What Every Aspiring Filmmaker Needs to Know

Film is a growing industry and in order to be successful, you need to expand with the times. To get started, review the following tips as general knowledge about the business.

1. Get out of small town America. There are only two locales in which one has a chance of making it in the business: (1) New York City, New York and (2) Los Angeles, California. New York is real, LA is fake. If you go to L.A., you must understand that everyone there, including you, is out to meet people who will further their career. Don't take it personally if someone doesn't speak to you because you offer them no advancement.
2. Stay connected. It isn't necessary to go to film school, but attending one will help increase your base of people in the business. You'll learn the strengths of your classmates and vice versa. Keep in touch with as many of your contacts as you can. Of course, there will be the occasional one who wants to use you and who you want to use. But try to be real. You'll be rewarded for it.
3. Research technology. Constantly keep yourself in check with new advancements in the industry. There's HDTV and BluRay now, but who knows what will develop tomorrow? The worst thing you can possibly do is to fall behind and find yourself striving to catch up with people who are already moving further along the path.
4. Know the process. Just because you've been making home videos for five years, that doesn't mean you have a head start on the newcomers. You need to be aware of the popular professional processes. Most people follow the same pattern and if you clash, you'll find yourself bypassed. Wait until you have a large support group to back up your innovation. Otherwise you may find yourself wasting precious time trying to find the perfect person to accept your difference in method.
5. Stay organized in your craft. No matter what your choice of position is, you need to be knowledgeable about them all. This is the best way to show sufficient respect to your fellow filmmakers. Hopefully, being aware of everyone's job, you won't step on their toes and they won't step on yours. Study the techniques your most admired filmmakers use. Understand their reasoning. Now analyze your own preferences, but keep them in check with the rest of the filmmakers. Stick to standard forms, but recognize their purpose to keep your own paperwork organized.

These five tips are a starting basis for expanding your expertise. Most importantly, you need to live it.