New Orleans has the nick name of "Hollywood South". There are numerous movies being shot here on any given day.
To move or not to move; what would you do?
- Thread starter Cracker Funk
- Start date
I call BS. Unless you mean, 4000 sq ft, or $60,000,000 dropped to $25,000,000.
One or the other.EDIT: I did make a huge mistake in sq ft haha. Some times I read numbers weird. It still pretty big though haha.I call BS. Unless you mean, 4000 sq ft, or $60,000,000 dropped to $25,000,000.
Want proof?
Here's a Realtor listing but it's not accurate. It was bought for about $575,000, not $422,000 my dad bought the home when it was made in 06 or 07, don't remember. And after the housing bubble it dropped below $250,000. It says last assessed $250,000 but sold for $175,000 - $200,000 not sure. The Sq ft, could have sworn it was 4,000 sq ft or more, but the listing says 3,660 sq ft. It is 5 bed, 3 bath, 1 guest room or whatever they call them.
http://www.realtor.com/property-detail/19142-June-St_Hesperia_CA_92345_9cab8206
Last edited:
That's more realistic.
but 40,000 sq ft. I was going to ask who's your dad, Wayne Newton? That's more realistic.
Haha, yeah, I screwed up badly I was off by thirty-six thousand square feet, but 4,000 sq ft is still pretty big. Average house that I've seen is about 1300 sq ft - 2,000 sq ft. Some houses are bigger, but most are smaller than 1700 sq ft. (San Bernardino county)
Last edited:
Holy crap, this thread blew up. I was NOT expecting that. I also wasn't expecting such a seemingly-anti-LA bias. I'm really glad I asked this question, because there have definitely been a couple things mentioned that I hadn't previously thought of. Additionally, this conversation got me thinking about a couple other things that are personally very relavent to the end-goal.
First, a lot of people have mentioned cost-of-living. Sorry, I should've mentioned in my OP that I'm well aware of the differences. I lived in Palo Alto, CA, for a few years, both as a child and as an adult, and Silicone Valley is just about as high cost-of-living as you can get. So, yeah, that's been taken into consideration, a long time ago. I'm an experienced bartender; I can make a go of it, in any city in the world (not being cocky, that's just the truth).
I think I should reiterate that the only goal worth considering is making the next feature, and I need a real crew this time. I'm not trying to get out of Richmond; this city is kind of awesome, believe it or not. I will, eventually, be moving back West, cuz that's my roots and I want to be closer to family. So, although I do appreciate all the mentions of Austin, Chicago, and London, etc., I'm rather secure in my decision that LA will be my next place of residence. And by "LA", of course I mean Greater Metropolitan Area of Los Angeles, which includes about 5 million cities.
Also, I should mention that I'm simply not willing to move to LA to do the working-your-way-up-the-ladder thing. A few years ago, I was very seriously considering becoming a professional PA, and seeing where that could take me. But I'm old (35). I don't have the energy to start at the bottom. I'd much rather keep my "day job" and try to break into the big leagues by making a kick-ass feature that everyone and their momma wants to see.
As far as aligning myself with a talented DP and sound guy are concerned, I think I should re-explain my logic. Yeah, there are talented people at these positions, everywhere. Even if I couldn't find one in Richmond, I'd only have to go as far as DC to reach a huge pool of excellent talent. However, that's only if I'm going to be paying regular salaries.
My thoughts on going to LA were hoping that, with these two very important positions, I might be able to circumvent having to pay regular salaries, and find a couple people who'd be willing to join my team with no promise of real pay. Hypothetically, you could find a partnership like that, anywhere. However, I think we can all agree that real networking is done face-to-face.
In Richmond, there are plenty of professional filmmakers. And they're all assholes. Seriously. Every single one of them. They won't talk to a dude like me. I've tried. I gave up on them (and it's not just me; I've had friends relay similar experiences). They have this old-boy network that they stick with, and they keep making their shitty civil-war documentaries that end up on the History Channel. The latest "major" feature to come out of Richmond is a horrible movie. Even the producer admits that the movie sucks ass. But he won't talk to me. Literally. The producer of a shitty straight-to-DVD movie won't even talk to me. And I am using the word "literally", literally.
The people I'm hoping to network with aren't professionals, but those who are in my same shoes. People who are making a major effort to break into the business, people who are willing to take risks, people who are always looking out for talented co-collaborators. Where am I going to find those people?
