The Truth about Learning How to Be a Film Director

Directing films is a job that despite some stories about lucky people, requires an education. Yes, Quentin Tarantino dropped out of high school and never went to film school. But that is rare.
There are many college programs available that offer access to the latest lights, cameras, and film making technology -- but the truth is, the best education for a film career is on the job training. Education requirements for learning the techniques means you can get certification for the technical aspects of film making. The work as a director can be challenging, yet flexible and very rewarding. Courses of study often focus on the elements of a successful film plot, characters, and style.

Directors need to know every aspect of a film's production, from editing to cinematography to digital and sound effects. Many of you probably already have inexpensive modern digital cameras and editing software at home. This just means that film making and directing has never been more accessible to the average person, so there is lots of competition out there. Very few first time directors get to work on million dollar budget summer blockbusters. Directors usually have to work their way up, sometimes by directing commercials or music videos. And salaries for film and movie directors are unpredictable at best.

There are plenty of websites including our own, that can help serious filmmakers, such as imbd.com, dv.com, or indietalk.com. There are forums where independent movie makers gather to discuss tips and tricks. Like our own at the Film Connection, which hosts videos of our mentor teachers helping anyone who wants to learn how to be a film director. The Film Connection Directing School is accredited and will prepare you for all the steps to make your own feature film, music video or commercial. You get to work under the direct supervision of a professional director in the film industry. Usually within six months, you'll have all the experience, knowledge and connections you need to direct your first feature. The Entertainment Film Connection (http://www.film-connection.com/) will find a mentor professional --a film, commercial or music video director -- that's about 90 minutes or less from where you live.

If you get accepted into our film program, this professional filmmaker will become your personal tutor, or a private mentor, and will teach you just about all you need to know get into the film business, In addition to that, your mentor will introduce you to his or her connections in the film business. You will get to work on real movie, TV, commercial or music video projects.

This method is proven to work, and it sure beats sitting in some overcrowded, overpriced college classroom. Check out what our students and mentors are saying about a career in film directing on YouTube.

Are You Mad as Hell? The Epitome of Survival Guides

We couldn't help but notice this new website known as http://www.endoftheworldsurvivalguide.com/ or
The End of the World as we Know it... This could be really fun, and talk about the ultimate Entertainment Career Connection! The website is seeking bloggers and writers who are "mad as hell" and want to contribute to the site about the following topics:

• The War on the Middle Class
• Civil Liberties Abuses
• The Patriot Act
• The U.S. Constitution
• American Inperialis Meconomic Amageddon
• The Patriot Act
• Financial Collapse
• Debt
• The Failing Economy
• The two Way Party System
• Democrat and Republican Corruption
• Martial Lawgun Right
• Bib Brother
• The Police State
• Surveillance
• Media Propoganda
• Media Consolidation
• Mergers
• Border Atrocities
• False Flag Terrorism
• State sponsored Terrorism
• 9/11 Conspiracy Aleternatives
• Alternative Investments (GOLD, SILVER, MINING STOCKS)

The company is willing to advertise to its viewers for free, promoting their books, videos, movies, or whatever. You just need to promise to do a blog post of original content only to their site once every ten days or so.

If you are "Mad as Hell" and can commit to writing at least one article per every 10 days then email us at: mailto:thelastsurvivor@endoftheworldsurvivalguide.com and tell us how you see your very own blog here on our site, how often you would post and what your general topic of discussion would be.

If you don't want to make a long term commitment to writing a blog for us, you can still get active and stay involved by posting mentions of any and all rallies, protests, talks and lectures, book readings, book releases, shows to watch, movies to see, letters to write, petitions to sign, and alerts to government abuses on our message board.

Check it out.

So you Want a Career in the Film Business?

You may be interested to know that if you want a career in the film industry, you are looking at a pretty competitive business. But the good news is that many people are getting jobs in this area. The thing is that even when the economy is suffering from a slump, entertainment is the one thing people still spend money on. Following are some statistics that you may find of interest.

