"HOW DO I MAKE IT IN THE FILM INDUSTRY?"

One of the most common questions from anyone interesting in filmmaking is something along the lines of "How do I make it in the film industry?"

It's a complicated question of course - but there are some basic approaches to keep in mind if you want to be successful.

Alvin Toffler, a prolific author best known for "Future Shock," a 1970 book about society in an age of technology, once said that: "If you don't have a strategy, you' re part of someone else's strategy."

In other words - if you don't know where you're going, and at least have an idea of how to get there, then you're likely to be just a an instrument to be used by in someone else's goals and ambitions.

Ujj Naath, a successful Los Angeles businessman, added to Toffler's quote with additional observation, "all decisions seem reasonable when you lack a strategy."

If you don't know what you want to do, or put some effort into understanding how to get there, you'll find that you might be flailing around for something that might work - trying all kinds of things, taking all kinds of jobs, without any real understanding of what you're trying to gain from the experience. Most people in the film industry start from the absolute bottom. Those who succeed are people who understand not only how to work hard and make an impression, but what to gain from the experiences and relationships to achieve their goals.

Conclusion: Lesson #1 is FOCUS