Think about it this way -- if you were a gay man, in the 1980's, where would you have your best chance for finding a soul-mate? San Francisco, of course! It's a simple numbers game. In the same respect, I just figured that there would be WAY more people in LA who are in the exact same shoes as I am, who are looking for someone to align themselves with. There are plenty of filmmakers in Richmond, but they're all making shorts, and music videos. I want to meet some filmmakers with some balls!
One thing I hadn't considered, however, is the fact that everyone wants to be director. Thanks, directorik, for pointing that out. That may be reason #1 for me to stay where I am. Because, really, I'm looking for a sound-guy, and a DP, and I'm (wishfully) hoping to find ones who believe in the project enough to sacrifice their time, just as I am, without promise of anything more than co-producer status, and equal share of any potential future gains.
But if everyone wants to be director, and the few people who prefer the positions of sound and cinematography are generally looking for a real paycheck, then obviously supply/demand kind of screws up my hopeful strategy. I may just have to accept having to hire these very important positions, and if that's the case, I can hire them anywhere.
A couple of side-notes I'd like to address:
@2001 -- Do it!!!
@wheatgrinder -- I don't think you were projecting, at all. That's just sage advice, and I agree, 100%, that a move to a new city should not be considered any kind of clean slate, cuz the one thing that is constant is you.
@cost-of-living -- Just to satiate your curiosity, I pay $725/mo, for a 2-bedroom house. The house is rather small, actually, better to think of it like a 2-bedroom apartment. Except I don't have to share any walls with any neighbors, and I have a rather large fenced-yard for my two pups. The neighborhood is semi-ghetto, but centrally-located, with tons of awesomeness within very short distance.
Cheers!
First, a lot of people have mentioned cost-of-living. Sorry, I should've mentioned in my OP that I'm well aware of the differences. I lived in Palo Alto, CA, for a few years, both as a child and as an adult, and Silicone Valley is just about as high cost-of-living as you can get. So, yeah, that's been taken into consideration, a long time ago. I'm an experienced bartender; I can make a go of it, in any city in the world (not being cocky, that's just the truth).
I think I should reiterate that the only goal worth considering is making the next feature, and I need a real crew this time. I'm not trying to get out of Richmond; this city is kind of awesome, believe it or not. I will, eventually, be moving back West, cuz that's my roots and I want to be closer to family. So, although I do appreciate all the mentions of Austin, Chicago, and London, etc., I'm rather secure in my decision that LA will be my next place of residence. And by "LA", of course I mean Greater Metropolitan Area of Los Angeles, which includes about 5 million cities.
Also, I should mention that I'm simply not willing to move to LA to do the working-your-way-up-the-ladder thing. A few years ago, I was very seriously considering becoming a professional PA, and seeing where that could take me. But I'm old (35). I don't have the energy to start at the bottom. I'd much rather keep my "day job" and try to break into the big leagues by making a kick-ass feature that everyone and their momma wants to see.
As far as aligning myself with a talented DP and sound guy are concerned, I think I should re-explain my logic. Yeah, there are talented people at these positions, everywhere. Even if I couldn't find one in Richmond, I'd only have to go as far as DC to reach a huge pool of excellent talent. However, that's only if I'm going to be paying regular salaries.
My thoughts on going to LA were hoping that, with these two very important positions, I might be able to circumvent having to pay regular salaries, and find a couple people who'd be willing to join my team with no promise of real pay. Hypothetically, you could find a partnership like that, anywhere. However, I think we can all agree that real networking is done face-to-face.
In Richmond, there are plenty of professional filmmakers. And they're all assholes. Seriously. Every single one of them. They won't talk to a dude like me. I've tried. I gave up on them (and it's not just me; I've had friends relay similar experiences). They have this old-boy network that they stick with, and they keep making their shitty civil-war documentaries that end up on the History Channel. The latest "major" feature to come out of Richmond is a horrible movie. Even the producer admits that the movie sucks ass. But he won't talk to me. Literally. The producer of a shitty straight-to-DVD movie won't even talk to me. And I am using the word "literally", literally.
The people I'm hoping to network with aren't professionals, but those who are in my same shoes. People who are making a major effort to break into the business, people who are willing to take risks, people who are always looking out for talented co-collaborators. Where am I going to find those people?
