We moved to CA from NH for my wife's education in 2003 and then stayed for her (dream) job down here in SoCal and never imagined we'd be living as close as we do to LA. Not sure we'll ever move back "home", the weather here is just too amazing. Although we find ourselves coveting the home prices in the northeast. Still, it's all about making the most of where you are.
To move or not to move; what would you do?
- Thread starter Cracker Funk
- Start date
If you don't go to LA, you will always wonder what if . . .
Your current location weighs into the decision. Would I move from Oregon to LA. No way. But if I lived in Dallas, TX, I'd already have the station wagon loaded up. What is Richmond to you?
Your current location weighs into the decision. Would I move from Oregon to LA. No way. But if I lived in Dallas, TX, I'd already have the station wagon loaded up. What is Richmond to you?
I have a friend from my High School that has made it in Hollywood. He is pulling focus on films and is a A.C. I seen him in a photo once with Jessica Alba and thought man this guy has made it.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3579769/
I believe how he did it was that he moved to holliwood after getting a lot of experience in Denver. He had maybe a few contacts in LA. Moved there made more contacts and worked on anything he could. Now he is doing real well.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3579769/
I believe how he did it was that he moved to holliwood after getting a lot of experience in Denver. He had maybe a few contacts in LA. Moved there made more contacts and worked on anything he could. Now he is doing real well.
My absolute bare minimum cost of living per month is $1200. What's yours.
Mine includes:
370 Rent
xxx..Electricity (included in rent)
xxx..Water(included in rent)
030 Gas-house
160 Gas-car
045 Cell phone
075 Net/phone
085 Insurance-car x2
433 Food
$1198
and no I don't live in government housing.
Hmmm, I take it back, I guess it is somewhat expensive if you live by yourself in LA. But cities close to LA aren't very expensive though i.e San Bernardino County. You don't have to live in LA, there's other cities close by. But luckily I had a roommate. Your rents too low, how many people did you live with?
He's in Texas.
But my rent is 795.00 for a cubby hole in West LA.
That's just rent, by myself. Haven't gotten to utilities, phone, insurance, and food.
I'd say if your #1 goal is to make the next feature, stick around Richmond and knock one out of the park. You have the momentum of Antihero behind you, a tight group of collaborators at the ready, and relatively no overhead. A move to L.A. would, IMO, set you back financially and it would take a shit load of time before getting a new feature off the ground.
That said, if being in and around the business seems appealing to you, then making the move is the only way to know for sure.
CF love ya, but I think your making a mistake NOT making films now. You can do another project , 10X the production value of Antihero for just a bit more money. Putting off making another film until the stars are aligned just right sounds a bit like planning for failure.
Moving to LA will neither help nor hinder, you're a grown up, you have skills to earn a living, so you'll survive..
Speaking from personal experience here, so Im probably projecting onto you.. but on the off chance that you find this useful here ya go..
Chances are you will put your self in the same exact situations regardless of where you live. Its who you are and who you chose to associate with that determines your success. Its easy to think, "if I just move to a new city I can start over with the relationships or remake myself..." but it never works, we find the same sorta of people we know now, we find the same situations becuase its "we" who haven't changed.. you want to change your circumstances, change your self first.
Moving to LA will neither help nor hinder, you're a grown up, you have skills to earn a living, so you'll survive..
Speaking from personal experience here, so Im probably projecting onto you.. but on the off chance that you find this useful here ya go..
Chances are you will put your self in the same exact situations regardless of where you live. Its who you are and who you chose to associate with that determines your success. Its easy to think, "if I just move to a new city I can start over with the relationships or remake myself..." but it never works, we find the same sorta of people we know now, we find the same situations becuase its "we" who haven't changed.. you want to change your circumstances, change your self first.
That explains why his rent is so low. I was shocked when he put $370. I thought he was living with 3 people in some cramped, cancer causing, dilapidated building in Downtown LA. It's pretty hard living by yourself; I realized it after I posted my first comment.
EDIT: Never lived by myself, but I would imagine paying the rent alone would cripple me financially.
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The only reason I would see for you to leave Richmond (right now) would be if, let's say you got the money and offered 150 bucks a day each for a sound man and DP, plus money for paying actors, but simply could not find any. Even then I would not go to LA, but, like Murdock suggested to a city that has a film community but isn't over-saturated. If you can get pro's for $$ where you live now, it would probably be even easier to get that film made (see previous folks' posts about location costs, etc. in LA.)
