Anything Goes : Moving to los angeles by Jessica Coleman

I always prefer somewhat calculated risks, although at times I have thrown total caution to the wind with mixed results. Without knowing how experienced you are or whether you have a financial safety net in case you don't land a job in the short-term, it's hard to say whether that's a smart move for you. Proximity can give you more access to opportunities, but keep in mind that you can become a filmmaker wherever you are now. You might have to start with web-shorts or whatever, but don't think because you're not in LA that you can't develop your craft. Hope that helps.

Yeah, you and tens of thousands of others. There are film students in LA that aren't guaranteed a job, and they have a definite edge over you. I have 2 friends who are at UCLA right now and they've been out there building a network by taking internships on movies and TV shows and even their futures in Hollywood are unsure. For every starving dreamer in Hollywood, there are thousands making movies right their own backyards. If you think you need to be out there just to make it big, then you really are dreaming. Many filmmakers hit their mark before even getting to Hollywood. Sam Rami, Robert Rodriguez and Kevin Smith are just a few examples. Hollywood was the payoff for these guys, not the launching pad. I don't know where you are now, Jessica, but I can tell you this much... the notion of heading west to make it in the biz is dying thanks to Louisiana. Known as "Hollywood South", Louisiana might be a better choice. The cost of living is not as steep (gas is about $3.30 a gallon is some places because of all of the refineries there) and there are just as many movies being made there as in Hollywood, if not more. I'm not out to take the wind from your sails, after all, we're all dreamers here, too, and my comment may seem kind of harsh, but tough love is better than none at all. You should definitely NOT head to Hollywood unless you have some form of income to sustain you, especially in today's economy.

@Matt and @J. Brian, I actually agree with you both. I'm from Mississippi, and my plan has been to move to New Orleans. It's definietly the "Hollywood South." Plus, Mississippi is slowly heading in the same direction with films such as 'The Help" and "As I Lay Dying" directed by James Franco. New Orleans has always been on the TOP of my list, but I was starting to become a little anxious and started having doubts. Thanks guys for your comments. You reassured me that L.A is not the place to go:)

Glad I could help. Good Luck.

yes have a plan for sure...it's tough out here so the plan needs to be really well thought out.

Yeah, I wouldn't go out there unless there's more of a guarantee of work. If you get offered a job out there, great, but if you're going out there hoping to find work, I'd stay where you are. Some others mentioned Louisiana, and DC's on its way to becoming a movie hub as well (though NYC gets in the way a little bit). I think you'd have a better chance honing your skills at home

Only one way to find out! Better to try and fail then to say coulda, shoulda, woulda! Life is too short!

I've been planning to move to LA for the last two years. I would really prefer to have a gig first, although, if I can get out there with a big enough war chest, I'll go w/o a job. The key for me is keeping my apt. here in NYC and getting a round trip ticket. I figure I can rent a car and do the roommate thing in LA in the short term...

One statement.... HAVE A JOB... ANY JOB... I've seen in a thousand times... Good people have to leave because they didn't take that approach. Everything else will come in time...

Please please please listen to me, you must have a job to go to or wait until you do. L.A. can look very sunny and nice but be cold and forbidding unless you are gainfully employed. I've been there and got the T shirt, so, unless you're loaded with cash and it just doesn't matter, don't go until you're ready!

Several years ago I had the pleasure of watching an interview with Robert Deniro on Actor's Studio who was asked the same question regarding aspiring actors moving to LA and he strongly recommended NOT moving unless you had something for sure calling you out there. My advise: work the dream out by listening and follow through on each door that opens with a child like expectancy for the impossible alongside the wisdom of hard work!

