Make movies. That's how you learn. If you have a consumer camcorder and a computer (heck you don't even need the digital editor if you're doing a guerrilla film) then you can make a movie. Get out there and do it, there's no better way to learn. There are some other helpful resources though:

Books! Obviously not all filmmaking books are going to be as worthwhile as another, and a book would never replace experience, but they can be a good resource and a lot cheaper than film school! They're also great because they fit into your schedule no matter what. 😉

This forums has some really great topics as well. Do a bit of research on your own (google film things, read a book or two, ask some people) and get your feet a bit wet a bit, then pick your mind for some specific questions. Search for a corresponding topic on this forum and read through it, you're guaranteed to learn something. You could even just go through and read topics that intrigue you.

I'm not very knowledgeable at this, but the best way to get experience would be to work in film somehow even if you weren't getting paid. Look around for listings here or around your area for some sort of gig in the industry (like as a production assistant or something) and just go for it. Other people here will be able to expand upon this a lot more, I'm just putting this out there.

One thing that's also important about getting real experience is that it lets you see the reality of what you're pursuing, and whether you'll like it or not. A vivid example is that when I was a lot younger I used to be super obsessed with dinosaurs, and I wanted to be a paleontologist: I wanted to travel, make discoveries, be immersed in what I loved. At some point as I became older in my childhood though, I came to the realization that "oh, so they basically spend months on end looking at rocks and dirt with no certainty that they will find something?" or something to that extent. Kind of a weird example, but the point still stands: as infatuated or in love with something as you may be, those passions need to be able to stand up to grim realities. I don't think this will happen to you, but I'm saying this just in case it does and to further support the argument for getting experience.

Hope all of that helps! I still have tons and tons to learn about film, and life for that matter.

Welcome!

In my opinion there is no better place to start than by volunteering on the
movies made by others. Student filmmakers are always in need of volunteers.
Independent, no budget filmmakers are always in need of volunteers. Chicago
has an excellent filmmaking community and several universities with film
departments. There is also the Chicago Film Office.

You should be auditioning as an actor and volunteering as a crew member
on as many projects as you can find.

=============================================
The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)

Thank you for your replies.

As far as auditions and volunteering, are there any iron clad sources for finding most projects in one's area, in this case Chicago? I realize accomplishing goals is not supposed to be easy, but obviously I want to make source-finding as painless and convenient as possible without having to have major headaches looking for stuff all over the web.

Many dedicate themselves to God yet do terrible things, apparently pretending that God isn't watching; either that or they believe in a violent and unjust God.

Iron clad? As in and absolute guarantee that there will
be projects? Or an absolute guarantee that the filmmaker
will hire you?

The process is not going to be even remotely painless or
convenient. It will be filled with headache inducing frustrations
for your entire career. Not only will you find yourself
searching all over the web - and very often in vein - but if
you're doing it right you will find yourself searching in
person at production offices, casting agents, schools and
coffeshops. And you will be looking for stuff along with a
thousand other people who are all willing to work for free
and many will have way more experience than you. But as
you say, you don't care what it takes. So none of this should
be daunting to you at all. You are going to have to work
harder at this than at anything else you have ever done and
face more rejection and disappointment than you have ever
faced before.

It's a brutal business to get into. But there are thousands of
people making their living at it, so there is no reason why
you can't be one of them.

As close as I can help you with any iron clad sourced for
finding projects is student filmmakers are always in need
of volunteers - pretty iron clad. They make movies, they
need people.

Independent, no budget filmmakers are always in need of
volunteers - pretty iron clad. They make movies, they need
people. The Chicago Film Office knows the projects in
production and the ones looking for people. All the local
casting offices know who is casting and where the auditions
are.

=============================================
The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)

quote:

---

Originally posted by certified instigator

Iron clad? As in and absolute guarantee that there will
be projects? Or an absolute guarantee that the filmmaker
will hire you?

The process is not going to be even remotely painless or
convenient. It will be filled with headache inducing frustrations
for your entire career. Not only will you find yourself
searching all over the web - and very often in vein - but if
you're doing it right you will find yourself searching in
person at production offices, casting agents, schools and
coffeshops. And you will be looking for stuff along with a
thousand other people who are all willing to work for free
and many will have way more experience than you. But as
you say, you don't care what it takes. So none of this should
be daunting to you at all. You are going to have to work
harder at this than at anything else you have ever done and
face more rejection and disappointment than you have ever
faced before.

It's a brutal business to get into. But there are thousands of
people making their living at it, so there is no reason why
you can't be one of them.

As close as I can help you with any iron clad sourced for
finding projects is student filmmakers are always in need
of volunteers - pretty iron clad. They make movies, they
need people.

