At a Crossroad in My Life! (Ontario: school, college, station)

[LAHopeful]

Hey Everyone,

I have yet another situation to run by you guys for more assistance regarding the entertainment industry.

I have been pursuing it for the past three years, first as an actor and now more on the production side. I am currently enrolled in Journalism school but am torn between continuing my education as a journalist or to switch over to the broadcasting/film course (my school has one of the best in Ontario). I have been volunteering at a very prominent local television station and I have to admit, producing TV shows is REALLY boring. I sit there in the control room and do very menial tasks, the best I have been able to do so far is cover one of the IFFs that Toronto hosts, just to do some interviews and get some ambient sound.

I enjoy writing from a journalists perspective, and have just picked up "Screenplay" by Syd Field. I am slowly learning how to write screenplays but am not totally comfortable yet. I would love to be a director as I found out that I enjoy being behind camera and was actually at a shooting for an episode for a discovery-esque channel here in Toronto. I learned that there is much to the craft, it really is art in motion and every little detail counts ... just writing this is making me REALLY excited about pursuing it.

On the other hand, being a journalist is very comfortable for me, seeing as I have been one of the top three students in all journalism writing courses this past year. I enjoy the aspect of being in front of the camera, but have noticed that I enjoy writing the stories as well and I always try to take the risky approach ... telling a story in a way that most of my classmates would not. I know that I can be a successful journalist because it just comes easy, and I am already building some very good connections.

But then again .. directing is something I would love to pursue, and may end up taking night classes/ continuing education to pursue it part time (one class per semester). The thing is, I don't want to waste another year doing something that I may regret. I have no problem with taking chances but at the same time I'm already 22 and have only finished my first year of college.

If anyone has ever been in a similar situation, or can give me some much needed advice it would be greatly appreciated.

PS. I did speak to Kathy Franklin of Lightstorm Entertainment and she gave me her direct LSE address to send her a resume which I did. She told me that they do not take interns but she will forward the resume to HR. I told her that I would be more than willing to come down for a short period of time this summer even to work as a volunteer just to learn some things. I am awaiting her response but would like to know if I have any chance of hearing back from her or if I will just be another resume lying in a pile.

Thanks again, and sorry for the huge post!

[Lumerian Feast]

You're a student? Then, yes, trying screenwriting and directing. Try everything. It's great that you've been a successful journalism student for the last three years, but that's not a binding contract, and it's not something that will comfort you ten years down the road when you're thinking "What if I had..."

Grab a cheap video camera (I'm sure you can check one out from your school), get some friends and your computer and shoot a short film over a weekend. See if you like doing it.

Also, the book you should read for writing features is Blake Snyder's Save The Cat.

[LAHopeful]

Originally Posted by Lumerian Feast

You're a student? Then, yes, trying screenwriting and directing. Try everything. It's great that you've been a successful journalism student for the last three years, but that's not a binding contract, and it's not something that will comfort you ten years down the road when you're thinking "What if I had..."

Grab a cheap video camera (I'm sure you can check one out from your school), get some friends and your computer and shoot a short film over a weekend. See if you like doing it.

Also, the book you should read for writing features is Blake Snyder's Save The Cat.

Thank you so much for the information, I'm just waiting for a concept to materialize in my brain so I can have some thing to work off of.