Think about it this way -- if you were a gay man, in the 1980's, where would you have your best chance for finding a soul-mate? San Francisco, of course! It's a simple numbers game. In the same respect, I just figured that there would be WAY more people in LA who are in the exact same shoes as I am, who are looking for someone to align themselves with. There are plenty of filmmakers in Richmond, but they're all making shorts, and music videos. I want to meet some filmmakers with some balls!
One thing I hadn't considered, however, is the fact that everyone wants to be director. Thanks, directorik, for pointing that out. That may be reason #1 for me to stay where I am. Because, really, I'm looking for a sound-guy, and a DP, and I'm (wishfully) hoping to find ones who believe in the project enough to sacrifice their time, just as I am, without promise of anything more than co-producer status, and equal share of any potential future gains.
But if everyone wants to be director, and the few people who prefer the positions of sound and cinematography are generally looking for a real paycheck, then obviously supply/demand kind of screws up my hopeful strategy. I may just have to accept having to hire these very important positions, and if that's the case, I can hire them anywhere.
A couple of side-notes I'd like to address:
@2001 -- Do it!!!
@wheatgrinder -- I don't think you were projecting, at all. That's just sage advice, and I agree, 100%, that a move to a new city should not be considered any kind of clean slate, cuz the one thing that is constant is you.
@cost-of-living -- Just to satiate your curiosity, I pay $725/mo, for a 2-bedroom house. The house is rather small, actually, better to think of it like a 2-bedroom apartment. Except I don't have to share any walls with any neighbors, and I have a rather large fenced-yard for my two pups. The neighborhood is semi-ghetto, but centrally-located, with tons of awesomeness within very short distance.
Cheers!
Last edited:
Not that you cannot find people like that here in LA. Just go in
knowing that there are 10,000 directors looking through the 1,000
DP and sound guys. And the 1,000 DP and sound guys really want a
pay day - not a co-producer credit. The good ones get hit up often
by directors hoping they will believe in the project enough to
sacrifice their time.
On the positive side - those people are out there. With the right
project and a LOT of work finding them, it can happen.
And back on the cautious side: be careful about using the "equal
share of any potential future gains" line. Those of us working in
LA hear that a dozen times a month. I am not exaggerating. And
those of us working in LA know the odds better than most. People
are willing to work for free for a person they like on a project
they like. My suggestion when you get out here is to keep your
request to that.
On another note, I am really surprised by the anti-Los Angeles
feelings here. Especially from the people who do not live here. I
love living here. Of course the cost of living is high - isn't it
high in all big cities? Is it higher here than in any other big
city?
Yes. For example I pay 950 for a ~1,000sqft, 2 bedroom apartment. Which technically is 475 for me since I live with my boyfriend. Heat and water included. ComEd ends up being about 35 a month. Ample easy parking, safe neighborhood. And while I'm not downtown or in a very 'hip' neighborhood, a 15 minute walk gets me to a mom-and-pop store of anything I could need/want.
Now, maybe that's pretty close to what you pay. I wouldn't know. But whenever I've done research by conventional (read: internet searches) means, I've never found anything close to that deal in metro LA.
Quite comparable.
$100 less per month, 950sqft, 1 bedroom. No parking, safe
neighboorhood, not “hip” (working class mostly Armenian “oldsters”
and Hispanic families). Walking distance to mom-and-pop stores,
mom-and-pop coffee places, mom-and-pop restaurants. Walking
distance to major movie houses (important to me) and three
studios; Paramount, Hollywood Center Studios and Sunset/Gower
Studios.
A 15 minute walk gets me to Griffith Park - 4,310 acres, the LA
Subway, the Chinese Theater and more, great independent
restaurants, bars and stores.
$100 less per month, 950sqft, 1 bedroom. No parking, safe
neighboorhood, not “hip” (working class mostly Armenian “oldsters”
and Hispanic families). Walking distance to mom-and-pop stores,
mom-and-pop coffee places, mom-and-pop restaurants. Walking
distance to major movie houses (important to me) and three
studios; Paramount, Hollywood Center Studios and Sunset/Gower
Studios.
A 15 minute walk gets me to Griffith Park - 4,310 acres, the LA
Subway, the Chinese Theater and more, great independent
restaurants, bars and stores.
