How To Get Started As A Filmmaker If You Have No Connections - Jason Satterlund

I’m also from Oregon, I currently live in a very small town. And I’m struggling to find a path for me.
I don’t know what I need to do or where I need to go to actually get into the world.
I keep thinking that moving somewhere that would have more opportunities for me would be better, but I can’t afford it.
There are so many young people I see that have made it where I want to be in life, and I don’t even know how to get to the first step of it all.

So my point is, I’m just looking for some advice.

Great advice thanks

He’s right

I gotta say. Marvellous interview .

Good work

One of the BEST interviews you have posted. Satterlund was at once non-specific, almost scattered yet then specific about these states being intrinsic to seizing upon specific threads... Which the aspiring must reach out for, grasp, and then try to weave enough together to climb.
The potential of fan films is underrated as well.
We can observe that family has SO MUCH to do with artists' paths. How interesting that, in these post-modern times, he struggled to find a camera... In some ways this struggle may have served Satterlund, forcing him to become self-schooled in ingenuity and creative chance: precisely what we miss so much these days.
I will be discussing all of this with my film maker son. (He is now building his first documentary - Interviewing all of the last remaining WWII veterans that he can find).

Jason is an inspiration, as a filmmaker, and as a human being. Class act.

Immediately ummediatley immediatly

Maybe the problem isn't connections but money. If you want to have any vfx you would need a computer to do that and that costs money. You also need a vehicle for transport which costs money

Definitely a good rewatch love Jason

Ever since I was a kid I always had a vivid imagination and I’m a person who visualizes how things are supposed to be done in my head. I always had an idea of making a movie, but I never got around to actually making one. Until this year I had an idea for a film, I’m still working on the plot, dialogue, and characters. But I had a vivid idea of the tone, the cinematography and the disturbing yet heartfelt nature of the film. Hopefully one day I can bring my imagination to life, as I’m in a the process of beginning screen writing. I’m a little nervous because iam a beginner, I wanna make a film that will stick with people for a good reason. And help is always wanted please I need it 😅

That's so cool, that's one I did not get a chance to learn in high school

Film Courage can advise me where I can find direct contacts with great screenwriters, directors, producers to be able to expose to them our incredible adventure by Car Across the Ocean, five thousand miles in 119 days adrift: to turn it into a Film Subject. More info @artsnauts

Jason Satter.......... what?

I have a idea for a movie or even more if it gose well but for me to do it hollow would is in caose and I need to laern how to make movies and fund it do you have anything that can help me take my steps and find a path that will get me started down a path to start and fund a production studio and more?

I have no connections neither 😅

For me, the reason why I want to be a film editor was simply this.
All my life, I've been drawn to stories. More specifically- character arcs.
The idea that you can create a fictional character, someone who doesn't exist and make a reader/viewer feel empathy.

And to be a writer or being in the movie biz was a dream as unreachable as reaching the moon.
I wanted to be part of the creation of this mystical dream. And yet I didn't know what role I could play.
I've never been a videographer. How would I know what it's like?
I've never been an editor. How would I know what it'll be?

Then one day, for my final year Art project of my school the teacher told us we could do anything.
And so- I decided to create a story. I scripted out an idea I've had in my mind, I did the videoing, I did the editing.
Only by experimenting, being in a room and editing for months on end. Neglecting my other subjects and focusing my all on editing did I realise-
This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.

AGHHH Damn it! I just wanna be an editor!

I have an idea for a indie short film but I don't want to put all this work into it and find out 10 people are going to watch it on YT.. lol.. How do I get the word out? I'm not concerned about the product which I know I can do a good job at but rather how to secure an audience. Where can I plug my films to make a name for myself? I realize this is the toughest question because everybody wants this.

Another fan film/ series is Cobra Kai. The three creators where all such big fans of the Karate Kid universe, wrote a sequel as a series and then it skyrocketed them which is cool

I love his story. This is how i felt when I use to see film crews. It's hard to explain to friends and family but it picks you off the floor and drags you to the action to simply just watch it being done.

He is exactly right and what I am going through!

51 previous comments and I'm the 1st to comment on background wall? Beautiful wall. I would love to have an office wall like this.

Great video and great ideas to put into practice!

This guy literally has the exact same Uni and basically personal background as me and did almost the same career shit post Uni that I'm doing

Now I get why 10 chesterfield lane is so similar to Portal. It started out as a Portal fan film. I was hoping there was some kind of connection. Maybe there is. Those ships are quite similar to the drop ships. Maybe it is set not in the Clover-field universe but in the Half Life/Portal universe. Maybe it's the Half Life/Portal/Cloverfield universe.

This is just so great!

Great interview with someone (I've never heard of) who has a rare combination of passion and hard-headed business sense. And thank you Ms Film Courage for keeping at it, and giving us fresh angles all the time.

With a lack of connections...with life in general...I've become a jackofalltrades...

This caption should be regarding Why making a fan film is a good idea

Has someone interviewed the interviewer yet? She seems knowledgeable as well!

He seems incredibly interested in the craft itself and did almost everything you can do when you work on a movie - Director, producer, writer, editor, actor and even sound department. It's impressive

When he said that line about Splinter Cell I had the same reaction, “I love Splinter Cell!” XD

So helpful.

As the proverb goes, IF he can do it... besides by God’s grace I’ll be starting film school this September

Acting in internet lifestyle shoots back in 2007-08 was my intro to filming. Cheers Film Courage!

His parents are exactly like my parents. Crazy.

I could see myself in his stoty

Jason is so great! Lots of helpful insight from him always. Thank you for another great video Film Courage!

Was not expecting to hear a Splinter Cell reference. lol.

1. Live in America

This is helpful. Been looking for a mentor but its like prove yourself before someone invests in you. But it's hard when you dont know what you're doing. Now I'm just trying to create things and learn at the same time. Thanks!! This is helpful!

Good video and interview and great point from Jason about making fan films. Short films as basically synonymous with bad and no one wants to waste their time watching pretentious shit. Fan films however you've already got an audience and even if it isn't the best people will still gladly give it a watch and talk about it. Hell the SC-38 Reimagined Star Wars fan film is so good many people consider it canon over the actual proper scene in Star Wars A New Hope. Only problem with fan films is they probably cost a lot more to make.

With some of weird stuff I've read about Hollywood I don't blame his mother to an extent lol

I don't know his work but I like his enthusiasm and energy.

Man.. to be a genius like Spielberg, Kubrick.. I wish I could be a gifted filmmaker instead of dreaming to be one..

Never though of fan films as some kind of a marketing tool - totally makes sense the way he phrased it!

Great, inspiring interview!

How did you get your first film job?