It seems as if theater admissions have declined in recent years, and the year 2006 ended a three year downward trend as admissions increased 3.3 percent over 2005. However, ticket sales revenues increased by 5.5 percent, making 2006 a $9.49 billion year. Pretty big numbers! And the total number of movies released in 2006 (607) marked an 11 percent increase over the number of 2005 releases.

As for career in film, or if you want to learn how to be a director or a producer the latest published data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that the film industry provided 157,000 jobs for actors, directors and producers in 2004, and this number is expected to grow between 9-17 percent by 2014.

As of the year 2002, there were about 360,000 jobs in the motion picture and video industries. Most of these workers are involved in the production end of film making. There are many companies in the industry employ 10 workers or less. The good news for you is that a 31.1 percent increase in jobs is expected industry-wide between 2002 and 2012. Plus, this growth is roughly twice the 16 percent growth expected across all industries combined in that period.

And if you are wondering how much money you can make by getting a job in the film business, it appears that median annual earnings for producers and directors, who are on salary, were $46,240 in 2002. And if you are really good, and lucky, the top ten percent earned over $119,760.

If you are really serious about a career in the film business, then you really should take a listen to all the students, and mentors, at the Entertainment Film Connection. You will find a Los Angeles film school, a New York film school, and actually, one in just about any major city in the U.S.

How do you get a job in a radio station?

If you want to know how to get a job in a radio station, then you really need to learn more about the Radio Connection, where you will be trained in a studio, with a mentor teacher. Classrooms in a college or broadcast school won't do it. You need to get a teacher who is a real radio professional working in the business, as opposed to a college teacher who is not or never has been in the business. What is cool is that you can train around your job.

This accredited program is where you get trained by a working pro who could help you get a job after you graduate, one-on-one in a real radio station, learning the professionals AT the station -- whether you want to learn how to be a DJ, or get a job as a program director, or be an audio engineer. After 23 years, the Radio Connection has worked with over 5,000 stations in the U.S., Canada, and the UK, teaching students from 17 to 60 years old. It is like a job placement goldmine.

This isn't a traditional internship - it is an apprenticeship. By the time you are done you will have audition demo tapes and your instructor, typically the program director, is the one who will help you produce the demos. The biggest difference is that you get trained with equipment you need nowadays, not out of date equipment in a college. You get a feel for what is going on. Plus you can train around your job, slowly easing into the radio environment as you learn the curriculum.

Most of the students, and mentors agree -- mentorship programs for broadcasting school is the way it will be done in the future, because it is the best way to learn the radio business one-on one with a working professional.

The program is virtually everywhere. The way it works is that we get you an interview for your mentor in your home town. Our students usually get a job where they train. There are structured assignments and tests, but it is easy and fun when you get to learn the real job at a real radio station. Here's what one Radio Career Connection mentor - Chuck Dogg who is teaching at our New York radio DJ school - has to say.

People don't get hired in a college. If a job becomes available at the station where you are learning, nine times out of ten you will get it. You are in a structured radio connection course written by broadcast professionals, there are supplies and equipment at the station for you to use as you learn to be a music engineer, or a radio announcer, for example, hands on.

Work with Hot Music Recording Artists

Part of the fun of working in the music recording industry is the chance to work with top recording artists and musicians. And there are lots of different careers in the industry. You could be a music producer, or a technical-audio or sound engineer. One quick way to look at it is that a music producer will guide and shape the sound, while an audio engineer captures it.

The music business is trending towards moving online, so it is really important to learn as much about the music recording side of the business as you can. Digital music distribution over the Internet has really changed the landscape of the music business. Music technology has also grown quite a bit. Professional musicians today have to have a good knowledge of it all as well. Much of this technology is software based, and the virtual world means having to be famaliar with software, plus there is still some hardware based technologies. It is both.

Donny Baker is a Recording Connection mentor, music producer and studio engineer at Elephant Symphony in Glendale, California. He likes teaching this school's curriculum, because once his students graduate, they are engineers. Donny is giving input as to the courses because he helps refine the program, and it keeps getting better. Technology is constantly changing but in this industry it is changing backwards. As he says - "we wanna use the oldest best piece of equipment. But then there's ProTools software to learn too."

