Starting a filmmaking career

It's no secret that starting out as a solo filmmaker is a difficult endeavour, for many reasons. There's location and contacts of course, which you may or may not have depending on the social circles in which you've grown. Then there's the sheer time and effort required to write and produce engaging material. Add to that the fact that learning practical skills takes patience, as well as being available  mostly on jobs themselves which are difficult to obtain in the first place. The only way into it tends to be through resourcefulness, hard work and ingenuity - as well as strategic use of whatever funds you have. Money is a huge factor in filmmaking. If you're just starting out and wondering how you should split your resources, here's what I would recommend based on my past experience - which, to caveat, is subjective.

1. Education & training: 30-40%. This might seem like a large investment, but it really is, in many cases, the most important thing that sets you on the right path to meeting like-minded people, learning skills and figuring out your interests. This doesn't necessarily mean going to film school: it can mean doing a foundation course, going to university on a student loan, taking regular courses alongside jobs, and online classes too. I personally had the chance to go to university and study Film & Television for four years, which wasn't even a practical curriculum. However, watching and writing about a wide range of movies meant that I developed personal taste, learn to use the right language, and realised what did and didn't interest me. It also taught me important skills like writing, presenting, and pitching - which are all necessary when trying to obtain work. Finally, it was also an environment where I could make mistakes and not be judged purely based on results (like we often are in life) but actually develop without feeling attacked. Education is the "stealth" investment that, short-term, may not pay immediate dividends, but really does guide you in the longer run if you are able to afford it.

2. Equipment: 30%. There are different schools of thought on this question - should you own a full kit of professional gear or rely on renting it depending on the work you get? There is logic to both: on one hand, owning equipment means you hopefully get to use it frequently and learn how to operate it. However, professional gear is expensive, becomes dated quickly and creates a significant expense in terms of upfront costs, potentially debt. It can often create sleepless nights, especially if you have a family, high property costs and/or struggle with finding paid work in a regular manner. I would nuance both arguments here. Unless you are a paid, working cinematographer who needs high specs like 8K RAW, PL cine mounts, multi-camera setups, etc. then you are probably over-investing in equipment that might not get you the right kind of work. It's essential to create and invest in a system for yourself that is manageable at a small scale, to avoid debt, high devaluation/depreciation with time, and ridiculous insurance premiums. The second thing I would say is to invest in a system that is upgradeable further down the line, and gives you access to a brand/system with upper tiers. For example, starting out with a Sony FX30 (an entry-level professional model) is a good way to learn the Sony system, so that you can eventually use larger kit like the Sony FX9, Burano or Venice. Keep it simple, upgradeable and manageable. Again, there is no point purchasing kit if it will just sit at home and lose value. Another way of putting this is "buy the B-camera before you buy the A-camera" - get started on something smaller and cheaper, but one that gives you a pathway and experience to the one you really want. Then again, deciding what you really want can be the trickiest thing in itself!

3. Portfolio & production: 20%. The mistake I made when starting out was spending a lot of money on films and shoots that never saw the light of day. At the time, my order of priorities was reversed: I spent most of my money on making, and not enough on longer-term kit purchases that I would have paid off over 4-5 years. I also didn't put enough effort into things like IMDb, credits and a portfolio website, and felt like I made it up as I went along. These all take a long time to develop properly, and can be frustrating. However, they are essential to getting good work. Again, there are many schools of thought here: do you try to get plenty of work and sort out the rest later, or do you try to focus on winning recognition and getting one or two stronger credits here and there? I don't have an answer to this, as I followed the first path: quantity. Getting as much work as an editor and cameraman as I could, including volunteering, so that I could build a network and experience. But depending on the stage of your life at which you are, you might not have the time for this. This question also depends heavily on your personality: are you someone who prefers to iterate over multiple short projects, or invest more time into longer endeavours?

4. IT & software: 10-20%. This might seem like an obvious one, but investing in a long-term work machine, as well as a good phone with decent video/photo capabilities, really goes a long way. It's often an expense that gets forgotten about - but almost makes more difference than some of what I've mentioned above. When you think about it, your IT setup at home is the thing that everything else filters through - your footage, editing, pitching, written communication, organisation, showcases, etc. Make sure you're regularly backing up the essentials, being organised and rational with your purchases as well as taking the time to properly learn the software you're buying. But don't skimp - there is nothing worse than shelling out 3k on an expensive Mac laptop only to then realise you should have upgraded to the model with more storage! Again, like your kit, try to think long term about your needs - you might not need a fancy Macbook Pro, but actually be more storage-dependent, for example, and therefore a desktop might be more suitable. Likewise, do you really need the whole Adobe suite, or can you get away with alternative (and cheaper) software that is more accessible to you? Like education, this is a "stealth" investment that, properly made, can really help you be more efficient and focused on the things that matter. There is nothing worse than turning up to an interview or pitch meeting and having your laptop die on the spot because the battery is old!