The pasts of Indie Filmmakers

Defjon

Defjon

I'm pretty sure that most of the people on this forum are in the business.
And I'm pretty sure that some of you have attended a film school.

I'm curious to know some of your academic pasts. Like how you did in your high school years, and colleges you went to and film schools.

And if you do any jobs on the side of film.

Question might sound strange, but I was just wondering how things went for many of you guys.

As for myself, I'm currently a Jr in high school. B average student.
I have no clue what I want to do after I graduate.

Reading some of your stories might shed some light on the possibilities.

:cool:

(And if you are still a student yourself, what are your plans?)
 
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I'd go for that business degree guys. You'll be able to run circles around film grads once you've got it, in terms of getting movies produced. By the time you've got some movies produced, you'll outgun them on experience as well.

Their films will get film festival awards for paying subtle tributes to Bergman, yours will get produced and pay you royalties. You can ponder existentialism once you're rich. That's what I'd tell a 16 year old Nate North.

Oh yeah, my past history. I got a Music Theory degree, it helps, but more with women than film.
 
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Mine is a story of a college dropout who moved to a different city, went from homeless to webdesigner in 3 months, eventually quit that job while making ambient/noise/abstract music, got a crappy retail job that I worked for 9 years (branching out and exploring lots of different music, from traditional folk to electronica) and eventually, the store closed. The time was done for independant office supply stores. At that point, I decided film music is the road I needed to walk down, eventually got a receptionist job, which pays fairly well, but is strictly 9-5.

If I could go back, I'd also have taken some business classes. And maybe some formal music instruction rather than this 100% DIY nonsense ;) As Nate mentioned, that sort of thing can help...well, with parts of your life anyway...
 
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First, I'm old...

Graduated high school and went to college as a pre-law major, flunked out.

Bounced around the country for a few years working here and there, factories, etc...

Went back to college made dean's list every semester. Got a degree in International Relations with minors in math and computer science.

Knocked up my girlfriend and got married.

When Y2K was about to hit they would give anybody who had ever seen a line of computer code a job. Got a job in IT. Turns out, I was really good at it.

Got divorced, got custody of my son.

I had always been a huge movie fan. Met Lloyd Kaufman, we became friends (talk to him fairly regularly) who inspired me to get off my ass and make a movie.

Made my first film an H.P. Lovecraft adaptation. For a first film, it wasn't too bad.

Made my second film, a "last man on earth" story. It was actually pretty good, won some festival awards.

In post on my 3rd short now. Next is finding the money for a feature.
 
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got expelled from highschool then moved to florida then worked in porn (srs) in production as grip and lighting again (srs) stepped up one day and got a shot with some friends and shot one (srs) which got nominated at avn awards then made another in the series and a few indies. then left that field went to college for graphic design dropped it after 3 monthes landed a job at an advertising firm as head of art department ( been doing graphic design as a hobbie years before) did that for 2 years then started an marketing firm with friends did that for 2 years opend a club did that for a year decided to go back to school went to film school dropped it after 3 monthes wasnt learning anything i didnt already know and was getting paying gigs from the second week now i have a production company and been shooting ever since paid shooting mostly music videos and commercials so far and im 28 :) everyone has a different route what works for some wont work for others.
 
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I haven't got much of a past really.
16 (17 in about a month ^^) and in what I believe American's call high school. I'm studying Math, Drama and History. I wound up picking Physics for a few months but had no interest in it, and it was actually when I began to discover how strong my passion for film was. So, next year, if the school allows it I can study Media along with my other two subjects (I'd drop Math)
Right now I'm writing scripts and in the process of finalizing the cast of a TV pilot written by a friend that we'll shoot over summer, which I can't wait for as it'll be my first experience on a set or anything like that.
Oh, and this time next year I'm planning on studying Film Production at university. Just need to figure out where to go for it :)
 
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Well I am 25 soon to be 26.
Graduated High School with mostly good grades.(senior year I gave up)
I went to college to try and get a degree in Geology. After 2-3 years I had become fed up with the program and did not know what I wanted to do with my life. I had always had an obsession with movies (godzilla movies mostly) and I had taken a couple film studies classes. I had gotten an email that Ohio State had just introduced a Film Studies Major to the curriculum and I had decided I would like to switch majors to that. However stress from work,school, and family had broken me down so I had dropped out of college for 3 years. During Spring quarter of 2010 I returned and finished my degree and graduated in March of 2011. The film production classes on editing/filming/screenwriting were the most fun I had had in college and they felt like something I could actually do for a living. So here I am trying to get started in a film making career not knowing where I am gonna go from this point on.
 
