How should I try to get my foot in the door?

To whom this may concern,

My name is Alfredo Arcilesi; aspiring filmmaker and screenwriter. I am inquiring as to how I can become part of the filmmaking scene aside from making my own independent films.

I am located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and if anyone has any information as to who I could contact in order to affiliate myself with miscellaneous film aspects, please leave a reply.

P.S. This message is meant to be broad, as any replies are accepted.

Thank you for your time.
 
filmmaking

you had better make a few shorts to demonstrate your abilities as a filmmaker. Submitting them to film festivals are the best way to gain notoriety in the buis.
You cant just sign an admissions form and automaticly be a filmmaker or writer.
You need to sell yourself
You could post your script and find a producer that wants to create a film with it, that helps 2 or even find an agent.
 
You have to do something

Like malinusmaximus said, you have to do something. I'd recommend doing a couple of shorts and in addition to sending them to festivals, send them to agents. Or, if writing's more your thing, submit a script or treatment to Script Shark (it'll cost about $150), and try to tempt an agent that way.

Now, I don't know if either of these will work, because I haven't tried it. I want to be an indie, though. It sounds to me like you want to be part of Hollywood. I've heard all different sorts of things people did to get jobs, from sneaking onto a lot and pretending to do work (Steven Speilberg) to directing a no budget movie in Mexico (Robert Rodriguez) to giving out massive ammounts of sexual favors (Julia Roberts). I kid, I kid. I don't think there is one sure answer.

Poke
 
h

Thanks for both of the responses. See, I'm going to university to study film & video...do you think that that's a good move...I mean, get a degree and film and still not be guaranteed anything (even though nothing is guaranteed)?
 
I think it depends on which school you are planning on going to and what you goals are. I think that film school is paying for contacts. Which is not a bad think in itself, but you need to weigh the benefit versus the cost. For instance, if you want to be a Hollywood producer and are thinking about Full Sail, then it’s probably not worth the money. However USC’s Peter Stark program will guarantee that you rub elbows with the power players. If you want to AD, go to the DGA school because it will teach you the specific skills you need to do that job. If you want to have a well-rounded knowledge and meet some other people who will struggle in independent film, go to a small school or intern someplace. I don’t think anyone can say yes or no to this. It really depends on what and who you know already, and if you think that spending thousands of dollars and years of your life will get you significantly closer to your goal. Personally, I’m saving up for an MFA from USC because I have an undergrad that is a good fallback, but what can you do with a film BA?
 
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