Possibilities To Becoming A Filmmaker

     Being a filmmaker in the vein of Quentin Tarantino or Martin Scorsese is quite a dream for many aspiring college student studying fine arts, but a common question I'm sure exists is how? I've tried to study this trend to really find one path to the filmmaker path, but I quickly came to realize that in fact, it's quite subjective what path you take, so I'm gonna spell out every one  I know. So, without further ado...

But...

   First things first, you should try and snag an agent, manager, etc.  Usually it's best if you start with a manager and then the manager will recommend you an agent and then from there, he or she will recommend you an entertainment attorney. However, these managers, agents, etc. can be quite tricky to attain. Most people get agents through referrals by friends, relatives, etc. Hollywood is quite a referral business, so it's quite essential that you make contact with people who already work in the industry by working on film sets or through LinkedIn. Other methods include winning screenwriting competitions such as Shore Scripts or Austin Film Festival or The Black List, where you can submit your script and executives will decide whether they like it or not. Let's say something of that nature happens.

Method 1: Short Film Expansion

    What this basically means is that you make a short film, get the opportunity to screen it at a festival, and hope that some producer, director, etc. is watching and likes it so much that they want to expand this into a feature film. Proven trailblazers of this method include Paul Thomas Anderson along with Wes Anderson (no relation). What matters the most about these short films has to be the dialogue. The best parts about Bottle Rocket (Wes Anderson's short film) along with Coffee and Cigarettes (Paul Thomas Anderson's short film) has to be the dialogue. Bottle Rocket didn't have the hallmarks of other Wes Anderson films except for, maybe, the dialogue. What Polly Platt (producer of Bottle Rocket, the film) recognized about the dialogue in the short film was how well-crafted it was.

Method 2: Self-finance Your Own Low-Budget Film

    This one sort of goes hand-in-hand with the first one, but this time it's a full-length film. Proven trailblazers of this method include Spike Lee, M. Night Shyamalan, and Martin Scorsese. Many of these films aren't extremely long in length (maybe only about 90 minutes on average) and they usually have unknowns attached to the project. Also, many times, the directors end up having to write, produce, star in, edit, etc. However, the upside is that these films could potentially launch the careers of the person directing, writing, producing, etc. Just look at Rian Johnson with Brick. Brick was financed by much of his family, but it ended up being a success and now he's directing a Star Wars film and getting nominated for an Academy Award.

Method 3: Write Scripts And Work Your Way Up To Filmmaker

    Through this method, you can essentially get the feel of the big movies that you will essentially be directing. What surprised me the most was how much you can make off of selling scripts and the budget that the movies you wrote go for. Proven trailblazers of this method include Oliver Stone and Paul Schrader. The most important piece of information that you have to remember is this: research the production companies that you are going to pitch to. Also, more important, have a good script. I'm quite surprised at how many glaring plot holes exist in movies of all kind. This problem could be easily solved by just reading over your script and noticing that something doesn't make sense in the story. 

Method 4: Take Employment As A Production Assistant

    Also somewhat of a common way to rise all the way to the position of a world-class filmmaker is by being a production assistant on certain sets. This method is quite useful in making contacts with other actors, producers, directors, etc. Proven trailblazers of this method include Paul Thomas Anderson and James Cameron. If you don't know what a production assistant is, it's basically the person who runs small errands for the filmmakers such as arranging meals for the crew, answering telephones, make copies of scripts, etc.

Method 5: Being A Friend Of A Friend

    Also known as referral, this is also quite a nice way to get recognition by Hollywood executives. Proven trailblazers include Quentin Tarantino and Christopher Nolan. How it worked with Tarantino was that his friend gave a script to his acting teacher, and then his wife gave it to Harvey Keitel, who loved the script. He loved it so much, in fact, that he raised about $1.5 million dollars for the film which became Reservoir Dogs. With Christopher Nolan, it was his wife, Emma Thomas, who gave the script to an executive for Newmarket Films known as Aaron Ryder. Ryder loved the script so much that he greenlit the production for the film, which became known as Memento. The problem here is that not many people have film contacts or friends of friends to film contacts, so it's most probably a good idea to become a production assistant or attend film school to build lasting relationships.