Education · 1 of 5

The path

There is no license, no exam and no set order. There is a body of work.

1. 1

   High school

   Grade 12

   Make things constantly with a phone and free editing software. Drama, English and art classes matter more than any technology class.

2. 2

   Film school, or not

   0 to 4 years

   A degree gives you equipment, collaborators and a deadline. Plenty of working directors skipped it and learned on sets instead.

3. 3

   Work on other people's sets

   2 to 5 years

   Production assistant, camera assistant, editor, assistant director. You learn how a set really runs and you meet everyone.

4. 4

   Direct your own short work

   Ongoing

   Shorts, music videos, spec commercials, documentary pieces. This becomes the reel that gets you meetings.

5. 5

   First paid directing job

   Year 5 to 10

   Usually a commercial, a low budget feature or an episode of television handed to you by someone who has seen your work.