To leave or Not to Leave

[dark_reaper]

I currently live on a small Island off of Florida, recently I have been debating whether to leave North East Florida or not. I have been here my entire life. The question is what should I do? I have thought about moving to LA.

One thing I want to do is find a mentor when I leave, I want to become a cinematographer. The question is how.

Thanks

 

[aramikvideo]

How ironic. I'm totally stuck up here in Ohio dreaming of moving my family to Orlando so that I may attend Fullsail. LA is certainly the place to go if possible but the cost of living as a family man scared me to death. I guess what I'm saying is if you can move out there, to LA, that certainly is the heart of the industry.

 

[Bob Kessler]

To leave, or not to leave,
That is the question.

You haven't mentioned what you do. Act? Direct? Technical/Crafts?

What are you leaving? To what are you going? Where else can your talents be marketed and utilized?

L.A. may be the center of the industry, but the competition is fierce and you might end up like 99% of the rest of the wannabes in L.A., waiting tables and feeling that the world is against you.

Think it through carefully, there are many other places to get your career off of the ground.

 

[aramikvideo]

Good point, Uncle Bob. I'd also like to add that although LA is still the heart of things, the digital age is seeing opportunities spring up just about everywhere. As a matter of fact, I read an articale not too long ago that suggested that politicians and others in California are concerned over the brain ( and talent) drain facing the movie capital.

 

[Bob Kessler]

I do audio post production/sound design. I'm located in the NY Tristate area, and yet two of my best, and most fun, projects have been done via the internet and FedEx. One was a short that was shot in London, the director lives and edited in L.A. and the composer was in Boston; I never met either one face to face. The director of my current feature project is in Virginia and the composer is in the UK.

So your location is not as important as your talent and connections. I did sound design for a network cartoon because I maintained contact with a former bandmate. I've picked up a number of projects as referrals from other clients. I work as a pre-production audio consultant and do some location sound as well. I've also been doing some simple editing, mostly setting pictures and video to music (video yearbooks and the like), so don't lock yourself into "this is all I do".

It's very difficult to become the biggest fish in the ocean, but if you're talented and work hard you can become the biggest fish in your local pond. The experience and reputation you gain can give you what you need to survive if you ever decide to migrate in the ocean.

 

[dark_reaper]

How ironic. I'm totally stuck up here in Ohio dreaming of moving my family to Orlando so that I may attend Fullsail. LA is certainly the place to go if possible but the cost of living as a family man scared me to death. I guess what I'm saying is if you can move out there, to LA, that certainly is the heart of the industry.

Full sail is a good school if you lack experience, I know a few people that graduated from there, and yet I am better than some of them. Orlando is a nice place if you can cope with the traffic.

and to unclebob's question, I am currently a videographer, and a lighting director for some local tv shows and videos. I have been doing Videography for three years now as a freelance. My goal is to become a cinematographer and gain more experience with HD. I have also consider living in places like Chicago, and Seattle and a couple of other cities, the question is when and where for me.

 

[aramikvideo]

It all still comes down to the individual, i guess. The school certainly doesn't make the filmmaker. They can teach the technical stuff but it still boils down to talent. I enjoy editing and am self taught but have had people in the industry tell me my pacing is good and very natural.

I liked the idea of a school like Fullsail versus the traditional 4 year school due to the emphasis of hands on experience versus theory. It's all a matter of personal preference of course but everyone I talk to stresses skills, skills and more skills.