Very cool. So apparently it can be done
Add in how great the weather is, and you've probably got the better deal there
Add in how great the weather is, and you've probably got the better deal there
Don't move Cracker. I worked in LA for almost three years. I was lucky I had a great job at the time. I made my first film right before I left LA. I got to meet some actors. Man, their lives were hard. I felt bad for all the actors and PA's who helped me. One of them lived out of his car. It was crazy. The deal was that I wasn't going to pay anybody. But I felt so bad for one of the actor's living situation, that I paid him.
I've been doing this filmmaking stuff seriously for almost two years now (don't ask me what I did before. Long story. But it helped put money in my bank so I can do this now). I agree with you. Filmmakers are assholes. Also wannabe filmmakers are living in some la la land, where they're all going after the egg as one of 16million sperm. It's not a strategy. It's not an executable plan. We're all in this game where we think we're going to make it if we just stick to it long enough, if we go to LA, if somebody could just see our talent.
I'm coming to the conclusion that these are all lies. I'm not sure what the plan is either. Every hope I get seems too fleeting and then I move on to something else. I'm lucky I can finance my life. I don't know how other people do it.
You gotta build something up man. It's going to be very difficult to do it in LA. It's not going to be easy in Richmond either. But it's probably going to be a little easier. At least you have your house. Build from there. It's going to be hard to get a group of filmmakers to see your vision, because we all think we're special. But I'm trying hard. Some people seem to believe in me enough to show up every time I do something. But it's all for nothing unless you actually make it.
I'm in my mid 30s myself. I've got some words of advice, but it'll take too long to write, and it will be angry, and you probably won't read it anyway. But don't go to LA now. Go to LA with something, not with nothing. Do some project you can market, hopefully a feature and then go maybe, but not now.
Good Luck my friend. Sometimes my heart breaks for people like ourselves.
Aveek
I've been doing this filmmaking stuff seriously for almost two years now (don't ask me what I did before. Long story. But it helped put money in my bank so I can do this now). I agree with you. Filmmakers are assholes. Also wannabe filmmakers are living in some la la land, where they're all going after the egg as one of 16million sperm. It's not a strategy. It's not an executable plan. We're all in this game where we think we're going to make it if we just stick to it long enough, if we go to LA, if somebody could just see our talent.
I'm coming to the conclusion that these are all lies. I'm not sure what the plan is either. Every hope I get seems too fleeting and then I move on to something else. I'm lucky I can finance my life. I don't know how other people do it.
You gotta build something up man. It's going to be very difficult to do it in LA. It's not going to be easy in Richmond either. But it's probably going to be a little easier. At least you have your house. Build from there. It's going to be hard to get a group of filmmakers to see your vision, because we all think we're special. But I'm trying hard. Some people seem to believe in me enough to show up every time I do something. But it's all for nothing unless you actually make it.
I'm in my mid 30s myself. I've got some words of advice, but it'll take too long to write, and it will be angry, and you probably won't read it anyway. But don't go to LA now. Go to LA with something, not with nothing. Do some project you can market, hopefully a feature and then go maybe, but not now.
Good Luck my friend. Sometimes my heart breaks for people like ourselves.
Aveek
@Aveek, I would totally read your angry rant, if you wanted to write it. However, I'll take the advice you gave, above, to heart as well. Cheers.
@directorik, I was surprised to see the overwhelming advice to stay in Richmond, from the perspective of trying to complete the 2nd feature. I'm not surprised, though, to see a lot of people hating on LA, in general. The city has got a bum rep. I actually like SoCal, but I understand why many people criticize it. Mainly, I think it's the fact that it is a never-ending suburb. But what's weird is that there's not really an urban area.
Yeah, there's downtown Los Angeles, but how many people living in SoCal actually ever go there, except for the very few people who work downtown? So, it's like SoCal is a gigantic suburb, without a real city, sort of. Whatever. I mostly grew up in suburbs; they ain't so bad.
I'll be moving there, eventually, but I've heard some convincing arguments in this thread to make the movie first, and at the moment, I'm definitely being swayed in that direction.
@directorik, I was surprised to see the overwhelming advice to stay in Richmond, from the perspective of trying to complete the 2nd feature. I'm not surprised, though, to see a lot of people hating on LA, in general. The city has got a bum rep. I actually like SoCal, but I understand why many people criticize it. Mainly, I think it's the fact that it is a never-ending suburb. But what's weird is that there's not really an urban area.
Yeah, there's downtown Los Angeles, but how many people living in SoCal actually ever go there, except for the very few people who work downtown? So, it's like SoCal is a gigantic suburb, without a real city, sort of. Whatever. I mostly grew up in suburbs; they ain't so bad.