Independent, no budget filmmakers are always in need of
volunteers - pretty iron clad. They make movies, they need
people. The Chicago Film Office knows the projects in
production and the ones looking for people. All the local
casting offices know who is casting and where the auditions
are.

=============================================
The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)

---

I assure you I am aware of most of that. No, what I meant was a source or sources (site/newspaper/etc.) where I can constantly search search and check on in which postings in my area or fitting my criteria might be posted if they come up, just a reference(s) to find auditions/volunteer stuff. I'm not looking for a place(s) to dump it ALL on my doorstep with no effort, just some places to constantly look that will help me find stuff. I'd like to have the comfort of knowing that I'd have something(s) to look at to be aware of openings near me when they arise.

Many dedicate themselves to God yet do terrible things, apparently pretending that God isn't watching; either that or they believe in a violent and unjust God.

check craigslist under jobs, its called tv/film/radio. There will be postings for actor auditions or production crew. I'm sure if you are willing to do it for free that they'd be more than happy to use you.

As far as where to start, first things first, do some research. Search this forum and other forums like this one for advice from other people. That helps a lot.

Next thing you'll want to do is create some short movies. You aren't going to want to dive right into your big cinematic masterpiece. It'll come out worse than you want it to. Create some short movies so you can learn the angles and get your groove. Then make your movie.

As far as financing....it all depends on how big your movie is.

http://www.mrgablesreality.webs.com
My site to promote my writing/opinions/and soon movies!

Sorry for the misunderstanding. In my first post I gave you several suggestions
where you can constantly search search and check on in your area. I made the
assumption that those suggestions weren't what you were looking for when
you asked for any iron clad sources for finding projects.

I'm a big believer that one finds jobs by personal contact and not by searching
internet sites. As a crew member I haven't had a resume or reel in over 15 years.
I could never get a gig on craigslist (nor would I want to) because I don't a
resume. But I haven't been out of work in 15 years. And even when I was just
getting started (before the internet) I was always out there meeting people,
checking the local universities and colleges, going to film festivals, checking at
local post houses and rental houses. I remember finding postings on a bulletin
board at a store that sold microphones and audio cables.

As a producer/director I rarely, if ever, post on the internet. I get all my crew
(even PA's) from referrals. I'll talk to a producer of a no budget short who tells
me she had a great guy as a PA on her show so I will get that name and hire that
person on my movie. Several times I have been persuaded to put an ad on mandy
or in "Backstage" - I get 70 to 100 resumes for PA's, an overwhelming task to
go through each of them. Then I run into a UPM I know in a coffee shop and ask
for a referral, get a name, make one phone call and I have my PA. Several times
I have been going through a stack of resumes when I run into a newbee at a film
festival who strikes me as a great person and I hire her right then and there. If
she hadn't gone to that festival and introduced herself I may have skipped right
over her resume sitting on my desk with 70 others.

But if you want on line sources - where tens of thousands of people look - then
you can try craigslist and mandy. Type "crew jobs" and several variations into
Google. I know there are several pay sites that offer job listing but I don't remember
the names.

If I may chip in, if you know absolutely nothing about the filmmaking craft(s) (i.e. writing, directing, operating camera, cinematography, editing, etc), reading books about it is probably the most effective way. While tons are available, the choice of books will depend on your attention span and the amount of time you want to invest.

One of the shortest books (about $15) is "Movie Making Course" ( http://www.amazon.com/Moviemaking-Course-Principles-Techniques-Filmmaker/dp/0764131915) by Chris Patmore. In about 140 pages and with tons of illustrations, he explains the entire process. Nothing is as concise as this book. There is the "Moviemaking for Dummies", as well as the "Idiot's Guide to Independent Moviemaking" and few other complete guides. The common thread among these is that they cover the entire process, explain some of the jargon, describe the steps and why it's done that way and help you understand it all.

Once you're done with a few of those (in a matter of a few evenings), you can get some of the scriptwriting books and learn how to transform your fictional narrative into dramatic dialogue. After that, there are books on directing, editing, working with sound, etc.

As for acting, there are tons of books there as well. "Acting for Camera" (Tony Barr) and "Michael Caine: Acting in Film" seem to have a lot of valuable acting advice.

I would slightly disagree with Certified Instigator about value of online sources in finding collaborators. Someone with absolutely no experience and contacts within the industry has no practical way of finding collaborators. Craigs List provides access and for someone starting at the bottom, working with independent zero-budget small-time projects as a crew member could get a person into the business. What one needs, after reading books and learning about the process, is seeing how it actually unfolds in real life. All this would help a lot jump-start one's own filmmaking pursuit.

