A well-known director once said that his favourite thing about filmmaking is the community of filmmakers he has met along the way. He enjoys sharing stories from all stages of his career, from talking about how to best handle your own life while filming to what it takes to succeed as an artist in this field.
He also mentioned that one of the greatest things for him was meeting people with similar dreams who worked together to help each other achieve them.
This article will talk about some famous directors and how they made their careers so bright. Some will be discussed through interviews and videos, while others will have full-length essays written about them.
We’ll try to give you a little bit of everything here! So, prepare yourself for that by setting aside time today to read over these articles. Hopefully, you’ll find something new and interesting throughout.
I want to add here very quickly that I am not trying to take away credit from anyone else because we ALL need credit to survive. We NEED to recognize our efforts and achievements to feel good about ourselves. But if you are ever struggling to make progress towards your dream, look into the opportunities around you and see what you can pick up or learn.
There may be someone close by or somewhere online where someone just like you has success, and they are happy to share. Or maybe there is an event coming up related to your dream that you could attend and connect with more people involved in the same field.
Born in New York City, Martin Scorsese was raised in an artistic family. His father was an architect while his mother is of Italian descent. He has two older sisters and one younger brother.
He grew up watching films and listening to stories about life experiences from his parents and relatives. This had a big influence on him as he got older.
In high school, he took art classes that inspired him to consider filmmaking as a career. He graduated with a degree in painting before moving on to study graphic design at Boston University.
It was here where he first made plans to move into a film by creating short movies. After filming his first movie, he knew this was something he wanted to pursue more seriously.
His first job after graduation was working for a production company making television shows. It wasn’t long though until he found himself being asked to help produce a feature-length movie.
This led to him meeting director Roger Corman who gave him his very first chance behind the camera. Since then, he has gone on to direct over twenty-five features including Gangster Squad, The Wolf Of Wall Street, and The Irishman which are all in the top ten highest-grossing films ever.
Scorcese has won three Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and several BAFTA awards among others.
Director Ridley Scott is one of the most well-known film directors in Hollywood today. He has directed over twenty feature films, including some of the highest-grossing movies of all time.
He started as an editor before making his directorial debut with 1981’s Alien. Since then he has gone on to direct many other successful projects such as Blade Runner, Thelma And Louise, and Prometheus.
His love for science fiction has made him very popular too, having created several series like Blade Runner, The Martian, and more recently, The Tomorrow People.
He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Directed Film for 1990’s Legend and won a Golden Globe for Best Screenplay for 2002’s Gladiator.
He received another Oscar nomination this year for Best Original Screenplay for his movie All The Money In The World. His two Oscars are not only for writing great screenplays but also for creating incredible cinematic experiences that appeal to both critics and audiences.
He currently resides in London where he works on his next project. He still actively directs features though, with his latest being 1999’s Hannibal.
Born in London, England in 1968, filmmaker Christopher Nolan spent his early childhood years living in both Thailand and Malaysia before returning to the United Kingdom to grow up. He was raised in an artistic family with his father being an art teacher and his mother working as a painter.
Nolan’s grandfather was also an artist who taught him how to draw at a young age. It is this influence that he credits for his eventual success in filmmaking.
He says of his grandpa; “he would take me out into the countryside every Sunday after church where we’d go sketching. I always wanted to be like him — not necessarily to make pictures but just to put things down on paper and see what you can get away with!”
After high school, Nolan attended the University of Westminster where he studied English Literature. Following graduation, he moved back home to live with his parents and their two sons. During this time, he began writing screenplays which led to him quitting his job and pursuing acting full-time.
It wasn’t until 2001 that he finally made his feature film debut in The League of Gentlemen, starring John Malkovich, Craig Roberts, Hugh Laurie, and Sean Patrick Flannery. Two years later, he directed another movie called Memento, which starred Guy Pearce and Mark Ruffalo.
Born in Columbus, Ohio in 1946, filmmaker Steven Spielberg spent his childhood watching films and dreaming of one day making them himself. At the age of six, he wrote and directed his first short film, titled _The Lost World_. He would later write and direct several more as an adult including such acclaimed works as _Jaws_, which won him three Oscars, and the critically-acclaimed movie series that is the _Indiana Jones_ franchise.
