Making films is a great way to express yourself creatively, work within a fun industry and also make a living while you’re at it. So how do you get into this industry? The answer is often much easier than people think. At a Spike Less conference in Toronto conference a couple of years ago, Mr. Lee addressed this very question from an ambitious film student. This film student stood up and asked her question about breaking into the film industry. It seemed that no matter how hard she searched for a job that nobody would hire her.

Spike Lee’s response was fantastic. He interrupted the student in the middle of her rambling about how “she can’t find opportunity” and he told her to “create opportunity”. He mentioned that today you can find video cameras for around the $500 – $800 mark. All you need at this point is access to a computer and friends who don’t mind working for the sake of “creation” and getting your name out there.

Spike Less is likely the most famous independent filmmaker out there and he used this “create your own opportunities” mentality to gain recognition for his accomplishments on a global level.

If you are looking to become a filmmaker there are certain rules you should follow in order to ensure the work you produce is commercial grade quality. Obviously this won’t happen overnight, but you should follow the following process to ensure you get your films exposure.

1. Just Create: Get out there and start making films. Cast your friends, create short movies, music videos. Just create. You’ll make a lot of mistakes along the way but this is a great way to learn. Nobody starts in this industry without making mistakes.

2. Educate Yourself: Enroll in a film school or film course. These can take anywhere from 4 years to 2 days to complete. There are a wide variety of film schools out there that will help you greatly improve your skills as a filmmaker. Read the rest of this entry »

If you have been wanting to learn filmmaking but didn’t know where to start, this article will be of some help to you. While you’ll be no Steven Spielberg after reading this article, you will however receive 7 ways to learn filmmaking and get a film education.

Attend a Film College There are a lot of film colleges to choose from and you can learn filmmaking from any one of them. So just apply yourself and get into a good school. However, if film college is too expensive right now don’t worry. There are other ways to get a film education without going to college.

There’s No Basic Filmmaking Degree Having said that, don’t expect to enroll in a college and get a “filmmaking degree” that is universally accepted. Every Film College has their own special degree. Some are geared for television, some are geared for movies or short films. Others still do not offer a degree, they simply offer a filmmaking certificate. So know what you are in for before you enroll in a Film University.

Learn Filmmaking On Your Own Many of the best directors in the business did not attend film college. Some of the greatest of all time were self taught, and you can be too. There are many film courses and filmmaking courses you can purchase for a small fee. If film school is too expensive, simply buy an online filmmaking course and start there.

Make Films on Your Own To be a successful filmmaker, you’ll need to make films. Practice making films every week or every day even. If filmmaking is your passion, then this part will be easy. It’s like a star quarterback practicing throwing the pig skin. It’s just plain fun.

Put Together a Demo Reel While you learn filmmaking, keep copies of your best work. Simply put your work on DVDs and save them. You can even store them on your computer’s hard drive. The reason you’ll want to do this is some film companies want to see your demo reel before they even talk to you. If you continue to build your reel while you learn filmmaking, odds are you’ll have hours and hours of footage to share. This will look quite impressive when you’re applying for filmmaking jobs. Read the rest of this entry »

Think about Jimmy- the kid who wants to go to film college. He has wanted to make movies since he was a young boy. His room is filled with posters of his favorite directors and producers. He has an old camera that he bought with money earned from an after school job and has shot more than a few, fairly ambitious movies on it, roping in his friends and family to play parts and help out with the “shoot.” Jimmy’s parents are worried about his future, after all, they, like so many other parents in the country, want Jimmy to earn a degree and then go on to have a career that he is going to do well in. Jimmy agrees that this is a good plan and announces that he wants to go to film college and earn his degree. It was inevitable.

Being a smart, ambitious child of the modern age, Jimmy logs onto the computer and starts investigating the many film colleges and universities that are in the local area as well as the name of a few prestigious schools that are farther away. Just like he knows that to make a film he has to plan ahead and know what is coming next, he starts looking at all of the expense that is involved in filmmaking, including the equipment, the travel to and from the school and the other associated expenses. He also starts gathering information for what he can do with a film college education; he knows his mom and dad will be asking this as well.

During his investigation, Jimmy also does some research for assistance in paying for the cost of film college, including whether or not it can qualify for grants and student loans. Because he has already made a few short films on his own, Jimmy will also try to get scholarships to several of the film schools that he has found to further assist his parents in managing the high cost of film college. He also weighs the pros and cons of doing a full film college education or simply taking film courses instead.

After finding out how much the film college will cost, Jimmy takes the information to his parents to discuss what he wants to do with his life. He shows them the full break down of the education and its costs, including the cost of travel and associated fees that he will have to come up with to get the film education that he would like to have. Read the rest of this entry »