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Born and raised in Bakersfield, CA until about the age of 20. Always been more into writing while in high school, not caring too much about the standard high school classes rounding out with a C average. Apart from the typical "backyard with a video camera" type films, I never did much filming. If my means matched my source material, I might've done something with my stuff (space operas and high fantasy is a bit hard to film on a $10 a week allowance).

After high school I couldn't get into any decent university or state college that offered a film program (read the C average remark) so I stayed in my hometown and took two years to progressively flunk out of my community college, get laid off from my job at a CD store (damn iTunes...), and watch my two year relationship with my girlfriend fall apart due to her schizophrenia (really). All while I was writing more down to earth scripts that I could film, but could get no one interested.

After those hellish two years, I got fed up with Bakersfield and moved as far away from there as possible: New Hampshire :yes:. After a year or so working and taking more community college classes (deans list this time around) I enrolled at Keene State College for the simple reason of it being the only decent film school in NH. Now I'm actually filming some of the stuff I wrote and writing much more.

With two completed shorts, a music video, another short in the works (on 16mm to boot), three completed features scripts, and a host of other unfinished ones, I'm moving up in the film world and can't wait to see the next 23 years in life.
 
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The details of my life are quite inconsequential ... Very well, where do I begin? My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low-grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a 15-year-old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize; he would drink. He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes, he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. The sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament ... My childhood was typical: summers in Rangoon ... luge lessons ... In the spring, we'd make meat helmets ... When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds — pretty standard, really. At the age of 12, I received my first scribe. At the age of 14, a Zoroastrian named Vilmer ritualistically shaved my testicles. There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum — it's breathtaking ... I suggest you try it.


OK seriously..Im self taught still quite the beginner got lots to learn. I studied art on my own, got a digicam so I could sell stuff on ebay. I figured, heck, Im single and I prolly could get some hot, cute gurlies to pose for me like in Victoria's Secret or Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue so I played photographer for a while. One day I read something about a low budget movie and figured out that heck filmmakers just shoot 24 frames a second, I have some photographic skills...so... Here I am
 
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Hey man I am a junior in highschool too! I am still deciding between going to film school here in Louisiana or going to California or New York. A lot of films have been made here in the real LA lately because of our low tax incentives. But I also don't know if I want to go to college at all. I may have to opportunity to go straight to working on a film set and so I am not sure what to do. I am a straight A student in advanced placement classes so it's not like i COULDN'T do college. Lastly, in the back of my mind, I feel like I should get a major in something like computer engineering and a minor in film. That way I can always have something to fall back on in case film fails me. The rumor I keep hearing though is that when it comes to film, it is not about the degree you have but rather experience. It makes total sense and so that is where I am stuck.. Any help from you film gurus would be awesome! thanks!
 
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IndieBudget said:
OK seriously..Im self taught still quite the beginner got lots to learn. I studied art on my own, got a digicam so I could sell stuff on ebay. I figured, heck, Im single and I prolly could get some hot, cute gurlies to pose for me like in Victoria's Secret or Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue so I played photographer for a while. One day I read something about a low budget movie and figured out that heck filmmakers just shoot 24 frames a second, I have some photographic skills...so... Here I am
Click to expand...

You have my vote for: Most Honest Answer.:)
 
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Took a video class in high school. Took a Super-8 class in community college; did not graduate and lived in Europe for a while. Came back to USA. Worked at a local video art space and taught analog editing to clients. Taught myself screenwriting. Won a local screenwriting contest. Ran an early screenwriting website for a while, and authored numerous how-to articles. Wrote a feature romantic comedy script for a friend, who shot it in 35mm, and it got a DVD distribution deal. Was a film journalist and reviewer for 7 years. Taught myself FCP, and became a freelance editor of web videos back when few people were doing it. Got a job editing porn for a company that makes hardcore BDSM vids; later shot and edited short docs for them about the company. Now I'm an indie filmmaker/screenwriter making my own stuff and pitching projects to Hollywood production companies and studios.

A few other things happened in the meantime, but that's my very basic CV. My production company name makes more sense now, yes?
 
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