Should I move without telling my family and girlfriend until after?

[ironpony]

Oh well I don't really have a script that is close to The Blair Witch Project. Plus I though the found footage horror movie is been done to death since then.

[schlumpy]

But everyone says it's a bad idea, and I should move to where movies are being made and start out in different positions instead.

 

What kind of positions are you thinking about? Would you take it on as a full time job or an internship?

[ironpony]

Well, I've done boom operating, for audio in filmmaking where I am so far, so I could do that or editing, since those are my most experienced positions so far.

[d0nnivain]

You need to do a pros & cons assessment of both options. Frankly, I think you are just wishing & don't have a plan. Until you have a plan you will fail at both: living on your own & getting your movie made.

 

Have you applied for jobs in the industry in Vancouver? Perhaps if you do that & have a good job waiting for you, then it will be easier to move. In my early 20s I wanted to move to LA from the NY metro area so I send out hundreds of interviews & made arrangements to be in LA for 2 weeks at a time every few months for interviews. I never did get a job so I stayed on the east coast but I suppose if I tried harder I could have made it work.

 

Make some budgets & set up a series of action steps for both moving & getting this film made. You can achieve any goal as long as you have a solid plan. Right now all you have are pipe dreams. Other than talking to us you aren't doing anything to prepare yourself for success.

 

Learn about S.M.A.R.T. goals. Set up time lines. Figure out your script & shooting costs.

 

Have you been reading books or taking classes about movie making & entrepreneurship in general? If not, why not?

[alphamale]

that's great advice d0nnivian, like always

[ironpony]

Well it's hard to come up with a solid plan cause I feel I could use others advice on it. But no one else wants to give advice, just talk me out of it.

[alphamale]

But no one else wants to give advice, just talk me out of it.

 

our advice IS to talk you out of it

 

we all just want the best for you ironpony

[ironpony]

But that's just it though. My parents now want to seize control of money cause they think I've gone crazy, and want to stop me from spending it on now, and making a mistake possibly.

[basil67]

The first part of your plan is to conquer living out of home in an area where you have a good support network (near family and girlfriend - and perhaps with a flatmate). When you are doing this successfully and with minimal support, then it will be time to consider moving far away.

 

You need to walk before you can run

[ironpony]

Oh okay. Well I actually think instead of moving to Vancouver to try to get noticed that I probably have a better chance of making my own feature film and trying to market it and break in that way. I talked about it here on a previous thread:

 

https://www.loveshack.org/forums/mind-body-soul/self-improvement-personal-well-being/658583-should-i-listen-other-people-when-they-say-don-t-direct-my-first-feature-film

 

But people tell me it's a bad idea and that I should try to get in a different way without spending so much money. But it seems that making a movie costs money and so does living in Vancouver, so I don't know what to do.

[alphamale]

But it seems that making a movie costs money and so does living in Vancouver, so I don't know what to do.

 

did you go to art school for film making? if no you should think about. a BFA in directing couldn't hurt

[Maddieandtae]

Maddieandtae, when I was there earlier this year, I noticed a much smaller homeless population than US cities of similar size, climate and demographics.

 

How do they do it?

 

Mr. Lucky

 

Mr Lucky did you happen to go near Hastings Street? There is a very large population of homeless people...it's heartbreaking and also the homeless population has extended out to various subarbs. Lots of tent cities popping up in places I never expected to see. People need safe and affordable housing and there is very limited options unfortunately:(

[Maddieandtae]

Yeah other filmmakers I know who live there, a couple of them, say to just rent places outside the city in the outer areas, cause the rent is a lot cheaper, but it doesn't look like much to me, I am not seeing what they are talking about.

 

Ironpony they might be talking about Maple Ridge or even Mission. Living in either of these places would be a long ways from the Vancouver downtown core. It's doable but you would be caught in commuting hell!

[basil67]

But people tell me it's a bad idea and that I should try to get in a different way without spending so much money. But it seems that making a movie costs money and so does living in Vancouver, so I don't know what to do.

 

They require different types of money: Living in an expensive city requires a well paying job to keep a roof over your head. Whereas making a movie requires an eye watering amount of money up front - either sought from investors or self funded.

[ironpony]

Well I just feel like everyone I know, is trying to talk me out of it, so it's hard to come up with a solid plan without any type of feedback or support from anyone.

[elaine567]

My worry for you is that no-one you know seems to want to back you in this film making idea. Have you any talent/skills/education in this area?

 

How many short films have you made and what was the response from those who viewed them?

Has anyone who really knows what they are talking about been impressed?

[ironpony]

I've worked under other filmmakers so far to gain experience and I made a few shorts. They weren't well received, accept for the last one, I put out a few weeks ago, which was received much more positively.

 

But I was told that this is normal and that even writers for example, are rejected several times, till they finally find someone willing to publish their work.

 

Or other filmmakers I worked under were always told they were no good at it, but they still had to make the feature and try to get distribution in hopes of proving otherwise.

[schlumpy]

Is YouTube not an option or outlet for your films? It seems ideal. I watch many very good short videos on that platform as well as musicians and you could do that right where you are.

[alphamale]

Is YouTube not an option or outlet for your films? It seems ideal. I watch many very good short videos on that platform as well as musicians and you could do that right where you are.

 

good idea schlumpy

[ironpony]

Yeah I have my short films on youtube so far.

[preraph]

Are you still living with your parents? If so, first step is to just move out. Where to is your decision. You have to stop letting them be such a big influence.

 

If you haven't already moved out, move out and don't give them a key. See how that goes. If you are already out and still getting stifled by them, sure, move away. You can do whatever you want. Just be sure you can afford it. And also, remember that if you are moving from one country to the next, you can't just move. All countries except a few third-world ones have immigration laws and won't let you stay longer than a certain period of time, and Canada is no exception. They actually enforce their immigration laws.

[ironpony]

Yeah okay I can move out and try that out. I think I have decided that it's better to just make the feature film and try to market it rather than moving but they are going to keep trying to talk me out of it. How should I handle that?

[d0nnivain]

Well it's hard to come up with a solid plan cause I feel I could use others advice on it. But no one else wants to give advice, just talk me out of it.

 

My parents now want to seize control of money cause they think I've gone crazy, and want to stop me from spending it on now, and making a mistake possibly.

 

Yeah okay I can move out and try that out. I think I have decided that it's better to just make the feature film and try to market it rather than moving but they are going to keep trying to talk me out of it. How should I handle that?

 

Nobody is trying to talk you out of it. Everyone is trying to talk some sense into you.

 

You need a BUDGET. You can't do anything until you have a script & some plan to fund your film. Once you start treating this like a business & deal with dollars & cents people will take you more seriously & you will get more support. Seriously what are your action steps to make this a reality?

 

Have you spoken to the other directors & professionals you have worked with to get their advice?

 

Have you read any books about movie making & the business side?

 

Have you done as alphamale suggested & looked into getting your BFA?

[elaine567]

You need to be actually good at making films in the first place, you need to know how the industry works and you need to have access to the "gatekeepers" ie the people who will say yea or nay to funding and distributing your films.

 

It is a high stakes dog eat dog business. Unless you just happen to be a genius here and extremely lucky, then it could end up in failure no matter how much work you put into it.

Like most things, it is who you know rather than what you know.

Who do you know?

[alphamale]

Like most things, it is who you know rather than what you know.

 

actually it's both elaine567