Filmmaking; Too Outdated to Begin?

January 2020 was the day my dream came true. I made my first film and it was a short one. I was thrilled and delighted to direct and shoot to bring my quota to the creative process. No, I haven't attended a film school and haven't worked on a film set. Although I was on some, one as an observer since my apartment was used as a location. When did it all start for me? Write.

My love for writing started when I was a child. I love reading and listening to stories and then weaving words to tell my own. As a newcomer to the industry, everything was new and had to learn over time. First, I learned that you should do the following to get your script as an option:

1] Get an agent / manager

There is a list of Hollywood managers and agents that you can download from Scriptreaderpro.com. To get an agent, you need to have at least 3 feature-length scripts to prove you're not a one-hit miracle. So I wrote 3 features and a lot of short scripts. A frustration that every writer feels is having a lot of material and not being able to bring it out. It's like you're pregnant forever. After this advice, I asked some agents for inquiries, got some answers, but nothing specific yet. Everyone who has followed this path knows that the wait is long and can be frustrating.

2] Script competitions

There is a list of the best script writing competitions you can enter on studiobinder.com. Competitions such as ScreenCraft, Academy Nicholl Scholarship, Austin Screenwriting Competition, Sundance Script Lab. Most of them cost extra for feedback. Save the Cat script competition does not charge any additional cost for feedback.

3] Make a short film

Script Reader Pro, a website I subscribe to, suggested that one of the best ways to get your foot in the door or take your voice out is to make a short film. It can be a compelling scene from your feature script. Many scripts were purchased using this method, e.g. Whiplash. This can be used as a proof of concept to draw the attention of the powers.

I liked that better. Determining that my stories are good stories, I decided to find a way to do them and get them out there. At that moment a filmmaker was born. The only scary thing is that I made this decision at the age of 46.

This is a business that people start at a very young age. The oldest I heard started in the 30s, but in the late 40s? When does my day come with all the stories about the fights? When will I be a force to be reckoned with? How old will I be if it takes years and years to get there? Do I have a mid-life crisis or is it a phase that passes just like other phases in my life? Who would like to invest in an old black filmmaker who has neither film experience nor a specific role credit?

My background is geology, my education and career path actually says nothing about the filmmaker. If someone had told my younger self that you were going to end up as a filmmaker, she might have laughed so violently that she would blow herself up. In my past there was nothing to suggest that I wanted to make films. One thing I know is that the critic saw in me how I wished I could show people how to do it. what a good story or film should be.

I was happy with the writing and only as a writer I just wanted to write and sell scripts, plays and books. Create scripts both on request and on request; for comedy scripts with deep meaning or some serious scripts about life and supernatural beings to be the right person. All I wanted to do was write, write and write more, write what I did. Landing a book or scripting agent is no small feat, and it is not an option to get it as an option. Although they said that screenwriting competitions are a sure way to get noticed, I decided to explore other options, namely filmmaking and film festivals, because I believe in the power of visuals. People may not get it on paper, but a visual picture gives a better perspective.

My first film was a scholarship, but since it was my hard-earned money, it felt like a million. I got my cast from my Atlanta Film Production Facebook group. They were fun and I got confirmation of my script from your feedback. They loved it and one of them said my script was better than most of the others. How's that for feedback? Yay! The film is finished and now in post production.

To get everything you have to give everything. You need to have a laser focus without turning left or right. I remember the high I had on my first film. It is an exciting experience that only those who live it can really grasp. I want to feel that way all the time and if filmmaking brings me so much, I'm ready to do anything, I'm ready to dream that even at my age it is never too old to be a filmmaker. Watch the world, I'm coming out!

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