I think knowing yourself is fundamental. Refine your dream. A mature dream can go further than an immature dream. The Wachowskis for example studied graphic novels and worked with them for a while and spent four years developing the Matrix and 14 revisions. They did not just go to Hollywood with an immature dream. Understanding the 'dream' like a 'seed' and know that sometimes seeds grow best where there is air and healthy conditions. Some people have family and can stay with them in the area. Others have family money. Things like that can help, but so can challenges and things that teach people along the way. At least read a Bio or two of people doing the sort of work you want to do. Be clear about the dream and what it is. Years ago I had a dream which I followed to NYC. I realized very quickly that the dream was more interesting than the reality. I left that industry and explored something else. That dream was more fulfilling and more fitting for who I was at the time. Film production if that is what you want to get into, can be good to get into as an assistant fro what I gather and it can be good to be around people. So it may be the sort of thing to move to L.A. over if you can find work and understand that specific element. For writers, I think honing the craft outside the area can be much smarter. People talk so much culturally about 'living your dreams' but the reality is that dreams are part talent and part ability. A singer may have great talent, but not have the will to be on stage night after night or to do dance and choreography or whatever else may be required of her/him. Do you have a realistic understanding of what your dream is? Have you talked to others who do what you are specifically after? Are you prepared to pay your dues? to sacrifice? It doesn't all work out. It isn't all easy. People are not all nice. Are you prepared with the internal fortitude to navigate the ups and downs? I think about things like yoga studios and meditation classes to keep me grounded. L.A. of course has a stereotype like most places for a reason. It is an established culture. Some things can be good to do when you are younger vs. older because then you build connections with the people in the industry as they are maturing and evolving. With writers, often some good deep life experience can make a difference and differentiate you. Do you understand the general standard career trajectories involved in where you want to go? Do you have a strategy? Dreams can be a dime a dozen or even a penny for a hundred. Solid strategy and focus is harder to come by. Do you have what it takes? Are you up for giving what it takes? Plenty of singers have no pitch. Plenty have the pitch, but not the personality. Do you know how many people are in front of you wanting to do the same work? Are you prepared to do something more or at least as much? The slots for a mainstream film being made annually are less than those recruited for pro basketball annually. It is something like 100 a year. If you want to be a director directing those, that means you are competing with a lot of other people. You may be good. You may know you are good. Some people go into the field and find they like something else more than they expected to. They are happy to be around the industry. People dream, but many don't like the process they have to go through for their dreams, or even the reality of what their dream entails. Are you up for the LONG hours? Are you up for giving up much/most of everything else in your life? Are you up for the journey no matter what it ultimately takes? Are you excited by the work of it? The day in and day out practice? How much do you really understand about your dream? For me as a writer, yearning for TV, it means that if i end up succeeding and selling something, I have to be prepared to work in groups, to give up a lot of control to studios, but also fight for things I believe in. It is hugely relational. It means there are elements of management I would need to understand and be able to respect. If I cannot do that, I need to look into something else like Novel writing. Am I prepared to work 10 hour days 6-7 day weeks in a room with a group of people? I am still figuring that out. That is what it will take. I am writing while I figure that out. Am I willing to give up a more standard relationship life and social life to have that be my life? There was a time I would not have wanted to give up some of that. Am I prepared to navigate the ups and downs of being on a show and having it start and then not be well received and then close down? Am I prepared to have my writing torn apart and put it back together over and over? My dream is simple at first, but the more I have followed it, the more I realize how complex it is. I don't just want to write any show. I want to write a certain genre, and certain shows within that genre and not others. The show 'House' I dreamed about writing something along those lines, until I realized that I don't think I enjoy researching and thinking about medicine all that much. I would rather research criminals and police officers. An actor in a crime series recently said he left a successful show because he could not take all the storylines for 16 hour days. I thought at one point I may want to be involved with an element of production. I liked the people, but I quickly burnt out. Production is NOT for me. I appreciate it though. Some of that you can learn through going through it all. Be prepared. Following the dream can be something of a Labyrinth. It can be a hazing. It can be an obstacle course. The pay can be inconsistent. Be prepared to save when it is going well and to use those funds when things are tighter, or have flexible work you can do in between projects, or both. Be prepared to deal with the ups and downs of your career and the industry. Understand and articulate to yourself and others what this dream of being a film maker is.... to write? direct? produce? There are workshops you can take, maybe take one of those and understand the industry first. Understand how the unions work. Understand how people break in. There are a lot of sad stories in L.A. - know it is as some have said in their own ways, a place of fulfilled dreams and broken dreams, and not all dreams are necessarily worth fulfilling. Although sometimes we have to fulfill them to truly understand that. Dreams are beautiful and as someone said 'we are all here because we have our own. I have com to love the tortoise and the hair story after doing the hair version of things and seeing where it took me and where it did not. Know your film history. Watch bios of the pros. Read core books about the craft if you have not. Film making is not just the film making, it is people and management and conversations and relationships and business and so many other things. It is politics. It is sacrifice and negotiating. It is studios and agents and managers, at least at a certain level and a bunch of hoops people jump to get to those levels. Best of luck... however you approach things.