I've heard that Austin has a nice film community. Vancouver would be a great place to find work, but that opens up a whole other complicated can-o-worms with work visas etc. Also.. ahem... Chicago would be a nice middle ground. You could make bank as a bar tender here, cost of living is low, quality of life is great (except maybe in January, lol), and there's a large film community(including lots of talented actors) if you know where to look.
Also, in cities that don't happen to be New York or LA(is LA even a city?), you can get some nice publicity in alternative newspapers by being the local guy doing the local thing. Just try and do the same thing on the coasts...
I've heard that Austin has a nice film community. Vancouver would be a great place to find work, but that opens up a whole other complicated can-o-worms with work visas etc. Also.. ahem... Chicago would be a nice middle ground. You could make bank as a bar tender here, cost of living is low, quality of life is great (except maybe in January, lol), and there's a large film community(including lots of talented actors) if you know where to look.
Also, in cities that don't happen to be New York or LA(is LA even a city?), you can get some nice publicity in alternative newspapers by being the local guy doing the local thing. Just try and do the same thing on the coasts...
Yep I agree with Dready and the rest of the gang.
I hear nothing but good things about filmmaking in Austin and, having spent some time working there this summer, Vancouver has a great film community. I actually went straight from Vancouver to LA and the difference is amazing- I don't think there's much chance of getting lost in the jungle of BC.
Or come to London!
I hear nothing but good things about filmmaking in Austin and, having spent some time working there this summer, Vancouver has a great film community. I actually went straight from Vancouver to LA and the difference is amazing- I don't think there's much chance of getting lost in the jungle of BC.
Or come to London!
Heh heh. Interesting...
Richmond in Top Ten Cities for Filmmakers
http://www.film.virginia.org/news_pub/News_Documents/Richmond Top Ten.pdf
http://www.film.virginia.org/
http://www.film.virginia.org/for_virginians/independent.aspx
http://www.virginiafilmfestival.org/
Seems like a happening place! (or at least they make it out to be)
Richmond in Top Ten Cities for Filmmakers
http://www.film.virginia.org/news_pub/News_Documents/Richmond Top Ten.pdf
http://www.film.virginia.org/
http://www.film.virginia.org/for_virginians/independent.aspx
http://www.virginiafilmfestival.org/
Seems like a happening place! (or at least they make it out to be)
Not cost of living in CA, cost of filmmaking in LA specifically.
Everyone and their freaking brother has had some sort of contact with the industry at one time or another. Locations know how much money they can get from a production and simply cost more than they do in places less familiar with the game. Just the first example that comes to mind.
But yeah, while we're on the subject it is pretty expensive here in general.
My bills living in CA:
1750 rent for a 2 bedroom apartment, located in the "illiterate" section of town.
600 power and gas (varies on CGI output, which can draw up to $50 extra a day)
Phone 60
food 800 (and I'm thinning)
internet 60
Air conditioners burn out every 2 years so $50 cooling a month averaged out.
Corona $8 a bottle
Coke $4 a glass, tip expected.
Pizza $60 for 2 large pizzas delivered
Date with dinner bar and movie for 2, around $200
Refill gas tank: $55
Front Yard $1 million dollars
small "American dream home" with 3 bedrooms 2 bath, 1 story. $600,000
My monthly overhead, without doing any recreational activities whatsoever, comes out to about $3200 a month, with random expenses hitting about another 600.
At my income, I have to spend most days at home, as I am not welcome in my town with just a $20 bill to spend. This is a trust fund town, and most teenagers here have more money in allowance than I have to spare per week. It is a harsh, almost inhuman environment, and I'd say you'd be better off almost anywhere else until you have some stability, and some marketability. California isn't a training camp, it's the Superbowl.
Positive side: you can break $30 an hour from tips working at an olive garden here. There are people and jobs that pay out huge sums of money. You gain a disproportionately large amount of street cred by just maintaining an address here.
1750 rent for a 2 bedroom apartment, located in the "illiterate" section of town.
600 power and gas (varies on CGI output, which can draw up to $50 extra a day)
Phone 60
food 800 (and I'm thinning)
internet 60
Air conditioners burn out every 2 years so $50 cooling a month averaged out.
Corona $8 a bottle
Coke $4 a glass, tip expected.
