making animated videos since I was
>> fourteen, got a MiniDV Cam at sixteen, and have made various short
>> films since then. I remember when I first started (making short
>> films) I asked an argentinian director what she thought I should
>> do if I wanted to make a living off film. She told me "study
>> philosophy, aquire world knowledge and simply make whatever you
>> can". I've followed her advice to the best of my ability, but now,
>> being eighteen, I have to begin that process (which you're all
>> probably familiar with) of stepping into the "real world" and
>> making my own life decisions. Sure, I'm scared of stepping in the
>> wrong direction, and it's with this in mind
>> that I find taking in advise from wherever I can to be a
>> reasonable enough idea. Of course, you don't have to waste your
>> time responding either, but I hold the hope that somene might like
>> to share their experience or thoughts.
>>
>> So, what I mean to ask is simply this: how do you study film so
>> that you can live off it (like some of you do) and still maintain
>> your identity creating film-universes that you can be proud of?
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