What can/ should i do while i am still in high school to help prepare me for a career in film or broadcasting?

Hello! TylerC., maybe I can answer your question, or implied questions, because there're probably more than one that you wanted to ask - I know what you are after! I used to be you, but in a totally different environment, sitting at a desk in a defense industry company when the Soviet Union was about to crash - and remember this Tyler, I used to be a high school student too, with big, really big dreams!

I'm what you call a "natural," maybe I was born like this, with a natural condition of being disposed to do well in the Arts and Sciences. Do you feel it, thst is, are you a natural? I always was and definitely still am a world class artist; in my case, I'm a polymath physicist-filmmaker, expert mathematician and image & sound maker, including music, stationed right now in West Hollywood, California; indeed, my film business is called Termite Cat Productions Ltd., George Maynard Films Group. I'm wondering if you can imagine yourself reaching this point in your career, as I did; but following your own unique path! Sure you can and I'll point the way to you by example.

Why am I writing you this long tale of my career life? Well, it is because no one can really tell you how to proceed in life, except yourself, your inner heart, your mind's mind, your mind's eye & ear - that little voice or something nagging at you from the inside, that thing which never gets satisfied and keeps pushing at you in one direction or another, sometimes in all directions. Man! It is dizzying. Truly, there's more than one path in life and if you are like me, you'll probably split yourself at least in two parts and pursue more than one goal in your lifetime. That's the smart thing to do!

But let's say that you are really determined to become a professional milieux filmmaker and/or TV broadcast specialist, for no better words, well, how would you proceed? Think about what I'm doing here, think Tyler - you guessed it, Pal - I'm writing my heart out to you! That's the number one thing that you need to do and do well enough to beat out at least a hundred thounsand other prospective filmmakers/broadcasters at their own game. That's how competitive this business is!

Are you a natural writer like I am, not just skilled mind you, but natural gifted with a mysterious force driving you to write like there were no tomorrows! Maybe there are better literary writers than myself, better grammar, bette vey tax; but none can beat me at writing from my guts; indeed, I can write my guts out like no other! I write to communicate to others my own experiences, whatever they might be, and however I acquired them. There are many life shattering situations, some of which I never anticipated; here's one of them:

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED TO ME ON MY WAY OUT OF HEMINGWAY'S: Here's a story for the movie books - July 16, 2016, 46 years, 6 months, 16 days, four days short of them walking on the moon, nearly 47 years ago ~ "And just for a while ... I couldn't remember ... But now I wonder ... Will you remember me ... Forty six years, six months, sixteen days from now ... And I swear to God, a 'Black Crow' talked to me afterwards, flying over my head, as I was walking down Le Brea Boulevard, on the morning of July 17, here in West Hollywood, California. This experience is one of the most uncanny happenings I've ever come to experience since I have been alive on this planet. The 'Crow' knew and it spoke to me and stayed with me for a time, as I walked 'South' along Le Brea."

Here's the beginning of this fantastic true story: "I went out to Hollywood's Hemingway nightclub last Friday night, just around midnight, and later I stepped outside of that disc jokey joint, it was about 2 am; and when outside and after a few steps away from the crowds, I dropped onto the sidewalk pavement, white as a corpse on a slab at the morgue, dead for an instant flash! My heart stopped beating for a while and I went unconscious, and stayed unconscious for quite some time. But there was no time here, no space - void as the void can be! Yet, not dead, not alive!! Then, after a few moments, a few very long momentous seconds, I'm told much, much later, my 'stopped beating' heart miraculously started back up again ~ man! it scared the living daylights out of my roommate, Johnny!

Well, they shipped me immediately to the Hollywood community Presbyterian Hospital in East Los Angeles and there, they found that I had an average heart beat of 135 bpm; and it would not drop back to down to standard normal. And today, I'm quite scared to go to sleep, because it is still at the same rate of 135 bpm, yes, right now, as it was in the hospital. And not only that ... When I lay myself down flat on a bed, say, my heart stops, again and again, skipping beats, many beats in fact; and I come extremely awake and afraid, coming to hyper consciousness and out of breath, just as though waking up from your worse nightmare.

They don't know why I dropped dead like that! They don't know why my heart stops beating while I'm sleeping. There's this strange syndrome, they say, called "Sudden Heart Failure," and this condition, it too is an unknown to modern medicine. Man! That's a story for the movie books, really and truly!" See y'all on the other side, Namaste!!!!!!

Do you think that you can write in this way, Tyler? Sure you can, for if I can, you can! I've just shown you how! It is easy and fun, let yourself go in spirit, your heart bursting with the joy of the word, as though you are being dragged down a moderately fast moving river! Watch out for the waterfall, mind you! Best of luck my friend, and see you in Hollywood! Namaste Tyler!!

Take as many relevant classes as you can to the path you hope to go down. Volunteer in a environment that gives you exposure to what you want to learn about. Set yourself up for success at the next level by researching what colleges and universities have to offer as far degrees go!

Hi Tyler;
Great question, and it's wonderful you want to get started early. First, become a connoisseur of movies, and not just ones going back 10-20 years. Understand the history of films so you can understand the art and craft of great storytelling and visual grammar. Read as much as you can, literature, poetry, etc. Again all this will strengthen your ability as a storyteller. Make some simple short films, even with a smart phone. Just a couple of minutes long each. You'll begin to get a sense of the visual nature of the medium (photographically, editorially, how to work with cast, etc.) and what you want to do with it. Read great scripts to get a sense of how they work, how they're structured, how they build characters and how they draw in the reader (audience).

Take any specific classes of interest that you can. If you can volunteer to work on student films, do so in any capacity just to get experience on a set. Investigate the many film schools to see which resonate with you.

I know this all sounds like an immersive process. It is and it requires passion. Best of success.

Watch as many movies as possible, read books and magazines and think deeply about what it is you are most passionate about and why you are drawn to either of these professions. I would not rush the decision of a major, but instead give yourself time to explore both the world and your interests. Do you want to be a storyteller, or are you more interested in a technical role?

On the undergraduate level, many film and broadcast communication programs function like a trade school within a university--where students learn how to work equipment, but have little emphasis on other aspects of the art/profession, which which end up being a waste of time, particularly since he technology is changing so quickly. Depending on your interests maybe a double major will help you be more well rounded? Film or Broadcast coupled with History, Philosophy or English might be a rich choice. I had a great liberal arts education and learned about filmmaking through my electives. Good luck with your studies!