Preperation

[dew]

Hello, I am currently 16 years old, and wish to pursue the path of a film director in the future. I know relativity little about the field, and do have a few questions. I am not planning on going to film school, but instead working on a ph.D. in the time that I would have gone to film school. My questions are as follows

1. Will my not having attended film school have a large effect on finding jobs in the start/ever?

2. What income range would I be looking at when starting out, doing what, and how long would this first phase last?

3. In the mean time, and for some time to come, I am trying to absorb as much info about films as possible by analyzing them. What specific films, directors, etc would you recommend as containing essential material worth watching, regardless of genre. Assume that I have not seen the obvious choices also.

4. Is there any specific help/tips that you would like to give to me, considering I have many years ahead of me before I start working in the field?

[Zensteve]

What are you getting a PhD in?

[dew]

Originally Posted by Zensteve

What are you getting a PhD in?

Science first of all, physics is very interesting to me so far, but there are several possibilities that I am considering. I understand that it doesn't make much sense, but I enjoy science almost on the level that I do of film.

[dlevanchuk]

How far have you gotten with you math?

The reason why I asking is because I have bachelor in physics and I ve spent about 16-18 hours A day on studying multivariable calculus, differential equations, applied physics , thermodynamics, and quantum physics theory, both level 1 and 2 for little over 2 years. Masters degree will require even more and unless you re a dedicated physicist - don't even think about studying physics on master level. M.S. requires 120% of your dedication. ph.d in physics means you re a full on SCIENTIST who works on new discoveries. It's not just "I'll sit in class go 2 years and wil get ph.d". ph.d means you have to study and run physics experiments I whatever field you want to go to (theoretical or lab) which typically takes years to achieve, unless you re extremely lucky and have a ground breaking thesis paper.

In short, You won't have any time for any filmmaking if you want to have bachelor degree in physics and also "study" film at the same time.

Both filmmaking and science require your entire dedication.



The good news is that you re very young and can experiment with both fields. Try filmmaking and study science, sure. But going for PhD with physics/chemistry AND trying to establish a career in filmmaking - italy goof to work out. Gotta choose

[DeJager]

Originally Posted by dlevanchuk

But going for PhD with physics/chemistry AND trying to establish a career in filmmaking - italy goof to work out. Gotta choose

It can be done!! It just takes more motivation & persistence. I'm just finishing up my doctorate degree (9 years worth of college) and I started pursuing my film career when I was a freshman in undergrad and have been steadily working on it since. I think it's a smart way to do it (conservatively) without going for broke in LA and living on peanuts until you get a big break. For the OP, I do not think film school is a requirement. I think persistence, practice, motivation, networking, and luck are all more important. Eventually though I think you will come to a point in your life where you decide whether or not you want to do filmmaking full time. It just depends on if you want to go from "hobbyist filmmaker" to "professional" (purely subjective, I believe).

[dlevanchuk]

Originally Posted by DeJager

It can be done!! It just takes more motivation & persistence. I'm just finishing up my doctorate degree (9 years worth of college) and I started pursuing my film career when I was a freshman in undergrad and have been steadily working on it since. I think it's a smart way to do it (conservatively) without going for broke in LA and living on peanuts until you get a big break. For the OP, I do not think film school is a requirement. I think persistence, practice, motivation, networking, and luck are all more important. Eventually though I think you will come to a point in your life where you decide whether or not you want to do filmmaking full time. It just depends on if you want to go from "hobbyist filmmaker" to "professional" (purely subjective, I believe).

That's awesome!
Well, there you go, OP! Living proof that you can do both and I was wrong.

Now, get out there, grab a camera and make a movie!