what next?

[Matt Rivera]

Hi, I've been reading these forums for a while, and decided I'd join in:

 

Stop me if I start to bore you.

 

I am 15 years old, and for 3 of those 15 years I have been lost in a strange world. The world of film. Making films, watching films, researching and buying anything to do with film. I'm one of those people who would much rather watch a 16mm print of 'Some Like it Hot' than a Blu Ray copy of 'The King's Speech'. I would rather edit a silent slapstick using a hot splicer and cement than on Final Cut. It's not that I don't like technology and what it's done for movie making, I just think that it's important that we not forget where we started.

 

I think it was 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' that got me into movies. After making a few films about Indiana Jones, I moved on to making some original shorts, a parody of old B movies, a hitchcock tribute, a silent comedy animation, and currently a silent slapstick comedy made using only the technology available in the 20s. After taking my hitchcock tribute to a few film festivals I started getting recognition and I was asked to help out on some bigger productions. I started as a P.A. on one production and most recently the 1st AC on another.

 

I go to a performing arts high school for technical theater, so I've learned how things are done on the technical side of film/theater. I can operate most cameras, build scenery, stitch costumes, hang lights, pretty much a basic understanding of every part of the technical and artistic side of the industry. My point is, I seem to have started a career in film. I have a pretty vast knowledge the art and technical side of film, but my knowledge of the business is very minimal.

 

After these experiences I have decided that I want to be a cinematographer. I love the visuals of movies, the ways they can only enhance the setting and mood of a film. The way they can make one film unique.

Is film school my best option, or should I jump in without a degree? What steps should I take now to further advance myself in this industry?

 

Here's one of my shorts:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jP8cvvGabbM

 

-Matthew

[Martin Hong]

Matthew, you are still young. You can always spend your free time doing what you love the most and gain some experience by doing it. Going to a film school can help you see different things you have never seen before. Is not a must, but is a plus. Note that there are few remarkable directors who have dropped out from the film school, like Steven Spielberg or James Cameron, i can only remember them. And Tarantino has never been to the film school, but he's good at writing story.

It all depends on what you do, but i can suggest you to go to a film school to see things and meet people.

 

Best wishes