Don't get me wrong - I'm a die-hard dreamer but I would NOT move to L.A. I've had two very close friends, one a comedian and one an actress, both with a lot of experience and they thought they would take it to the next level by moving out to L.A. without a solid plan. The comedian was back within 6 months and the actress held out for a year. I think it's awesome that they tried, but it was very depressing to have to come back to reality so soon. :(

I had another thing to add, something that's blossoming in my own life: have a backup plan. I almost threw away my entire degree plan for theatre arts, which would have been foolhardy at this point (I'm currently in school for graphic design). My plan now is to finish that degree and THEN go for theatre arts, or take acting classes on the side (there's a wonderful school here that offers 20 sessions for around 700 bucks, cheaper than the community college, just as much training). Basically, have a day job. Something you enjoy, even if it's within the film community. You need to have more than that, because movies are a tentative and very, very unreliable as a source of income. If you move to LA, do it because you got a job out there. I might be moving out to California myself in a few years, and the proximity to Hollywood and Universal would just be a perk: there are many, many graphic design opportunities out there as well as IT jobs for my husband. And if something happens with my acting to take me to the next level, so be it. Basically, have a plan. Be smart about it. Those "dollar with a dream" stories are one in a million, and I'd hate to see a fellow industry member go out thinking they'd be that one, only to find out they're in the million sea. I hope that was coherent enough.

Start by building where your at then once you have more knowledge of the industry then try it out. Also make sure you do lots of networking it will come in handy in your future!

I agree with most here. Stick with Louisiana at first. Everyone with a half-cocked dream runs to LA only to get swallowed up by it. The "wish and a prayer" method has worked, but those cases are veerrryyy few and far between. In planning for your future, chance favors the prepared mind. Sharpen your skills, network, and maybe you'll be in a position to move out there if you really want to. Thing is, other cities are becoming movie hotspots like some here have said. Maybe you can save some money and make a test run to see what's really there for you?

Much luck on your move and career your journey will be tough but as long as you believe in it, it can will happen. Hope to see you on the big screen someday. Remember its not what you know but who you know. :-)

no... but do it anyway! if you really want it do it. if you don't , you'll regret it the rest of your life. if you make it OUTSTANDING, if you don't you will have had another adventure in your life.

I'm glad you've decided to stay. I am CONVINCED that it is not only possible, but preferable, to make films outside the mainstream California/New York studios - especially if you're wanting to be a filmmaker instead of an actor. If you really want to be a filmmaker, make films. If you just want a job, go to Monster. The main reason people have ever had to go to L.A. to get into film is networking. Uh, hello? We're on Stage32...networking right now. So yeah, stay where you are and make movies. :)

We can't answer that question for you...we all have different background, karma, luck, paths etc Why not move for a couple of months and see what happens? You will certainly learn a lot, make some connections and new friends and if the doors don't open you can move somewhere else.

it will help to have connections already before you go. also, thanks to technology and the internet i don't think it's necessary right away....but, of course like Mara says, we can't answer that question for you. it's ultimately up to the job field you want to stick with....even if things don't go as planned, it's not a waste of time -just to do it. experience is worth so much more than words, and just think of all the inspiration that will come with it all. so, you can't lose!

Stepping out on Faith is always a good thing...Go For It!!!!

I agree with @Tameka above... Stepping out on faith is the thing to do... If you just want to experience something, try it knowing that a back up plan is there... Also @Mara Nikolich is right too... we cannot answer it for you... try it out for a few months if possible... You have a home to go back to if all fails... ( I am origially from New Orleans...the film industry is coming together there...) Many blessings to you....

Okay, I see a handful of people advising Jessica to go ahead and move to LA with nothing and hope to make it big. Get real. That may have been the advice to take 30 or 40 years ago, but not today. As I mentioned in my previous comment, today's economy doesn't allow for such a foolish act. And the world isn't going to care about someone who heads to Hollywood and possibly ends up homeless and broken. Who's going to pick her up if she does fall... certainly not any of you. "Stepping out on faith" is certainly NOT sound advice in this situation. We are all dreamers and faith-steppers here to a point, but you have to be practical, too. I'm a Christian man, so I know what it is to have faith in lots of circumstances, but God also gave me a brain and the intelligence to know when and how to use that faith. The same applies to Jessica's question. You can't exactly tell your landlord you'll pay your rent with faith or go to the phone company and say "I know I don't have the money to pay the bill, now, but I have faith". If you all have such high hopes for success, take your own advice and go do it yourselves, then come back and give this hopeful woman some sound advice. There's a difference between encouraging someone to follow a dream and just giving foolish advice. There's taking a risk and then there's being stupid. Spending $100 on lottery tickets is a risk... selling your home and putting your family on the street for chance to win the lottery is just plain stupid. Follow your dream, Jessica, but don't allow yourself to get so eager to achieve it that you make foolish choices. Use that brain of yours to make intelligent decisions.

