Move to LA to become a filmmaker???

Ruchika.pal

Ruchika.pal

Hello...i have a few questions and didn't really know they would fit in which section of the forum....

I'm an aspiring filmmaker from India. Currently i'm working as an assistant director.

the thing is that most of my family has moved to USA... i.e. my Aunts, uncles, cousins...... now they want me to join them there and since they all live in California they said i could join a film school there and work there......

i'm very keen aswell..... but moving to an entirely different place can be life changing..... plus i dont know much about LA..... i've heard its not safe for young girls like myself..... i'm 22 btw.......

i was wondering if i go there should i join a film school..would that help?? Would an outsider like me really find any work in Hollywood???

and yes then is LA the best place to stay or i should try film schools in other parts of the country????

also all the complications related to it...please help...its a big big decision for me and i'm in such a turmoil....
 
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Does that do nothing for anyone?

EDIT: There's actually a relevant point behind this. Americans do treat LA like the only place to go to be at the centre of the US film industry but, once you're there, you're only at the centre of the US film industry. In the UK we produce a lot less films but, in London for example, there's much, much less competition for jobs than there is in LA. All you need to do is look at industry service ads to work that out. I've met a lot of Americans who have moved over to the UK for a film career and, whilst they're not thriving, none of them seemed to regret it. I would also add that whilst London is one of the most expensive cities in the world it's also incredibly densely packed. 7.5 million people living in half the space of LA which means that you can live in the outskirts of London where rent is considerably cheaper without feeling disconnected. PLUS: The public transport here is about 1000x better than in LA.

Here ends this UK Tourist Board sponsored post :D
 
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NickClapper said:
. In the UK we produce a lot less films but, in London for example, there's much, much less competition for jobs than there is in LA. All you need to do is look at industry service ads to work that out. I've met a lot of Americans who have moved over to the UK for a film career and, whilst they're not thriving, none of them seemed to regret it. [/QUOTE]

Lovely pic, but now tell us how easy/hard it is to get a work visa in the UK. :D
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When I was in LA this summer I used the underground (metro?) to get around and I got really confused. I bought my ticket got on the train, went to my destination, got off the train and walked out the station. Why did I buy a ticket??? No-one seemed to be interested in upholding that policy and everyone around there just walked through, so pretty quickly I gave up and stopped paying. I'm sure that's bad but it's hardly a difficult thing to enforce. In London we have to swipe to get on the train and swipe to get out. Also the tube in LA was so quiet and empty.

As for the working in the UK issue, we have a fairly soft immigration policy compared to other countries (like the US). Obviously it's super easy if you're coming from an EU country. But from the US it helps if you have a definable skill and/or trade (especially if you're a graduate). If you want to come over to work on a temporary visa that's a little easy and once you're here we're not terribly good at making people leave... But really I've no idea. Anyone want to give it a try and report back? ;)
 
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NickClapper said:
When I was in LA this summer I used the underground (metro?) to get around and I got really confused. I bought my ticket got on the train, went to my destination, got off the train and walked out the station. Why did I buy a ticket??? No-one seemed to be interested in upholding that policy and everyone around there just walked through, so pretty quickly I gave up and stopped paying. I'm sure that's bad but it's hardly a difficult thing to enforce.
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The subway in L.A. is very short and only one line - well, one and a
half. They do check tickets occasionally and the fine is steep - it has
always seemed odd to me that we use the honor system on the L.A.
subway. Most of the people you saw just walking through have a
monthly pass - when asked by officers to show proof of fare they show
their pass.

I know visitors from cities with a "true" undergound system are confused
and they get dinged with fines often because they did what you did.
 
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Portland has a pretty good Light Rail public transport system and also uses the honor system. There are a lot of abusers, and they occasionally threaten to crack down, but that requires paying more employees, the cost of which negates any additional revenues. Most of the funding comes from taxes anyway.

What's the bicycle culture like in L.A. (or is there one)? I salivate at the idea of being able to ride my bike year-round without being soaking wet and freezing my @$$ off. I know the distances are vast, but I can easily go 30+ miles at a stretch.
 
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Aspiring Mogul said:
What's San Francisco like?
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A lot of people have said that San Francisco is very expensive which isn't very true. $1,500 a month will cover the living basics.

You can live in a nice hotel (4.5-star Yelp rating) for $1,100 a month. That covers everything (utilities, water, WiFi). You can eat well for $400 a month (well: subway/pizza/burgers every day).

I don't consider that "extremely expensive" at all. Also, it's a 6 hour drive to LA.
 
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drc said:
You can live in a nice hotel (4.5-star Yelp rating) for $1,100 a month. That covers everything (utilities, water, WiFi). You can eat well for $400 a month (well: subway/pizza/burgers every day).

.
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A few typos here, the 4.5 star hotel will be $1100 per NIGHT, not per month, and the the $400 won't get you burgers, it'll get you Alpo.

SF is Hell expensive, but it's a great city and worth it.
 
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drc said:
You can live in a nice hotel (4.5-star Yelp rating) for $1,100 a month. That covers everything (utilities, water, WiFi).
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Do tell! What nice hotel in SF charges $275 per week? I'm
seeing hostels that charge from $119 to $210 - shared
rooms and bath.
 
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