I want to become a movie-director when I get older. What do I need to know, and what schools should I go to to become one? And are there any particular skills that come in handy when you're in the movie business?
210781
Go to a school which offers a B.F.A. in directing.  That's a Bachelor's of Fine Arts and it's very different from a B.A.  You'll get more hands-on-experience with a BFA.  FSU is a pretty good school to look at.  Start reading books now about making movies and making it in Hollywood.  Skills: determination!
632147
I am 51 years old and I decided to go back to school and get a business degree in Entrepreneurship because I am older and feel that opportunities for us are limited.\n\nBut you can still work at hotels, and work up in higher positions.  I currently work at a hotel and plan on applying for jobs within the hotel after I get my degree, and the big plus is that they are paying for my education.\n\nValet jobs, drivers...school bus or city bus, parking meter readers, any city position.\n\nCasino's as dealers\nWaiters in banquets\n\nDon't give up...it is attitude more than anything.  Use your network of people that you know...they are a very good source of information.\n\nWhat type of work were you doing before?
393283
I think success depends on planning. If you can plan for a good future and then follow those plans you should be successful. You have to set goals for yourself and push yourself to reach beyond that. If you are content with being where you are all the time you'll never be successful! You need to work hard and not skimp out on things like education. You can always go to college but when you are in your 30's it's harder because you have a lot more respondsibilities than when your just out of high school.
327850
My friend, here's the thing about Career Planning.\n\nNobody can tell you what your career path will be, but what expert people can do is give you a compass so that you know WHEN you stray from your heart's desire or the world's need.\n\nThe framework or compass that I give people in my career management workshops is one that focuses their attention on basically four key dimensions of a good, fulfilling and rewarding career:\n\nTALENT\nWORLD'S NEED\nPASSION\nMEANING\n\nThese refer, respectively, to your head, your body (you have to make a living and get paid to feed and clothe your body), your heart and your soul.\n\nThe first thing to do is to determine what you are good at: that is, find your talent. Sometimes it takes a while to discover your unique talent. Just pay attention to what people say about you, especially the compliments they make.\n\nNext you have to develop your talent in a way that serves a real need in the world. \n\nThink about the theatrical talents of Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II. They both used their acting talent by playing an important role in the world, at the time they were needed as leaders.\n\nOver time you will also realize that you want to do something that is meaningful to you at the personal level. You want to do something that contributes to a better world, something that is aligned with your values. This is about wanting to make a difference. We all want to make a difference.\n\nAnd of course throughout your career and in fact throughout every single day, you want to do something that makes you feel alive (and kicking!).\n\nWhen older people give you advice, you can easily place their advice along one of these four key axes. Therefore, nobody's advice will be complete.\n\nSome will tell you to go "where the money is." Others will tell you to follow your heart. Yet other people will suggest you do something that makes a difference.\n\nBut in the end, it is up to you to consider each piece of advice given the global picture of a good career, which includes all four elements (in varying degrees, of course).\n\nGood luck!
498600
I would want to work bet or mtv. I have alwayed wanted to be a music video director, but for some reason I don't think I will end up doing it. I basically just want to be around the starz!!  Having a job with bet or mtv open a lot of doors for oppotunities.
184167
The average won't really help you as most distribution deals are made with national theatre chains. That said, studio pictures tend to split the box office 70/30 (70% distributor, 30% exhibitor) while major event pictures (like Star Wars Ep. III) keeping up in the low to mid eighties. Independent Films have significantly less leverage and end up with closer to 50/50 deals with the exhibitors. Exhibitors get even bigger cuts on revived classics where they just pay a flat fee (say $500) to show cult classics (usually at midnight) and then keep the box office.\n\nExhibitors keep 100% of concessions.\n\nThe Theatre business is a horrible business to be getting into at this point though. The transition to home entertainment is forcing theatres out of business. The big boys have it down to a super-efficient science that it is nearly impossible for a single house to compete.\n\nIf you are going into the business you will definitely need some kind of a super-sweet gimmick, like "Tarantino personally curates all movies" or something like that. That or a liquor license.\n\nEmail me if you want more info.
148264
I watched "Lord of War" last night.  Weapons dealer looks interesting.\n\nWay too many people are into compute things and wages have been falling for years. Stay away from it.\n\nGeriatric medicine/care is good if you don't mind old people. \n\nBiotech is the next career gold rush. Probably not too late.
323821
i'm with irishtxn... anybody's life can be made hollywood material with the right dialogue & directing! :)\n\ni've definitely been thru enough shit to make one helluva blockbuster.... but a sad one. molestation, rape, broken dreams, abortion, poverty during childhood, being treated unfairly as the youngest sibling... the works :)\n\nbut i never thought of SHOOTING myself (or had somebody try to kill me like that)...??? Bless u man.