I'll be moving there, eventually, but I've heard some convincing arguments in this thread to make the movie first, and at the moment, I'm definitely being swayed in that direction.
Well, if there's any info that should sway you it would be Rik's and Aveek's. Aside from cost of living, just strictly on the logistics and probability factor, you're still up a nasty creek without a paddle unless you already know people here.
I don't know of any DP's, Sound guys, etc that are looking to help other people fund movies, but I do know that Rik's right about there being people in the department head positions that are willing to work near-to-free for the right project. If you can prove that you create something they want to show on their reel or use as a tool to get themselves more work, you won't have too much trouble finding someone to work with you.
The reality of it is, though, you seriously have to prove that... which means having some sort of body of work that people would pay to watch (or hire to create more of.)
You could probably build that in Richmond first, and feature three would be your big deal when you move out this way. It's the most sane idea... and on the other hand, sane also means safe...
... no risk, no reward .. >:]
I don't know of any DP's, Sound guys, etc that are looking to help other people fund movies, but I do know that Rik's right about there being people in the department head positions that are willing to work near-to-free for the right project. If you can prove that you create something they want to show on their reel or use as a tool to get themselves more work, you won't have too much trouble finding someone to work with you.
The reality of it is, though, you seriously have to prove that... which means having some sort of body of work that people would pay to watch (or hire to create more of.)
You could probably build that in Richmond first, and feature three would be your big deal when you move out this way. It's the most sane idea... and on the other hand, sane also means safe...
... no risk, no reward .. >:]
Thanks, man. Actually, since you mention "safe", that was exactly what crossed my mind, earlier today. Make the feature here, make the feature there, it can be done, either way. The question I originally asked was which would get it done, faster. However, there's also the question of which will get it done, with less risk.
Staying in Richmond to make the next feature is definitely the least risky of the two scenarios. In this case, however, I don't think the addage "no risk, no reward" applies, because the very act of making a feature film is incredibly risky, demanding such a huge investment of time and money.
BTW, I'd still like to pick your brain, regarding "Superseeds". I was hoping I could do that, face-to-face, in Vancouver, but my family needed to get back to Seattle, so I couldn't stay. So, expect a PM with some questions in the next few days.
Cheers!
Okay, here you go. Start making porn to fund you other stuff?? You could definitely do that in LA.
You can do that anywhere!
Except for Virginia, because filming porn is illegal here. Don't ask me how I know that, cuz it's not like I've actually contemplated doing it, or anything like that, why would you say that? What are you accusing me of?!
Since I dunno what your next feature is or the budget, I can only generalize that in your case, Richmond is the fastest and least bloodiest path to a solid feature film. I suppose, though, at thirty-five you have to weigh many more options.
I think at that age (which actually isn't old,but I feel old as hell at my own age) I would consider heavily the same things.
The other reason I'd vote for VA, although I can't recall ever doing much more than driving through, is for locations. There must be more interesting, and nearly free locations that you can use where you're at or nearby. That alone adds serious production value on screen.
I'm struggling with the thought of needing a two story home for the next shoot. The budget isn't much more than Superseeds is and the house has to have serious character being that it's the only location in the entire feature.
Could I throw a rock in Richmond and hit five different interesting homes? Haha... serious question though.........
All good. Not sure how much help I'll be but go for it.
OMG, you have no idea! Everything is so new, out West. In Richmond, we've got all these plantation-style houses, all over the place. Simply gorgeous.
Hmmh. I just want to balance out this argument a little. I live in London in a small house in an unfashionable area. London living makes LA look like Tokey, Kansas. 4,000 sq feet within the M25 would cost at least $1m USD in the worst, hellhole area in London, say Tottenham (where the riots started).
In London, you have to pay big numbers just to stay alive but the reality is you can earn big numbers. Sure, there is vastly more competition for any job but that's the gamble. You gotta bet big to earn big.
Sure, early on I lived on tuna, pasta and sweetcorn - a pizza was an impossible luxury - unimaginable. But the starvation literally made me hungry. I wanted to be successful and I was one year from becoming a dollar millionaire in cash and assets... and then gave half of it to my ex-wife when she divorced me... oh well, it was fun while it lasted.
However, the moral of the story is you have to bet big to win big and remember to have a pre-nup especially if she is absolutely stunning...