Spielberg made his feature-length directorial debut with 1978's _Dawn of The Dead_; however, it was not until 2003 that he officially finished his career with what many consider to be his magnum opus - the blockbuster hit action thriller film trilogy called the _Die Hard_ movie series.
He has since gone on to make other well-known movies like the comedy/action flick _Mission Impossible III_ (2009) and the war drama _Saving Private Ryan_ (1998), both of which have received wide acclaim from critics and audiences alike.
His list of accolades grows year by year, and he continues to strive towards achieving greater things in the filmmaking industry. His dedication to his craft is unquestioned – he makes millions of dollars every time he puts together a script or shoots a scene, so there's never a need to question his passion for cinema.
The career of filmmaker Peter Jackson took off after he made his feature-length directorial debut with the 2001 film Bad Boyz. He spent the next decade establishing himself as one of the top filmmakers in Hollywood.
Jackson started his filmmaking career working as an assistant camera operator before moving up the ranks to second unit cinematographer, gaffer (lighting technician), first assistant cameraman, and eventually director.
He worked mostly for other directors before getting his show at the age of 31. Since then, he has only continued to grow and develop as a filmmaker.
His directing style is very deliberate and he usually takes his time editing his films which helps them to feel more complete. His use of strong narrative storytelling and emphasis on character development are some of his biggest strengths.
- His use of slow motion is also quite impressive - especially during battle scenes! – And his ability to keep things lighthearted is entertaining to watch.
He almost always brings something new to the screen that people have never seen before. This may be because he is a pioneer in his craft or because he is not afraid to experiment and try different styles. Either way, it works for him and he knows how to use it well.
Born in Newark, New Jersey in 1942, Francis Albert “Fran” Coppola's career as a filmmaker has been nothing short of spectacular. He made his feature film debut at the age of twenty-one with The Rainmaker. Since then he has gone on to direct some of Hollywood’s highest-grossing films such as Rumble Fish (1990), The Godfather Part III (2017) and Tetro (2002).
While growing up, Coppola was very involved in filmmaking. He would spend hours editing home movies or filming scenes for family vacations. His father even allowed him to use their camera when he was ten years old!
Coppola started making small edits while he was still in high school and eventually found himself writing his thesis about Alfred Hitchcock on how the director built suspense in his stories. This inspired him to try his hand at it.
He later studied Cinema Production at Emerson College before moving to UCLA where he received his Bachelor's Degree in Film & TV production. While studying there, he had the opportunity to work under legendary directors like Robert Wise, George Pal and William Wyler.
It wasn’t until after college that Coppola decided to make his true passion known to the world. In 1986, he directed his first full-length feature movie titled Somewhere Beyond Reality. Since then, he has never looked back.
Born in Tokyo, Japan in 1910, filmmaker Akira Kurosawa spent his early life immersed in cinema. His father was an officer in the Japanese military and would often take his family to movie screenings.
He began writing scripts at age fifteen and directed his first short film two years later. He made more than twenty additional films before getting his big break with The Hidden Sword (Ikoku no Tô). It won several awards including Best Director at the Mainichi Film Award in 1937. Since then he has gone on to direct over thirty feature-length films that have received many accolades.
His style is considered to be both elegant and dramatic, making him one of the most well-known filmmakers in history. He is also known for incorporating themes such as feudalism, power, and masculinity into his stories. Some of his best-known works include Ikiru, Rashomon, Dansu No Kyodai, Drunken Master, Kaguyakirô Nosaka Gônbu, Ran, Dreams, The Lower Depths, Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, Ishidori, Tora! Tora! Toradö!, The Hidden Blade, and Ranma 1/2.
Kurosawa passed away in 1998 but still receives praise from audiences around the world. Many consider him to be one of if not the greatest living directors.
Born in Moscow, Russia in 1931, filmmaker Andrzej Wajda is considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. He has won three Academy Awards for his work including The Burning Forest (1974), Farewell to Arms (1957) and The Look (1981).
His films often focus on difficult themes such as loss, grief or suffering. This was most notably done in his 1986 film Stalker during which time many critics hailed it as one of the great works of cinema.
He once said that “the true artist makes things that move”, something he practised himself since his earliest short films is very emotional.
He also frequently filmed outside so his use of light and shadows influenced other directors like Stanley Kubrick and David Fincher.
