Beginner Indie Filmmaker in Need of Advice

Hey guys, I aspire to be a film director in the future and feel as if I have many ideas and am informed enough to do well in that field, but I have no idea how to start. I'm still in high school but I really love films and am very interested in creating them. I have started writing a screenplay for a film called "Wonder", which I will not talk about here to avoid creating duplicate posts, which I feel could be a great movie if I can get the right experience and equipment. That's where you guys come in. Any advice you could possibly give me on starting this project would be hugely appreciated. Thanks a ton in advance.

-Dexter Reid

dexterreid123 said:

Hey guys, I aspire to be a film director in the future and feel as if I have many ideas and am informed enough to do well in that field, but I have no idea how to start.

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If you were truly "informed enough to do well" you would know precisely where to start.

You start at the beginning.

Start with a story outline. Build character biographies. Write the story. Write the script. Rewrite. Rewrite. Rewrite. Rewrite. Rewrite. Rewrite. Take some time off. Rewrite. Rewrite.

Go work on indie film sets - be a gopher, PA, whatever job you can get. Be an extra - it's not as easy as you think. It is a most amazing learning experience and will teach you a lot if you want to be a director.

Read some filmmaking, acting, and screenwriting books. There are many youtube shows like "Film Riot", "Indy Mogul", and "The Basic Filmmaker" that have tutorials on filmmaking, and guide you through the process of making a movie. Work on film sets, and watch behind the scenes videos on movies.

If you could, be more specific. Do you want advice on screenplay writing, storyboarding, script breakdowns, or what?

Nice profile picture
One of my favorite movies.