Education · 1 of 5

The path

There is no licence, no exam and no single route. There is a body of work.

1. 1

   High school

   Grades 11 and 12

   English, drama, media arts. Make short films on a phone. Quantity first, quality follows.

2. 2

   Film school or set work

   1 to 4 years

   A university film degree, a one-year private film school, or skipping both and working your way up as a production assistant.

3. 3

   Make shorts and get them seen

   2 to 5 years

   Festivals are how directors are discovered in Canada. A short that travels gets you meetings.

4. 4

   Paid directing work

   Years 3 to 8

   Music videos, commercials, branded content, documentary segments, then episodic television.

5. 5

   A feature or a series

   Year 6 and beyond

   Usually financed through Telefilm Canada, a provincial agency, a broadcaster or a streamer, with a producer attached.