In the end, once you arm yourself with the book knowledge (and, hopefully, having participated on one film project in some behind-the-camera, as well as on-screen person), you will have to fire up your computer, install Celtx or something similar, write that first script of yours, get some friends together, pull out your camcorder and try and shoot that script. This is really the most fun (and effective) way to learn to make films.

Thank you both. You both answered a lot of questions I had. I know I have a long road ahead of me, but you guys gave me some good sources, so I feel a bit relieved.

Many dedicate themselves to God yet do terrible things, apparently pretending that God isn't watching; either that or they believe in a violent and unjust God.

As far as learning screenwriting goes, I can highly recommend a site called The Screenwriting Goldmine.

From reading your post, I think while you're checking out all these resources, you're going to need to make a decision about what aspect of the art you really want to participate in. Even Hitchcock didn't do everything himself. Just almost everything... ?:D?

As you already know, it's a wide open field! Do you have any preferences yet? Anything that you think about first, whenever you think of making a film. Photographing it - lighting the set - running the show, (directing) - making the costumes- building cool props...?

You're going to need to focus - and I don't mean the camera lens, (unless that's what you want to do!)

quote:

---

Originally posted by TrentonFaulke

I am looking for direction. In the last few years I have found my passion/dream and it is indeed to be a director and an actor as well (I have parts written for myself in some of my film concepts). Unfortunately, I am already 23 and my problem is the biggest one possible: I know ZERO about filmmaking. I know nothing of direction, whether it be cameras, lighting, how to write screenplays/scripts, how to get financing, I live nowhere near California (I'm in Chicago), I have no money for financing or a film school at the moment (and won't in the near future), etc. etc. etc.

What I ask is if it is possible to get a idea of where to start (I'd figure screenplay/script writing to be the first essential, I've only written novelizations of my first few concepts), where to go or what to get to find out where to start. I don't care what it takes; this is indeed my dream and I am overwhelmed by the fact I know so little but I'm obviously willing to learn.

So I only ask, "Where do I start and where do I go?"

I thank anyone for answering my (typical, I'm sure) newbie questions.

Many dedicate themselves to God yet do terrible things, apparently pretending that God isn't watching; either that or they believe in a violent and unjust God.

---

You've already gotten some great advice here. I'll just add to it by suggesting the following resources to help you determine PRECISELY which career path to take:

Read "What I Really Want to Do: On Set in Hollywood." It WAS written for someone exactly like YOU who wants to be in the film industry, but needs to know what a career is REALLY like before committing to a specific career path. ?url? http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780823099535?/url?

For Screenwriting guidance, read every page of the website: ?url? http://www.wordplayer.com?/url?. I also highly recommend the book, Film Scriptwriting, Second Edition: A Practical Manual by Dwight V Swain and, JOYE R SWAIN. ?url? http://www.amazon.com/Film-Scriptwriting-Second-Practical-Manual/dp/0240511905/ref=cm_syf_dtl_top_3_rdssss0?/url?

I urge you to check those resources out FIRST. They WILL give you a real picture of what the professional industry is really like. Also, browse regularly through the news postings at ?url? http://www.realfilmcareer.com?/url? to keep abreast of the state of professional production around the world so you know where to look for work and where not to.

Wanting to be in the movie business isn't enough. Educating yourself to the realities of the overall business and the specific job you want to have is imperative to building a successful, viable, long-lasting career.

Good luck!

Brian Dzyak
Cameraman/Author
IATSE Local 600, SOC
http://www.whatireallywanttodo.com
http://www.realfilmcareer.com

You seem to have quite a bit of advice here already. If it helps, I'll put my two cents worth in:

It does help to know what you want. Being an actor and a director is a good idea, however you will spread yourself quite thinly as you will be trying to focus on your character that your direction might suffer. You will have quite a few people asking you loads of questions and you probably won't want to answer them when you are contemplating the next scene. The result will be a great performance, but a shoddy film.

If you want to know how to direct, first piece of advice is to do it. Secondly, you could volunteer to act on student films and see how the director works. Look at the shots and the set up and make notes and then try and see the finished product. If certain scenes don't work, then ask how you would do it differently.

If you want to write a screenplay, the best things to do are read film scripts to see how they are written. There are lots of websites with scripts up online, watch the film whilst reading the script and then see how what was on the page translates into what is on screen. When it comes to writing the script, google: celltx. This is a free download that enables you to write in script form. It is really easy to use.

When you have your idea and script in place, try and get in touch with Universities and drama schools in your area and see if you can get people to work for free. People need things to put on their show reel and by working with you, they will have something to show their prospective employer. You never know, you might find a crew of people who want to work with you again. Oh yeah, one other piece of advice: it doesn't matter if you don't pay people, but provide them with a meal.

Hope this helps.
Alvy Singer