@robin, right on!

Unless you are an amazing net worker, with one hell of a bank roll, I would not recommend it. Make a name for yourself in your local film community first. Collect up some reference, get on as many productions that are shooting out there as possible and work that up into features and series that being broadcast. Or just start making quality films where you are and get recognized for it. Hollywood isn't the end all be all most people think. There are more indie productions every year then Hollywood could ever screen and they sure won't both to recognize them, unless they make a splash.

You got the answers you usually get on this kind of questions. There are left-brainers with rational explanation, logic, risk-no-take point of view, and intuitive right-brainers with risk taking 'go-for-it' attitude. They are both right, so eventually it's up to you to make the decision, as I already said above.

Hey, I was BORN HERE. Cedars of Lebanon Hospital, Sunset Boulevard. HOLLYWOOD. I grew up in the Valley, with a movie shoot on every street corner. I had no illusions about what the biz was like. It took me this long and it also took the ubiquity of digital video technology to actually jump in and follow my dreams. I know it's a zillion to one shot. However, you've seen what the economy looks like...chasing even the most mundane and quotidian day gig is a crap shoot. Might as well live the dream.

I did this same journey about 8 months ago. It's really difficult to get a job here so that should be your number one priority. I moved to LA with no job and was lucky to have had a person to stay with for about 2 months. The best advice I can give you is to save up your money (at least 5-6k) and as soon as you get here, hit the ground running trying to get a job. Use any contacts that you have out here and see who can possibly help you. It is possible though. good luck!

I did it. Moved to LA without a job, knowing no one and with that big dream. I struggled, but what is a career without any struggle? What is a life without any struggle? I needed to be where there was work to pursue my dream. I'm glad I did.

If you have a ton of work you can spread around and show that you know your craft then the chance is more likely to pay off one way or another. If you've never done any work in film, even locally and have nothing to show then you'll be eaten alive.

I think there is a lot to look at in terms of where a person is in their career. More seasoned people are at least more likely to be able to hit the ground running. Plus people who just have good money management sensibilities. It doesn't matter how much money you start with if you blow through it and charge up your credit cards with no regards for financial realities. If you can live on beans and rice (or whatever else) and then go out for social meetings dressed up and feeling/looking good, that is its own skill. A lot is about a certain sobriety, self awareness, networking skills, etc... Also if you tap into good communities and network in those it can help. One thing that is key on this thread is that the poster herself said she was sorta iffy about going. I think if someone feels strongly they 'have' to go and they are 'driven' or 'compelled' they are more likely to make it than if they are just dreaming and hopeful. Also knowing the difference between a dream and a reality is a good thing - ie. a 40 year old heavy set woman is not going to get blond teenage girl roles. But she may get to be the mother of those girls. Whether people in film or fashion or business, people often have to go through reality checks to see where and how they fit in a business/industry. Some people make their own market, or are unique enough or special enough, and often people tell them that and the world responds to them in that way. If you watch shows like American Idol or X Factor, you can see the people who are seasoned, who have practiced and know their craft. There are occasional surprises surely, but key people have likely heard many times that their work is really good and have the opportunities that come their way to show it. Someone who has a good business mind in relationship to their corner of the industry is more likely to do well than someone who is clueless and out of touch with reality. I think the music shows are a good reference for any industry. Some people just have no relationship to reality. They want to go sing on a stage without any training. Their family tells them they are good as do their friends, when they are dreadful and probably begging and fishing for the compliments. If you get unsolicited feedback regularly and you do plays where people are backed up out the door after to shake your hand and skilled actors and directors say they are fans, and you get specific feedback about facets of your skills, it is more likely to be genuine. If you can tell the difference between real compliments and people blowing smoke up your nether regions, and you have real solid compliments on your work, that goes a long way. If you can see where your work is strong and where it is weak and don't get upset when someone tells you you need to work on something, but actually know that you need to work on those things and can discuss it intelligently, you are more likely to have a personality that can deal well with the industry. If you are prepared to deal with politics and the issues with team in the arena of your expertise, and you are really ready to understand and fulfill the work of your particular position - long hours on your feet for example, extensive driving for some positions, etc... you are more likely to get somewhere. If you think the industry is all fun and glossy and easy and pretty people doing fun things, and your dream is that, then your dream is not the reality. If your dream is to obsess over details and work and refine your craft and work with others obsessed with details, as much as it is to entertain or direct, etc... then your dream is more in relationship to reality. Thus, you are more likely to fulfill your dream and more likely to succeed in L.A. or anywhere else. Also if you have respect for others and their work in relationship to your work, you are more likely to have people want to work with you than if you think you are a diva that the world should bow to just because you were born and make funny faces (in no way is this directed specifically at the actress posted, just referencing the personality type that sadly exists). I see things from people who have been around a while doing work in some form that are less developed than newer people who just have stronger instincts, or greater depth of character and personality. To understand the difference between quality and quantity is key to succeeding. I see people with a lot of screenplays that are poorly written and people with a few that are really well written. There is a healthy middle ground between quality and quantity. Both have their place. People who understand mastery of any craft, and work towards it (even if they never feel they succeed like they would like to) are more likely to do work that is valued and respected and monetarily rewarded.

