Writer Filmmaker and Actor!?

Question

This is what I want to do when I get older BUT! Although I already live in LA I don't really want to go Hollywood I want to write my own films and have my own crew and act in my own movies.... Is this hard to do? What do I take up in school? Am I being selfish?

Answer 1

Selfish? Why is that selfish? I mean, it's not altruistic, but it's not selfish. It's just a choice.

It is VERY hard to do what you want to do, and to be successful at it. Very few filmmakers, actors, or writers are able to even support themselves by working in their field, never mind being able to do it all by themselves, as you describe. But some do. Kevin Smith, for example, hit it big with Clerks, which he funded on his credit cards and filmed in black and white, writing it, directing it, and also having a small role in it. So if that's your goal, then great, but know that you may also chose to work for other people, and if you do so, then that's okay, too.

Most people who are interested in what you're interested in major in film in college, or in theater. You could also just major in screenwriting, but a broader film major would probably be better suited to what you want. And the best film schools in the US are UCLA, USC, and NYU. UCLA and USC are both in Los Angeles, and because UCLA is a UC, it'd be very cheap for you to attend, if you could get in.

You may want to have a look at the UCLA web page, and find out what they want in a portfolio for someone applying to their film school. Learn what they want, and then get yourself the training and knowledge you need when still in school so you can have that portfolio when the time comes to apply.