Pizza $60 for 2 large pizzas delivered
Date with dinner bar and movie for 2, around $200
Refill gas tank: $55
Front Yard $1 million dollars
small "American dream home" with 3 bedrooms 2 bath, 1 story. $600,000
My monthly overhead, without doing any recreational activities whatsoever, comes out to about $3200 a month, with random expenses hitting about another 600.
At my income, I have to spend most days at home, as I am not welcome in my town with just a $20 bill to spend. This is a trust fund town, and most teenagers here have more money in allowance than I have to spare per week. It is a harsh, almost inhuman environment, and I'd say you'd be better off almost anywhere else until you have some stability, and some marketability. California isn't a training camp, it's the Superbowl.
Positive side: you can break $30 an hour from tips working at an olive garden here. There are people and jobs that pay out huge sums of money. You gain a disproportionately large amount of street cred by just maintaining an address here.
Dude, I also live in one of the most expensive cities on earth, and I have to say that you are shopping at the wrong places!
Even here in London (and I live pretty much smack in the middle) I can get two large pizzas for about £13. And Corona??? You can get a 12 pack for £13. Obviously more expensive in bars/pubs but a.) You ought to be drinking a more manly beer anyway and b.) It's still not £6 each!!!
Man, I love me some pedantry.
But seriously, CF, if these prices are all right then you best be heading East asap.
Dude, I also live in one of the most expensive cities on earth, and I have to say that you are shopping at the wrong places!
Even here in London (and I live pretty much smack in the middle) I can get two large pizzas for about £13. And Corona??? You can get a 12 pack for £13. Obviously more expensive in bars/pubs but a.) You ought to be drinking a more manly beer anyway and b.) It's still not £6 each!!!
Man, I love me some pedantry.
But seriously, CF, if these prices are all right then you best be heading East asap.
Yeah those prices are pretty ridiculous. Hahaha. I mean it's an extra 50 cents for a coke from the machine.
If you're spending 4 dollars on a coke then you're just not managing money well. lolol
In LA you will need a film permit to film in public areas from my understanding. But in other states that my not the be the case. I think each town has laws on it if there are any.
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ok the $4 coke is only at higher end resturaunts and bars. you can Still buy a 2 liter from safeway for 3 bucks. a single can of coke from an area store can be over 2 bucks.
The cheapest pizza in town is pizza hut, at around 35+tip+$5 delivery so 45. For some reason this is how much 2 "$10" pizzas they advertise cost.
I was at a restaurant for a meeting once, and just asked for a coke. It was $6, and I gave the waitress a $20. She started to walk away, and I said "Where's my change?" She looked at me like she had just licked the inside of a dumpster and basically threw my change at the table. The girl that brought me there told me they expected very high tips.
I came from a town where you could throw a warehouse party for 200 people for $180
Now I can hardly afford to meet a person. I want to go see antihero, but I don't know if I can even cover a road trip in state. Maybe I'll take a bus down there.
The cheapest pizza in town is pizza hut, at around 35+tip+$5 delivery so 45. For some reason this is how much 2 "$10" pizzas they advertise cost.
I was at a restaurant for a meeting once, and just asked for a coke. It was $6, and I gave the waitress a $20. She started to walk away, and I said "Where's my change?" She looked at me like she had just licked the inside of a dumpster and basically threw my change at the table. The girl that brought me there told me they expected very high tips.
I came from a town where you could throw a warehouse party for 200 people for $180
Now I can hardly afford to meet a person. I want to go see antihero, but I don't know if I can even cover a road trip in state. Maybe I'll take a bus down there.
It depends. In many areas, such as Metro Detroit, you'll need a permit, though if you're going handheld without anything set on the ground you should be fine.
lol this is a joke right? (I live in Cali)
EDIT: I retracted my earlier statement, and I admitted it's somewhat difficult to live here by yourself, but you're post is ridiculous. If you're joking wow. If not then I'm sorry man, but you're getting ripped off. My brother's house payment isn't even $1700. My parents house payment is $1400. And you're living in an apartment. Pizza $60? little ceasars (pizza) is $5, even local pizza places are cheap.
EDIT: After the housing bubble property value dropped significantly. My dads 2nd home dropped in value from $600,000 to $250,000 it was 2 story, 5 bedrooms, 3 baths, a guest room, forgot what they called it and it was about 4,000 sq ft!!!!
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