The Entertainment Connection schools with the mentor approach works, and the best part is that the courses are available in most major cities nationwide - so you'll get a real world learning experience in a New York music recording school or one in Los Angeles.

Choices About Music Recording Careers

With the economic trends being more challenging over the last few months, you may be one of a bunch of students out there who are weighing your options when it comes to your next step after graduation. Is college an option? Or are there other ways to get into the music recording business? We (those of us at the Entertainment Career Connection) see this all the time.

In fact there are a number of students who actually went to college, then came to us after that to REALLY learn the business. At the Los Angeles music recording school, it only makes sense that we got our own students and mentor teachers on video to explain their stories. Check out Los Angeles recording school mentor Doug Maxwell's video on YouTube. He has some great tips and comments.

Another cool story from student Leslie Greer in Atlanta, “During my apprenticeship I got to meet P. Ditty, Master P. and Jermaine Dupri. I had the honor of working with David Banner in Atlanta. I can’t even explain to you how much this program did for me. I thank you and bless you.”

There is just tons of stuff that the Recording Connection programs teach that you just don't, or can't get in traditional schools. The curriculum qualifies graduates for positions as a music producer or a recording studio engineer. Plus the best thing is that students are taught in one-on-one private sessions in a real recording studio. It's an apprentice type situation - under the direct supervision of a music industry professional working on real-world projects. Plus there's no experience necessary, and students can take classes part time during night or weekend sessions, training around a current job.

The teachers are mentors who know how to succeed in the very competitive recording and engineering field - so they end up passing their knowledge and experience on to the students. It is a win-win situation.

Tips and Tricks for Learning to be a Radio DJ from the Recording Connection

If you want to learn how to be a DJ, then you are probably going to have to go to a good radio school where they teach you all the basics of the business. The Radio Connection has been around for more than 25 years, and it has a great track record with students. Almost 72 percent of the graduates get a job in the biz. AND, to get a job as a DJ, for example, it is who you know, along with WHAT you know. That's why so many students like the idea of learning in a real radio station under a skilled mentor teacher versus in a classroom and at a more expensive school.

Getting a job in a radio station or in the music recording business means you not only can meet popular music artists, session players and bands, but you’ll meet powerful music executives for good connections down the road. DJs are highly skilled. On average a popular DJ in a major market can make a six figure salary every year. However, beginners usually have to put in their dues, making less and being paid hourly wages in the beginning. Many of them make extra money as a mobile DJ at clubs on nights and weekends.

Once a radio DJ candidate has a professional air check tape and a degree, they must find a job via stations seeking new on-air talent -- and that means seeing the station director. In smaller markets it could also mean meeting with the station's general manager or owner. The trick is to get the station director to listen to your air check tape personally and call you in for an interview.

After you get the job, a new radio DJ is often assigned to overnight or weekend shifts in the beginning. And if you're fortunate enough to be hired by a popular radio station, expect to spend many hours in the studio. Many DJs are on the job by 5 AM when they spend some time surfing the web for the latest news, or gossip. While on-air during their show, most DJs talk after every song – apx. eight times an hour. Many radio DJs answer phones, call-ins, or read emails, even text messages. There are always a few voice commercials and staff meetings. Occasionally there are public appearances and anchoring remotes at sporting events–mostly on weekends. Most DJs spend one day preparing for their show for the next day.

Most all DJs agree, the best job perk or meeting musicians, bands and celebs. They are always getting invitations to really cool parties, plus they always get sent new products – food, clothes, and new tech gadgets or promotional items.

And there are often those who thought they wanted to be a radio DJ who realize it's not cut out for them. In that case, they may be like Eric Hunslinger, who actually graduated from a big school but soon realized he wasn't prepared for the music business, so that is when he applied to the Entertainment Career Connection's Audio School, which cost much less, and where he really enjoyed learning the music recording business.