Since I was nine I have been interested in acting. When I started filming myself performing comedy skits I gained a great interest in film making. I made do with what I had, if I had a camcorder and a computer then that's what I would use.
On my thirteenth birthday my possibilities expanded. On that day I received an apple iPad which had a substantial camera and the screen real-estate for video editing. Not much later I started filming more skits, and as I filmed more my range of equipment expanded. I received a video microphone for more professional sounding audio. I even created my own shoulder rig for my iPad out of PVC for a more stable shooting platform.
There is also a show I watch, called "Film Riot" hosted by Ryan Connolly, in this show they teach you tips and professional advice about film making. As you can see I have taken many steps into learning about film making.
I know the amount of education needed does not stop there. A bachelor's degree in journalism, communication, acting, arts management or a comparable discipline is required by most companies to be a director. I researched some information at mappingyourfuture.org and also searched the job boards at film company websites.
There is a wide variety of career opportunities for a director. Of course all career opportunities tie in with a director's reel. A director's reel is a montage of some of their best pieces. It's like a resume for a movie maker. As young as I am I have already started on my reel. Of course I probably won't pop out my reel from when I was 13 but practice makes perfect.
Being the director and an actor in all my skits is very stressful, but filmmaking is my passion. It's why I look forward to every morning, so I can get up and make a film!
Bryson's essay appears here as written, to preserve the young author’s unique voice and individual writing style. However, we have deleted personally identifiable information to protect the student’s privacy.