Do you have any advice for people that want to get into filmmaking?
Start making films of any kind. That’s the only way to do it. I think film school is great. It’s a great way to dive into it. Start making films right away, and you’ll learn a lot pretty intensively. And I think most importantly, from film school, from what I can tell is people build these communities that last long beyond film school. People that end up kind of bringing each other in. When one of them maybe gets really successful, they kind of bring everyone up with them. That’s really common. Because it’s hard. Some people get a break. Some people don’t. It has nothing to do with their talent, so I think film school can be really helpful because you do build a really strong filmmaking community that supports each other.
How about those who go the DIY route?
If you don’t go to film school, I think your chances are just as good but you need to make films. You need to jump in there. I think the most important thing is to not have an ego and just be willing to get in there and work as a PA, or work as a second AC, even though you might be a great DP. Work as a grip. Do anything that you can to get in there and be around, be on set, and be around other filmmakers. And at the same time, try to make your own work, and figure out what type of films you enjoy making the most because it’s hard. Filmmaking is a really difficult, challenging, stressful process, so making films that you really have a connection to, and that you enjoy making, and that you believe in is really important, because there’s going to be obstacles all along the way.
How about skate films?
I always tell people that if you really want to make skate films, you can totally do it. I think the most important thing also is you need to find a community of skaters who you connect with and are friends with. Obviously, if you want people to see your skate video, you got to make sure the skaters are pretty good are sponsored or pro, but I think that’s how people get in there. It’s who you know, and I think skateboarding filmmaking is different than anything else, because there’s a lot of dedication, there’s a lot of days where you don’t shoot anything, you don’t even take your camera out of the bag.
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