And I'm done with uni

[Ghost]

Do you actually want to be a filmmaker? If so, what end of the process? I'm in a related field and the thing is that you are in a very different field to most other careers. What counts is your work and little else but your work and, unless your student work is the most awesome student work ever made, you need to be in a hurry to replace it with even better work. You're in a competitive field but a supportive one, where people will help you out. But you have got to be so self-motivated now. If it's something you really want to do, you have got to do the work, improve asap and then offer to work on anything and everything while you're starting out. The longer you leave it, the harder it will be.

Of course if you don't really want to get into film, disregard all of the above!

I want to get into writing and directing. At the moment I'm currently writing a feature length script and the goal is to shoot a 3-5 min pilot/trailer for it to go with the script when I send it around to everyone to try and get funding to make it. The biggest problem is money, now I don't have access to the uni equipment I need to buy or rent my own equipment, then there's actors and crew I need to pay as well (even if the work for free I need to cover food and expenses). I've been given an interview for interac to teach in Japan from august-feb which I'm considering as I can work on my script in japan and save the money and make the pilot when I get back. The other option is to help out for free on other productions to get as much experience as I can and to build up contacts, but for that I need to buy a car which I'm not in a position to buy at the moment

[Dogg Thang]

Cool. Well here's my two cents and feel free to take it or leave it - ultimately your path is your own but I've seen many people with the same aims as you and I've seen some make it and others not. The great and terrible thing about writing and directing is that you don't get into them - you are them. You just do it and then hope you get to a point where someone will actually agree to give you money to do it. Writers get hired because they wrote something really good. Same with directors.

So the first thing is to recognise that and then do what it takes to keep doing it. Keep writing. Keep directing.

If you want to be a writer who directs, direct first. Put the energies into directing. A director who shows promise will be asked if they can write much more often than a writer will be asked if they can direct. Directing is one of those things where you will need to fight to get people to have faith in you. Writing is what it is - there is less faith involved because a script is there and it's either good or it's not. So if you genuinely want to direct, you will need to have a knockout piece of work.

Personally I would argue that being a good writer is rarer and harder but it's easier to do on your own. You don't need a crew to write. So if you're a good writer, maybe consider focusing on that but keep in mind what I say about directing: you could have the best script ever, that doesn't mean anyone will want you to direct it. A director has to fight for that role and you do that through your work.

Equipment... easier to access than you might think. Cameras are everywhere, lights are everywhere and editing can be done on any computer made in the last 10 years. Commericals are shot on iPhones. If you want pro-grade cameras, rental costs are often low or you can even borrow them between productions if you build up your network of contacts. Don't ever use lack of equipment as a reason to stop you. It's not a real obstacle if you put your mind to it.

Now, that network of contacts - this is how you will eventually make it. Like I said in the previous post, it's a supportive industry. People just like to make stuff and will help each other out. People will help you. They'll be in your movies for free, they'll work on them for free, they'll lend you equipment, score your movie. If they believe you're serious about it, you'll find help. But the best way to find help is to help others. Don't let lack of a car make you think you can't do that. You'll get lifts. Public transport. The odd expensive taxi when you can't find any other option. If you work crew on a bunch of little productions, people in the same boat as you or preferably several steps up the ladder, in no time you will have a large network of contacts. They'll help you out and, eventually if you're good, they'll start to recommend you for jobs. Build up the goodwill. It's not a favour for favour thing - if anything, if you're doing it right you'll give much more than you get but when you get it will really count.

The last thing I'd recommend is to start getting to know every single source of funding. Every film fund, every little local arts fund and so on. Now college should have been telling you about all these but, if not, see what you can find out. There is money out there. Not much but enough for equipment etc to make something really good. There are often little contests where a camera company will lend you a camera if you're a winner (Arri have done some of those, I think).

So that's my advice. Like I said in the previous post, self-motivation will be everything now. If you really want to go for it, you're going to have to push hard and make stuff and get better and better. If you find a challenge, an obstacle or a problem, you can't use it as an excuse - you just find another way or ignore it and push ahead anyway. The truth is, doing this is about 100 times easier than it was 20 years ago due to the access to equipment etc. That means you have competition from anyone with an idea and some drive but the great thing is that it also means there really isn't a huge amount stopping you if you're determined.

Whatever way you go, good luck with it.

Edit: Oh, and here's a handy guide for the future:

[kryss]

Math is pretty much the single main reason I'm not a mathematician today.

Odds are I'll just switch to education ASAP. I have to work full time overnights to pay for school which completely kills my focus and concentration. I took 2 courses last term, dropped 1 just before the final and got a C- in the other. This term I'm taking 1 and third week in ballsed up a test. The more I study the more tired I get the less I can focus the more I have to study. The only benefit to studying here is that I pay about $600 per course and have transferred most of the credit I need to graduate from my first degree.

I'm generally pissed off most of the time.

[Dogg Thang]

That's rough. Math requires real focus and concentration and would be tough to do tired. I know it fried my brain for the brief time I did it - I dropped out of physics, chemistry and math and, at that point, the chemistry and physics pretty much were all math. Enjoyed the concepts and found it fascinating but I was way out of my depth. I found many people in Uni didn't get the need to generate money to live. That used to bug me. My definition of "I have no money" was a whole different defininition to theirs. So I feel your frustrations. Hope it all pays off and brings you what you want. It's an awesome subject.

[randombs]

When I graduated in Physics I wanted to get as far away from uni as possible. I didn't even go to my graduation. I just went back to my job full-time and looked for something new.

I was more bitter at myself than anything, having failed 2nd and 3rd years and just scraping a pass at the end which they gave me out of pity. Having work experience means my grade isn't as important as it would be if I was a fresh graduate but it also meant any actual science-related career was out the window.

Still, computers are my passion so it's not that big a deal but I'm not too proud of how I dealt with my uni time.

[charlesr]

No regrets. Maybe you learned some other things along the way. Maybe more than the people that aced it with ease. Steve Jobs didn't even finish his course.

[PeteJ]

I failed computing at A-Level, went to Uni to study Computer Science and dropped out in the first year and despite the universe trying to tell me something, I ended up working in IT.

My only regret really is that when I dropped out of Uni I should have spent my time better and gone travelling or something. Instead I ended up spending all my time in pubs or playing TFC. I was unemployed for 18 months, doing absolutely nothing to advance my life, which is utterly shameful. Now I'm tied down with mortgages and a reasonably good job so the opportunity for travel is more or less gone until I'm retired or very rich.

Ditching Uni worked against me for a long time, but after a few years and establishing myself in one organisation it's no big deal. When I interview people now I really don't care if they have a degree or not, it doesn't matter to me.

[randombs]

I had a talk with my little bro a few weeks back because he's deciding what to do(18 right now, just retook AS exams).

I told him not to go for a degree unless he's serious and it's necessary for where he wants to take his career.

[Ghost]

I ended up finishing with a 2:1 which was better than I expected. Means jack **** getting a job in the industry though lol