4 answers
Joey
Student
Elk River, Minnesota
1
Question
Asked
870 views
how do I become a feature film director?
what is some schooling required for the job, what are some ways to break into the industry, what are common starting points for directing, what are popular film schools to look into
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4 answers
Dr H
Dr. H's Research
1464
Answers
Australia
Updated
Dr’s Answer
Yo, Joey!
Wanna be a big-time film director? Love that for you. First off, you don’t need some magical Hollywood pass—just a camera (or your phone), a solid grind, and a love for movies.
Start Shooting, Like, Now – Grab your phone, your friends, and start making short films. Bad ones, weird ones, funny ones—just make ‘em. The more you film, the better you get. Even Spielberg had to start somewhere.
Become a Movie Nerd – Watch everything. Horror, indie, old classics, weird artsy stuff—study how directors do their thing. Steal (uh, borrow) ideas and make them your own.
Film School? Maybe. Maybe Not. – Big-name schools like USC, NYU, and AFI are dope, but lots of directors skip film school and learn by doing. If college isn’t your vibe, take online courses, read books, and just keep making films.
Sneak Into the Industry – Well, not literally. Start as a production assistant (PA) on movie sets, intern at a studio, or network your way in. Film festivals and social media are gold for meeting people who can help you level up.
Make Stuff & Keep Making Stuff – No one’s gonna hand you a director’s chair. Keep filming, enter contests, throw your work online, and don’t stop. The only difference between you and a director is…well, directing. So just do it.
Lights, camera, action—go be a legend. Good Luck Joey!
Start by filming anything—your friends, your town, random scenes—just start creating and experimenting!
Watch behind-the-scenes videos of your favorite movies to see how directors work and get inspired!
Wanna be a big-time film director? Love that for you. First off, you don’t need some magical Hollywood pass—just a camera (or your phone), a solid grind, and a love for movies.
Start Shooting, Like, Now – Grab your phone, your friends, and start making short films. Bad ones, weird ones, funny ones—just make ‘em. The more you film, the better you get. Even Spielberg had to start somewhere.
Become a Movie Nerd – Watch everything. Horror, indie, old classics, weird artsy stuff—study how directors do their thing. Steal (uh, borrow) ideas and make them your own.
Film School? Maybe. Maybe Not. – Big-name schools like USC, NYU, and AFI are dope, but lots of directors skip film school and learn by doing. If college isn’t your vibe, take online courses, read books, and just keep making films.
Sneak Into the Industry – Well, not literally. Start as a production assistant (PA) on movie sets, intern at a studio, or network your way in. Film festivals and social media are gold for meeting people who can help you level up.
Make Stuff & Keep Making Stuff – No one’s gonna hand you a director’s chair. Keep filming, enter contests, throw your work online, and don’t stop. The only difference between you and a director is…well, directing. So just do it.
Lights, camera, action—go be a legend. Good Luck Joey!
Dr recommends the following next steps:
Bob Willems
Professor of Film and Director of Feature Films
1
Answer
Houston, Texas
Updated
Bob’s Answer
Becoming a film director is a big goal. Start by working with your school's theater department if you have one. Many towns have theater groups where you can volunteer. This helps you learn to work with actors. Gaining acting experience is important for directing films. Attend film festivals to learn from others and see different films. Every path and experience teaches you something. Absorb knowledge in school from teachers and classmates. Consider going to film school to take courses in filmmaking. Many universities have film departments. Learn photography basics like composition and lighting. This helps you create moving images. Ask classmates to act in your films. Write a simple script for them. Watch movies to learn about different genres and find what you like. Directing can be fun and rewarding. Make a plan and follow it. With the right mindset, you can become a film director.
Elliott Taylor
Direct, screenwriter
1
Answer
Lexington, Kentucky
Updated
Elliott’s Answer
I just graduated with my associates degree and am working on my bachelors degree starting in the fall. You don’t necessarily need school to work in the industry. A lot of famous directors didn’t go to film school. However, it is a tool that will give you access to good equipment and (hopefully) well trained faculty who can walk you through the ins and outs of camera work. Start writing your scripts. There are tons of videos on StudioBinder that shows you how to format scripts. If you have access to equipment, start filming! And then get those films into festivals via filmfreeway. Use Facebook film groups to network and get gigs (even if it’s a PA position, it’ll help you network!). Film school wise, it depends on your location and budget. Personally, I went to a community college nearby for my associates, and then I’m attending Arizona state online. You can look at Toronto film school, USC, UCLA, or even ASU. You don’t want to be in a ton of debt. Good luck!!
Thank you, Elliott!
Girls
Patrick Phillips
screenwriter
21
Answers
San Francisco, California
Updated
Patrick’s Answer
Dang, Joey... what a question! That's like asking how to get The World's Coolest Job! Read and do everything everyone else here said. I would first see that directing is 3 parts:
1. Getting it Made = Don't sweat that. Today's tech affords young people to film anything in their mind's eye.
2. Getting it Seen = Ditto. Distribution is not an issue for today's young filmmakers.
3. Say Something/Show Something New = Bingo. That's what you focus on.
Every successful storyteller is saying and telling us something new. Throughout all Director Time. From Hitch to Spielberg to Quentin to Greta to Affleck to Meyers and so on. Spielberg is known for killer camera work and heart-racing action sequences. Quentin is known for very long dialogue scenes that are ticking time bombs about to go off any second. Greta made Barbie come alive not as a toy doll, but as a person. Ridley gives us future visions that are visually stunning but also grounded in practical life. Guy Ritchie makes gangsters look and talk like the coolest people on the planet. Watch. Listen. Copy. Steal. Remix it. Make it your own. Then do it all again. To quote Maximus to Proximo in the movie Gladiator, "I'll show them something they've never seen before."
Boom. Just do that, Joey. Just show and tell us something we've never seen before. You'll figure out the rest. Can't wait to see your work!
Best,
Patrick
1. Getting it Made = Don't sweat that. Today's tech affords young people to film anything in their mind's eye.
2. Getting it Seen = Ditto. Distribution is not an issue for today's young filmmakers.
3. Say Something/Show Something New = Bingo. That's what you focus on.
Every successful storyteller is saying and telling us something new. Throughout all Director Time. From Hitch to Spielberg to Quentin to Greta to Affleck to Meyers and so on. Spielberg is known for killer camera work and heart-racing action sequences. Quentin is known for very long dialogue scenes that are ticking time bombs about to go off any second. Greta made Barbie come alive not as a toy doll, but as a person. Ridley gives us future visions that are visually stunning but also grounded in practical life. Guy Ritchie makes gangsters look and talk like the coolest people on the planet. Watch. Listen. Copy. Steal. Remix it. Make it your own. Then do it all again. To quote Maximus to Proximo in the movie Gladiator, "I'll show them something they've never seen before."
Boom. Just do that, Joey. Just show and tell us something we've never seen before. You'll figure out the rest. Can't wait to see your work!
Best,
Patrick
Thank you for the advice.
Girls