Perhaps one of the most-asked questions in a standard Q&A in the world of filmmaking is advice to break into the industry. While no one answer is the “correct” way, it’s perhaps re-assuring to hear how some of the most celebrated directors in the world did so. Today we have a video compilation featuring 14 top directors sharing their advice.
Featuring (in order) Quentin Tarantino, Jerry Lewis, Terry Gilliam, John Carpenter, Paul Thomas Anderson, Francis Ford Coppola, Federico Fellini, Werner Herzog, Wes Anderson, Sidney Lumet, John Landis, Martin Scorsese, Guillermo Del Toro, and Orson Welles, the 16-minute video collected from various interviews is a much-watch for budding filmmakers.
Gilliam offers up the advice to not go into media study, but rather something useful. PTA says let go of your fear and “don’t give a f*ck,” while Coppola (while on the set of Apocalypse Now) stresses a film much come from a deeply personal place. Herzog emphases “if you don’t read, you will never make a great film,” while Scorsese says you can ignore the industry and create your own and “break open the form.” With a hat tip to Keyframe Daily for bringing it to our attention, check it out below.
Which advice did you appreciate much?