@Gwendollynne Van Jules – That’s a difficult question to give a clear answer to, however, I’ll try anyway.
I’ve done no formal surveys, but I’m willing to bet that the majority of people moving to LA throughout any given year are looking to act or direct. That’s not a fact that should discourage you, quite the opposite. I’ll come back to that.
You’ll only become a director if you direct films. It’s as simple as that. I was recently told a story, which I’ll leave the names out of to protect the innocent, about a certain big-time director and an interaction he had with a production assistant who had been in LA for all of a week. The production assistant was working on this large scale set, but was lucky enough to end up near the action. Between set-ups, the director was just killing time, talking to the crew, etc.. He at one point approaches the production assistant and the conversation goes like this.
D: “So, what do you want to do?”
PA: “Well, I’d like to direct actually, but I know I have to work my way up from the bottom.”
D: “Really? Hmmm.”
There’s a brief pause.
D: “You see that other PA over there?”
PA: “Yeah.”
D: “You know what she’s doing? She’s guarding an alley. You think she’s going to be a director any time soon?”
PA: “Definitely not.”
D: “When you leave here today, don’t come back. Get out there and start directing.”
PA: “Thanks.”
What the director may not have taken into account was a desire to learn the going ons of a bigger set and the way filmmaking “should” be done. But he’s mostly right. If you want to direct, direct. If you want to produce, produce. If you want to write, write. The more you do what you want to do, the better your shot of ending up there professionally.
Now back to my other point. The fact that there are literally thousands of directors, actors, etc. out in L.A. is just as much an advantage as a disadvantage. They’re all hungry for work, desperate to make it, praying they’ll be able to pay their bills with their dreams. Use that! You have a massive resource available in L.A. with which you can make nearly any short film you want. Fellow filmmakers looking to get started are willing to work for free or at a steep discount on a worthwhile passion project, especially when you’re willing to do the same. Of course you should pay people as soon as you can, but until then, band together with the ones willing to make projects because they know that’s the only way they are going anywhere.
Just realized I’m a bit off-topic.
So do you have to move to L.A.? No. If you can put together a top notch crew with solid gear in your current city, start there. Run through the festival circuit (wisely), create pitches that you can take to places like AFM and other (legit) pitch fests.
Will it be harder to do it wherever you are? If it’s not New York, yes. If it’s Chicago, maybe. There’s probably a few other maybes, but I’ll leave it at that.
Take Care,
Chris
http://notomorrowthemovie.blogspot.com/
