I have wanted to be a movie director since I was very little. Movie directing has been basically a lifelong dream. I don't know how I decided that I wanted to direct movies in the first place – I just knew. I would go to the movies with my parents as a little kid, and whenever something exciting happened I would say “I want to do that”. At first, my parents thought that I meant that I wanted to do what the characters were doing. When they saw that I would say that about every single thing that happened in a movie I was enjoying, they realized what I meant. They understood that I wanted to be a movie director.
Unfortunately, I never looked into how to become a movie director before I went to college. If I had, I might have been discouraged. You see, getting a degree from film school is only the very start of it. Although you are technically qualified to direct movies, no one will hire you without years and years of experience. You see, everyone wants to be the film director. For the first several years after you graduate from film school, you have to be used to the idea that Hollywood is crowded with people much more qualified than you are to direct movies. Getting hired as a movie's director can take years and years of hard work, building connections and running around as a gopher on various film sets.
In my case, it was about three years before I got to contribute any editorial input to a movie production. Up until that point, I was doing pretty menial jobs. I would help set up the sets, run errands, arrange meetings – that kind of thing. I almost despaired and decided to call it quits. Three years of work, and I was no are closer to a film director job. Then things started to turn around for me.
Don't misunderstand me – I am still not a movie director. As a matter of fact, I am still probably a few years away from movie directing. Nonetheless, I have advanced to the point where I feel like I can make my mark on movies to some degree. Whether or not I become a movie director, I definitely have more creative input than I ever had before. Maybe it is just a matter of time at this point.
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