185696
I would suggest to take a bachelor degree in film production or film compared to traineeship/TAFE. This will make sure that you understand the whole process and the chances of not only become a lighting/sound person but also become the boss/manager of the set.
233816
It's best to get some experience first.  An agent won't take you on if you're an unknown quantity.  \n\nTake some acting classes.  If you're interested in film/TV, take classes geared toward that.  Do some community theatre, volunteer to be in student films at your local college.  (Ask for a copy of the tape as payment.)  \n\nGet some nice headshots done.  It's good to have the picture printed on postcards, so when you're in a production you can use them to send out announcements to agents/casting directors.  Sometimes they come to showcases.  \n\nAudition for everything.  You'll learn something new every time, and you'll be come a familiar face.  \n\nOnce you have some credits to put on a resume and some experience under your belt, start applying to agencies.  You may get a "Sorry, we have enough of your type/age/experience now."  Don't badger them, but re-apply in six months.  \n\nKeep studying, keep working on the craft, and be a cooperative actor.  Word of mouth is a powerful factor, and if you get a reputation as difficult, it won't matter how good you are.  \n\nBreak a leg!
211746
I'm 44 and my life is just beginning.  In writing, in sports, in business.  You come from a great era so go do it, man, go do it!!!   Don't ask these people if you're too old.  Six feet under is too old and not one second before.
38087
A good friend of mine recently became a movie star.  She seems to talk to a lot more movie stars now that she's in the biz.  Maybe you should become a movie star, too!!!
249822
I think you should waste your money on film school. It's better than wasting your money on time and film and it being really bad because you made the assumption that you know it all, already.
644828
Good.  Passion is the first ingredient.  Writing scripts (and getting them sold) is a tough, tough job.  Thinking of plots is the easy part.  To actually get 90-120 pages of plot, characters and dialogue is alot more work that it might appear.\n\nGo to a bookstore.  Under writing, you'll find plenty of books that will help you get started.  \n\nFigure out what type of genre you're interested in.  A comedy is written for laughs; a supernatural thriller needs jumps.  A thriller is formed with tight pacing.  \n\nAll scripts require careful use of dialogue and action.  A book has room for flowery descriptions and flowing text.  In a script, every word counts.  In a script it's not the "Bob was aging poorly, ruddy with wisps of thin hair barely covering his shiny head, a bloated waist, rumpled plaid shirt and buttons missing" but rather "BOB, 42, bald, bloated as a blowfish." \n\nFind some of your favorite scripts on-line.  Read them for structure.  No matter the genre, successful scripts follow a formula.  They're original but not too far off the path.  (That will get you an art film that no one watches.)  Try a site like simplyscripts.com or script-o-rama.com. \n\nUCLA on-line has many classes.  If you're the type of person who needs a coach, they'll help.  If your self-directed, you can teach yourself... if you have talent.\n\nConsider getting a writing partner.  Although it's a relationship that will require compromise, a partner who balances your strengths and weaknesses (maybe one is good with dialogue/the other with plots) will take you a long way.\n\nLearn to network.  Succeeding as a screen writer is a political game that requires much more than raw talent.  Hollywood is based on quid-pro-quo trades.  You'll need friends whereever you can find them.\n\nIf you can afford to get an entry level job, they're out there to be found.  They don't pay much.  Start somewhere like variety.com and branch out your search from there.  You're a finance professional... you might be able to make a lateral move into an industry related office.  From that vantage you can start your venture.\n\nYour first script will probably not be nearly as good as you think it is.  Get feedback from credible readers.  (Don't give a romance script to a mystery person.  You'll get feedback that's really not that helpful.)  Be prepared for people to say you suck.  Be prepared to rewrite every single word you wrote.\n\nDon't, don't quit a day job.  Succeeding will take longer than you ever imagine and writing to eat is a desperate feeling that rarely results in success.
593670
I am 41 and just graduated from community college with honors as well, a 3.9 GPA.  I am transferring to a 4-year college in Fall 06 to get my BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) in Communication Design.  I think the older you are the more you know what you want to do and will be more serious about it.  When you're young, you don't know where you're headed or what you want to do (not typically anyway).  I've enjoyed it a lot more this time around.  You're only as old as you feel!!
559061
Go to school and keeplearning, and find a good intership. work from  your experiences.  I am currently an animator and Lab Tech at Pratt Art school, I concentrate in graphics packages for brodcast. I work primarily with After Effects.
243839
This is a very tough industry. Over here (USA) you need to take voice-over acting classes.  Most liberal arts school offer this. I know ADV does there own in house dubbing for most of there stuff.  You could probably get in contact with them. Im sure they are looking for new talent. But voice-over classes is a must (in the usa anyway) unless you start your own anime.  Other anime mass producing companies you could probably contact :  Anime-works  MANGA\nADV started as a group of people buying laserdiscs and subtittling them in a living room in texas somewhere for fun. Now look at them.