How do aspiring filmmakers make it work? (sales, apartment)

[LemonyPie]

With the extremely high costs of living in LA, how do aspiring filmmakers (and other aspiring artists/entertainers) make it work? I am fairly certain that I'll have to move to LA to pursue TV writing and film-making, but I'm getting nervous about how exactly I'll survive doing this...

I've heard time and time again that doing unpaid internships in the field is extremely important, but how do people do this if they also have to have full-time jobs to pay the rent and other expenses? Can aspiring entertainers survive on part-time job wages so they can complete internships or is this almost entirely out of the question? I'd ideally have at least a little spending money so I can enjoy what the city has to offer as well. The only way I can see it working is if I shared an apartment with about 6 room-mates, but even then, I'm skeptical.

Any insight and advice would be appreciated.

[DelaneyRudd]

Looking at Craigslist it appears there are bohemian dorm style houses that are like 500 bucks a month. I feel too old for that sort of thing, but that kind of price seems enticing.

[LemonyPie]

Dorm style? Those words scare me. :P But thanks for the tip! I'll look into that for sure.

[yamota]

and I wouldn't ask any advice from any aspiring film makers already in LA, they'll only try to discourage you because the last thing they want is more people coming in and competing for the few jobs there are

[yoyoma02]

Intern for free during the day. Deliver pizzas at night for rent money and free food.

[readymade]

As a filmmaker myself, I have to say... LA really is the place to do it. And you kinda DO need extra money to go to mixers, networking parties & writing workshops. Meeting and networking with people is probably the most important thing you can do. You really REALLY need to "know" people.

Luckily, it's pretty easy to meet people out here. And, I have to say, for the most part... people are quite willing to be helpful if you have talent. Network network connections connections.

As for "how," I really can't help you. Save save save. Live in a crappy apartment with a bunch of people. Eat a lot of beans & rice.

[LemonyPie]

Thanks for the replies so far!

Readymade, when you first started out, did you have a full-time job and also do an internship at the same time? Did you have a part-time/internship? Or some other route entirely?

[readymade]

An entirely different route. I'm actually a freelance web designer.
My husband & I made a documentary using flip cameras (which I do NOT recommend doing... the Flip cameras, I mean. But you probably already know that). It was going to be a little YouTube thing, but kind of blew up as my husband uncovered more and more information in his research (it's essentially about UFOs). We were going to try to edit it ourselves but discovered (gasp) that we didn't know how to.

We put an ad for an editor on Craigslist, and a small production company contacted us saying they were interested in meeting with us as they were looking for a documentary to produce. In short, they produced it & edited it, hooked us up with a couple of celebrities who agreed to be in it for free, and we're now in the process of deciding which sales & distribution deal to go with and what film festivals to enter. Apparently because it's about UFOs, it's extremely popular right now. One distribution company called it a "slam dunk" without having seen it.

All very surreal and a LOT of luck involved. Being at the right place at the right time.

On the other side of it, my friend has been "in the business" for over 15 years (acting, directing, producing) trying to get her foot in the door. She's done some stuff here & there but nothing major. Only NOW does she have agent/management interest after she took a job as a producer for a show where she had to work 12 hour days starting at 4:30am.

Previously, she made a "for YouTube" series that she sunk $20K of her own money into. While the series went nowhere, a couple of the "right" people saw it and hired her for the 12-hour producing gig I mentioned. She's slightly pissed (but happy for us) that it was so "easy" for us. She does graphic design as her "day job" as well.

It's tough. There's a lot of luck involved. I know she goes to a lot of mixers and networking parties and has met some great people who have helped her.

I went to a great "writing for TV" workshop and met a couple of very successful showrunners & writers (one of whom I'm now friendly with. See how that works?). They all said that the single most important thing is to have hundreds of ideas and not to fixate on just one. If no one likes one idea, well, you've got 50 other great ones in the hopper.

They also said not to underestimate the power of YouTube, and I highly HIGHLY agree! They ALL said that EVERYTHING is about YouTube now. Make something awesome & upload it. Just keep creating. Get fans. That's something you can do from anywhere... not just LA.

[greggd1]

Originally Posted by readymade

They also said not to underestimate the power of YouTube, and I highly HIGHLY agree! They ALL said that EVERYTHING is about YouTube now. Make something awesome & upload it. Just keep creating. Get fans. That's something you can do from anywhere... not just LA.

+1

Anywhere...look at how the Jack*** series started...and Bam Margera. They did there thing in their home towns. Most efficient...your talent is the same no matter where you go...go for a place where you can devote the most time to your talent to get started.

Then upload your vids here so we can see what you do.

[wrcousert]

Spend a couple thousand on a camera and a cheap computer and learn After Effects, Photoshop and Premiere. Post your videos on YouTube. If you're any good, people will notice you.