Future = scary. Freaking out!!!

I'm going to university this year to study Film and TV Production, as well as aiming to attend MET Film School (for an MA after uni) and I'm worried (so is my mother) that I won't be able to get a job after university. I want to be a director and a writer; I don't think I could stand to live a monotonous office-style boring life (no offence is meant if anyone is offended).

But I'm not from like London where there are TV and movie studios and the university I've chosen has a lot of partnerships (sony, warner bros, the army and BBC, etc) and a lot of people manage to get jobs through the uni in BBC and a few small production companies (I think. I can't remember what was said on the open day). I know to be a director I'll have to work my way up and do voluntary work- I'm not Peter Jackson but being a script writing just means writing a good script...

Although a friend said differently, she said this: 'You won't need to prove you can write a good screenplay. You'll need to prove you can take a book like Twilight and make it compatible for screenplays. You'll need to prove you can conform to a certain style of comedy or dialogue that a producer is looking for. Then along the way, you write good original scripts on the side.'

Just wondering if anyone had any advice or information to stop me from having a freak out?
I'm willing to work hard and travel - just getting the money to actually do that would be a problem! I could get experience being a runner or something at my theatre (Hull Truck) as well but it's theatre - I mean, it might help! Anyone know if it would? I know quite a few of the directors and I've worked with them before when they put a few of my plays on as well as the Creative Associate for Young People there who is my writing teacher.

The uni (if I can get there; got to get 280 and I'm studying Literature and Psychology - so much to remember with a bad memory. I will do it even if it kills me but I've also done an EPQ as well and that's worth have an A-Level) has good facilities - Lincoln University - at least, that's what it seemed like to me when I went but the only actual studios I've seen in person are the facilities at Leeds MET, York St. John and Lincoln uni.

Another thing is majority of my knowledge comes from reading art of books and listening to film commentaries' and the Maximum Movie Mode of Sucker Punch, HP7p1 and Sherlock Holmes 2 as well as the behind the scenes of stuff. They're interesting and they show how things are done but they generally have big budgets; HP7p1 - definitely! I think one technique that I would love to try out would be the mirror scene in Sucker Punch - it looks so cool and head-ache-y! But probably cost a lot to get all of the equipment to do it though. That's just examples though.

I know a lot of people make short films when they're at uni... You think it would be possible to make a full length film if people are willing?

I'm doubting that I'll be able to do it because my mother isn't happy with my choice and think I'll account to nothing because I want to do the creative jobs, not the practical day-to-day boredom-fest that everyone else seems to do.

A friend told me to enter screenwriting competitions but right now, I don't exactly have the money to.

:blush:
 
A couple thoughts...

One - relax. You're so early in all of this that it's too early to be worrying this much about it. Plenty of people get jobs in the industry, and if that's what you really want it's entirely possible to do regardless of your current circumstances. Focus on that as a goal, and do anything you can that gets you a step closer to that goal.

I know a lot of people make short films when they're at uni... You think it would be possible to make a full length film if people are willing?

Sure it's possible. Personally I'd say you're better off making 18 five-minute shorts while in school than one 90-minute feature.

I'm doubting that I'll be able to do it because my mother isn't happy with my choice and think I'll account to nothing because I want to do the creative jobs, not the practical day-to-day boredom-fest that everyone else seems to do.

Here's the thing no one really tells you about that... all the "creative jobs" involve quite a bit of practical day-to-day boredom-fest as well. Hopefully the difference is the practical boring stuff is in pursuit of something you actually care about in the end - but that doesn't actually make it any less practical or boring. It just makes it slightly more bearable.
 
Met is (according to University rankings) one of the worst Universities in the country. However, I knew five people on the Met film course who graduated 2 years ago and they are all now professionals. The DoP is fan-f@cking-tastic, there is a talented editor, a producer and there is a crazy director who helped inspire me to do more.

However, they got there because they wanted to do what they wanted to do. The DoP and editor are the ones I know best and the DoP is incredibly talented, hated Met but used his time there to develop skills. The editor - he used his time there to do some editing.

So I knew 5 guys there and four of them became pro although it took them a couple of years after Uni.

Chill, just do the course, come out and do some free internships.

And most importantly write me a nice short I can shoot! ;)
 
If you seriously plan on making a feature length film whilst at University I'd highly doubt you will make it happen. With all of your course content you'd probably rarely find any time to complete this, as well as trying to make it work out with schedules of crew and cast members you need.

As for how you feel about this 'I want to do the creative jobs, not the practical day-to-day boredom-fest that everyone else seems to do.' - If you are honestly interested about screenwriting then that is many, many, many hours sat down researching and preparing to write your script, and finally taking the time to execute it correctly. Good screenplays don't get written in days, it takes months to perfect your work (sometimes even longer). There will be many hours of just sat down not doing the creative jobs that happen during production.

And as for being a director you're heavily involved in the pre-production process, which again involves a lot of paperwork.

Unless I have got your stance wrong in which case I apologize. Nothing in the industry will come along easily, and it's not just the creative jobs you get along the way which will get you to the top. I don't speak from the greatest experience, but it's logical.
 
Met is (according to University rankings) one of the worst Universities in the country. However, I knew five people on the Met film course who graduated 2 years ago and they are all now professionals. The DoP is fan-f@cking-tastic, there is a talented editor, a producer and there is a crazy director who helped inspire me to do more.

However, they got there because they wanted to do what they wanted to do. The DoP and editor are the ones I know best and the DoP is incredibly talented, hated Met but used his time there to develop skills. The editor - he used his time there to do some editing.

So I knew 5 guys there and four of them became pro although it took them a couple of years after Uni.

Chill, just do the course, come out and do some free internships.

And most importantly write me a nice short I can shoot! ;)

Is that The Met Film School your talking about? www.metfilmschool.co.uk
It sounds like you've described London Metropolitan University :P
 
Bookworm, if you have the talent and if you're willing to do whatever it takes to make it, then you'll have a fairly good chance to make it.

If you're the kind of person that gets advice and find yourself thinking "I'm not willing to do that" then you may want to find yourself a less competitive industry to work in.

This industry doesn't go well with people who aren't willing to put in the work. It rewards those who go beyond the call of duty and do whatever it takes to achieves the results.
 
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