I'm 29 and want to start my film career (finally). Is the deck stacked against me?

Question

I have been to Columbia College film school (no BA...), have made a few 16mm and DV shorts, the latter were edited on Final Cut Pro. I know my stuff fairly well. I know I would have to live cheap in LA and work with/for kids 5 or so years younger than I. I already want to make movies and am driven, and dedicated. I had to take 6 years to settle some family stuff. That being said, my first question is would I be taken seriously starting at 29 or 30?

I really want to be an auteur, like Robert Rodriguez. My second question is; can do this in the Hollywood system, starting in editing and post? It would be very good for making contacts, and getting up-to-date experience. Or, should I just try and do it all myself like Rodriguez, Raimi, and their clones who mostly end up lost in obscurity? Failure on my own would mean starting in Hollywood even later. I think a lot, sorry if this is muddled and too long. And THANK YOU!

Answer 1

Hi,

Your desire is shared by thousands, if not millions of people. Yes, the odds are stacked against you...BUT the odds are stacked against all the others, too.

Best approach is to try (as you have suggested) to get any kind of work in a company that could eventually use your talents as you wish them to be used. Think about how many singers jumped from obscurity into stardom because they worked in a record company. (Right place at the right time is always a good place to be.)

Your age COULD act against you, but not necessarily...many actors continue acting until they are of advanced age and there are always character actors need to play convincingly the many lesser characters that make up a film.

Use your time to build a thick portfolio. List EVERYTHING you have done, from high school plays to video and short film sessions. The more you show you can do the more seriously you will be taken.

Cultivate friends in the industry (get known) many, many people have got their break just because they 'knew' someone.

You have picked one of the most difficult arenas to enter, but some make it every year, the people who make it are those who work hardest at trying to succeed. They also need a LOT of luck (at least once!)

If you have a shot, don't blow it, you'll rarely get a second chance (and may not get a first)

However, good luck in your chosen career, I hope you are one of the fortunate. Don't worry too much about your age, actors of EVERY age are needed and, in any case, you can do nothing about it.

If you act, and are, brimming with confidence and you can show a satisfactory acting career you may well be chosen over a 'young and eager' actor who hasn't had the years, yet, to make his mark.

It's a dog eat dog way of earning a living, and won't be easy...but the tougher you are and the more determined, the better your chances,

Cheers,

BobSpain

Answer 2

29 is a powerful age. It is when you start becoming who you really are instead of who everyone else thinks you should be.
It doesn't matter whether or not the cards are stacked against you. People who succeed don't think about stuff like that. Think about what you want and do not even consider the possibility of failure. I suggest you get hold of the movie or the book The Secret or Lyn Grabhorn's Excuse Me Your Life is Waiting or anything on The Law of Attraction and start manifesting what you want. Once you start attracting what you need to succeed you won't need advice from other people; you will know what is right for you to do.