I have wanted to move to LA since I was in high school...next year I will finally be making that happen. I will be going there with a body of work, I will have my agent, my friends & a place to stay along with a job by the time I arrive. So even though it took a few years longer than I hoped-I never lost focus & am happy to say that once my projects have wrapped in Canada- I will be starting up other projects down in LA! Hope I get to meet some of you guys!

No it's not. Nobody is going to hire a starving artist. I know from experience. IT CAN HAPPEN, but it's a lottery ticket chance. Learn a trade (via college, online course, trade school, grandpa the mechanic), come out here with a WAY TO MAKE MONEY 9-5(or night shift or swing). Then pursue your acting, modeling, dancing career when you get off work. When your acting, dancing, etc career starts paying big checks and you can no longer do your passion and what pays the bills (and pays for acting coaches) together... quit the job and get paid off the passion.

I like Shavoz's comment simply because it relinquishes fear, the single most affluent dream killer. As long as you have a plan to eat and house yourself...you won't succumb to desperation, and make a poor life altering decision.

Never never never quit!

Best of luck! Believe in yourself, it's worth more than the dollar in your pocket ;-)

"Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game"--Hilary Duff

Give it a try! :) I lived there and in NYC. I think it's easier to do films in NYC. People, places and things are just easily accessible. And NYC has some much character (the city it self).

Start small in a place were ur familiar work on short films build a portfolio and get some ref's and backing community is a great place to be seen. I feel it's not wise to set up camp with a can of beans and hope for a better life. But it's ur journey and only you can walk it. Good luck !

I gotta agree with Karen here. I came to LA to seek my MFA in film directing and I'm creating shorts until I can build up my name so that I can create my feature that I want to make in the next year. Good luck, Jessica!

I agree with Karen also. In all things, we must use wisdom. I'm sure many have taken such a leap and succeeded. But that doesn't mean that everyone can do that. I'm a believer, and I believe in stepping out on faith. I'm in Florida and I desperately want to move to L.A. and have had the same thoughts you're having. The important factor is, to be sure that you are stepping out on faith and not on foolishness. May your path be made straight and your way made clear. And may God bless all that you do Jessica:)

It's easier to do it NYC. I've lived both places :)

Nothing is easy. Follow your dreams. Do your work and it will take you everywhere. Believe in yourself and the world will believe in you.

L.A. requires a car like no other city.. you must have reliable personal transpo on arrival. The bus is not workable like other cities, cabs don't exist unless you call for one, and the city is massive by area. You will find abundance of like minded collaborator / competitors. You MUST have a financial cushion, a plan B and a plan C and tenacity. Tenacity is key... most people who were even big fish anywhere else show up and in 1-5 years of L.A. they are gone. ( look at credits... people with careers sometimes get jobs every few YEARS.. see also plan B and C ) Patience and effort pay off. If you have some chops on arrival it won't hurt, on the other hand, the level here is so high that it may not help either. Get here and grow here. That said, anyone serious is blowing it by being anywhere else. Get it together get packed and get here when you can... YOU MUST TRY IT for yourself. Good luck!

wondering how you're doing now, Jessica? let us know

no. put a plan together, call ahead, go visit and get a view from the street. Find someone out there who you can visit with. Save money and/or land a job there prior to going. Get real and don't end up yet another "filmmaker" on the street or working at starbucks....

Don't do it on a wing and a prayer. You really need to make some connections, set up appointments, meetings and have a clear goal with some kind of timeline to measure how you're going. Also make sure you have a back up and enough money so you don't get real desperate too fast. It's a tough and wonderful town.

Check into the UCLA extension programs. They're expensive but worth taking as a way to make connections.

It usually isn't, but sometimes you have to follow your heart.

Here's an awesome article about moving out there I found: http://thecastingpitt.com/article/1428334709