Question by K T: how do you start your own film production company?
a day in my dream job would be writing my own novel in the morning. To option books for movies and scout locations in the afternoon and audition cast in the evenings. How do I begin. What education do I need. What steps do I take to have my dream job?
Best answer:
Answer by bjdzyak
Wow. You have a lot you’d like to do. There’s nothing wrong with dreaming big because life is short.
You ask how to get your “dream job” but from your question, it is uncertain what that actually is. You’ve listed several very different things up there that are not only usually done by many people, but which also take a lot of time individually to do.
So, the best way to answer is to break your question down into parts and inject a little reality into each dream. First, a novel writer. There is nothing stopping you from writing novels. In fact, the only way you could ever achieve the goal of earning income from writing is to first sit down and start writing. It’s that simple. IF you can prove that you have a marketable product, then an Agent and/or Publisher may decide to get your writing into the marketplace.
Optioning books for movies: Again, there is nothing stopping you from doing that. Most Authors would welcome the opportunity to get more $ $ from their writing. Optioning is the easy part. Attracting the financing to get a movie made is what counts. If you form relationships with established movie Producers, financiers, or movie studio Execs, then you could take the options you’ve paid for and try to move the process on from there.
Scouting locations: There are professional Location Managers and Scouts (Teamsters Locals 399 and 480) who make a living doing this. It isn’t as a romantic notion as it seems you want to make it out to be. Once the script is finished, finding and managing the appropriate and practical locations to shoot at is a full time job. Most scouting first takes place in an office by looking at photo portfolios of available locations. Then, if deemed feasible, there is travel involved to see the location firsthand and then tech scouts occur later for all the technicians and others who need to know the logistics of the location.
Auditions: these just don’t happen “whenever.” The auditioning process begins with the Casting Director who sifts through headshots and available talent. Then the Director, who is busy with a million other details, goes for a set amount of time to view auditions and speak with the talent. Once the talent is chosen, the Director continues with everything else that needs to be done for the movie.
What you describe above is completely possible tomorrow if you were independently wealthy. Maybe you are, I don’t know, but if you’re like most people, you have to make an income somehow to pay for food and shelter and anything else you have to pay for.
What you’re really describing above is the romantic notion of an independent “filmmaker” who is in complete control over a relaxed life full of creating “art” for art’s sake with no true concerns for the realities of financing and other real world parameters.
Impossible? No. Realistic? No. I’m listing some resources below that you should look at that may help you begin to achieve some of what you dream about. Life IS short so don’t let anyone talk you out of going for what you want. But you’re chance of achieving happiness will improve if you’re realistic about what is possible and what it takes to get there.
Good luck!
Brian Dzyak
Cameraman/Author
IATSE Local 600, SOC
http://www.whatireallywanttodo.com
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