inner conflicts - art school, confidence, etc

D

dahl

i started making experimental short films at the age of 13, and fell in love simultaneously with photography and film. during later teen years, i stopped making films as i didn't have any friends interested in participating and working alone got uninspiring, and so naturally i gravitated more towards photography and traditional/digital arts that didn't require any external parties. now in my early 20s (23 next month and having severe anxiety) and having slowly gotten back into filming/editing the past couple years, i've realized that i may have stunted my potential in what could've been my "calling", speaking solely on the basis of passion.

i guess what i'm looking for is a little reassurance that maybe it isn't too late to get into the art and give it the serious attention it always deserved in my life. now that i'm older and out of my "bubble", i see talented young artists creating things that blow me away but leave me feeling a little discouraged or late to the game. i don't have the contacts, experience, the expensive equipment, or the funds; all i have to offer is my undying passion for the art. my question is, is that enough? or am i in way over my head? how do you go about building your confidence as an artist? (million dollar question, i know. probably by starting with not putting my future in the hands of anonymous strangers? ;p )

i look at my idols like wes anderson, a philosophy major, who met owen wilson (an english major) at a college in texas and started writing screenplays together, from which they derived a short film which was later produced into their first full length feature film (bottlerocket 1995). stories like that reassure me that not everyone with vision necessarily started from a young age, and that maybe it isn't too late for me.

my other concern now is art school, or film programs. neither of my parents went to college so i'm sort of on my own as far as figuring out what route i should take. i've taken many art classes at my local community college, and seen presentations from local art schools (Laguna College of Art and Design & Pasadena Art Center) and of course, the idea of attending a film program at a private art school sounds like the romantic creative experience i've always craved, but considering i'll be paying for this endeavor exclusively on my own, i'm not sure if it would benefit me more to go for a state school film program.

thank you in advance for any advice from my experienced peers- it's nice to have found a place full of people who can potentially shed some light on these daunting questions i've been carrying around in my brain all the time
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
In "art" no one cares how old you are. It's all about your portfolio/reel. People are making cooler stuff younger these days because the resources are more readily available. Your skill level is not related to how old you are, but how long you have been doing something.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
photon said:
In "art" no one cares how old you are. It's all about your portfolio/reel. People are making cooler stuff younger these days because the resources are more readily available. Your skill level is not related to how old you are, but how long you have been doing something.
Click to expand...

I both agree and disagree. In the film world at least, this can be both true and untrue. Good, experienced Producers tend to understand that skill level does not correlate with age, but there certainly are those who expect that those who are older are going to be more experienced. Sometimes this is true, but as always there are many times it's not.

As an example, I'm good friends with an older, experienced Producer, who produces multi-million dollar commercials for major international brands. He's more than happy to bring me on as Focus Puller, but he won't hire me as a DP, simply because he won't hire DPs 'younger than 35-40'.
He knows my work is good, but he also asserts that an older, more experienced DP is more 'reliable', and 'less of a risk', regardless of whether their work is better.

I will agree that there's some things only experience can teach.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
“undying passion for the art”

No. That's not enough. Using Anderson as an example; he had
a finished feature script when his short film was noticed. It wasn't
his undying passion for the art, it was an excellent short film and
an excellent feature script. And he was older than you are now when
he made the short.

No. 23 is not to old to start. What you don't mention is what you
want to do. You talk about art, you do not mention what you want
to do. You mention not having equipment. Do you want to be a
director of photography? A writer doesn't need equipment. A director
doesn't need equipment. You're younger than Was Anderson was
when he started. What are you waiting for?

dahl said:
how do you go about building your confidence as an artist?
Click to expand...
Your undying passion for the art isn't enough to motivate you? What
does "undying passion" mean to you?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
dahl said:
the idea of attending a film program at a private art school sounds like the romantic creative experience i've always craved, but considering i'll be paying for this endeavor exclusively on my own, i'm not sure if it would benefit me more to go for a state school film program.
Click to expand...

If you can't afford it, you can't afford it. (It also sounds like you don't really know what to expect from it)

Meanwhile, less gum-flappin' & more doin'. Get out there & make something. :)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
dahl said:
i guess what i'm looking for is a little reassurance that maybe it isn't too late to get into the art and give it the serious attention it always deserved in my life.
Click to expand...

You know what they say - it's never too late to be what you might have been...

But c'mon, 23? That's barely getting started, you've got your whole life ahead of you.

There's plenty of examples of people starting later. I like Wes Anderson, but another favorite of mine is Michael Mann. He went to film school in his 20's, then became a television writer in his 30's. He made his first feature for television at 36, and his breakout theatrical feature at 38 (Thief - just released on Criterion Blu-ray this week, which is awesome). He continued to develop his style in television with Miami Vice from his late 30's to early 40's. His biggest critical & theatrical successes didn't really come until he was in his early to mid-50s, with Last of the Mohicans, Heat and The Insider. Now he's considered one of the greatest modern american directors.

The story of the young filmmaker (or any other artist, really) who breaks out with a brilliant first film is the one that tends to get all the attention. The truth is though that there's a lot of people like Mann though who go the other way - they gradually build a style and skills over a long career and don't really break out into huge success until later in life.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top