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"Top 5" Directors - No Film School

Roberto Lequeux

Roberto Lequeux

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I don't what method was employed for selecting the "Top 5", and I didn't check facts. However, assuming they didn't attend film school this is worth quick read.

NOT THE FULL ARTICLE (The following [SNIP] marks where I shortened it)

Tue, 04/28/2009 - Ian Agard

[SNIP] Here is an article that details five super successful movie directors who all have one thing in common,they did not spend a single day in film school. They learned and became a master at their craft from simple trial and error, self-study and unshakable self confidence and belief in themselves.

5. David Fincher

Fincher is an Academy Award-nominated American filmmaker and music video director known for his dark and stylish movies such as Seven, Fight Club, Zodiac and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Fincher eschewed the film school route, getting a job loading cameras and doing other hands-on work for John Korty's Korty Films. He was later hired by Industrial Light & Magic in 1980, where he worked on productions for Twice Upon a Time, Return of the Jedi and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Set on a directing career, Fincher joined video-production company Propaganda Films and started off directing music videos and commercials. Like Fincher, other directors such as Meiert Avis, David Kellogg, Michael Bay, Antoine Fuqua, Neil LaBute, Spike Jonze, Mark Romanek, Michel Gondry, Paul Rachman, Zack Snyder, Gore Verbinski, and Alex Proyas honed their talents at Propaganda Films before moving on to feature films

Oscar History: 1 Nomination

4. Peter Jackson

Mr. Jackson is a three-time Academy Award-winning New Zealand filmmaker, producer and screenwriter, best known for The Lord of the Rings trilogy adapted from the novel by J. R. R. Tolkien. He is also known for his 2005 remake of King Kong.
He won international attention early in his career with his "splatstick" horror comedies, before coming to mainstream prominence with Heavenly Creatures, for which he shared an Academy Award best screenplay nomination with his partner Fran Walsh
Jackson has no formal training in film-making, but learned about editing, special effects and makeup largely through his own trial and error. As a teenager Jackson discovered the work of author J. R. R. Tolkien after watching The Lord of the Rings (1978), an animated film by Ralph Bakshi that was a part-adaptation of Tolkien's fantasy trilogy. After leaving school Jackson began working as a photoengraver at a newspaper company in Wellington, and shooting a feature-length vampire movie that was later abandoned before completion.

Oscar History: 8 nominations, 3 wins.

3. Sir Ridley Scott

Scott is a British Academy Award nominated and Golden Globe, Emmy Award and BAFTA Award winning film director and producer known for his stylish visuals and an obsession for detail. His films include Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, Matchstick Men, Kingdom of Heaven, American Gangster and Body of Lies. At age 28, Scott made a black and white short film, 'Boy and Bicycle, starring his younger brother, Tony Scott, and his father. The film's main visual elements would become features of Scott's later work. After directing over 2,500 TV commercials, Ridley finally made his feature directorial debut at age 40 making The Duellists. Can you believe that? 40 years old when he made his first feature film. If that is not inspiration for you, I do not know what is. You are never too old to become whoever you want to be.

Oscar History: 3 Nominations

2. James Cameron

Mr. I am the king of the world is an Academy Award-winning Canadian-American director, producer and screenwriter. He has written and directed films as disparate as Aliens and Titanic. To date, his directorial efforts have grossed approximately US$1.1 billion domestically, unadjusted for inflation. Cameron is noted for his films¡Xwhich are often highly innovative, artistic and financially successful¡Xas well as his fierce temper and confrontational personality

Oscar History: 3 wins.

1. Steven Spielberg

Where should I start?

Steven Spielberg is an American film director, screenwriter and film producer. Forbes magazine places Spielberg's net worth at $3.1 billion. In 2006, the magazine Premiere listed him as the most powerful and influential figure in the motion picture industry. Time listed him as one of the 100 Most Important People of the Century. At the end of the twentieth century, Life named him the most influential person of his generation. In a career of over four decades, Spielberg's films have touched on many themes and genres. Spielberg's early sci-fi and adventure films, sometimes centering on children, were seen as an archetype of modern Hollywood blockbuster filmmaking. In later years his movies began addressing such issues as the Holocaust, slavery, war and terrorism.

Spielberg won the Academy Award for Best Director for 1993's Schindler's List and 1998's Saving Private Ryan. Three of Spielberg's films, Jaws (1975), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), and Jurassic Park (1993), broke box office records, each becoming the highest-grossing film made at the time. To date, unadjusted gross of all Spielberg directed films exceeds $8.5 billion worldwide.

Oscar History: 12 nominations, 3 wins.

[SNIP]

I hope this article leaves you with the belief that the most important characteristic needed to become a successful movie director is determination.

[SNIP]

I would like to end this article with a quote from James Cameron.

"I think the most important thing if you're an aspiring film-maker is to get rid of the 'aspiring'... You shoot it, you put your name on it, you're a film-maker. Everything after that, you're just negotiating your budget."
Click to expand...
 
I guess they must mean current directors, otherwise they'd be David Lean, Alfred Hitchcock and about three hundred other directors in that list before Cameron and Fincher - no disrespect to those two...
 
hmmm,
I assume this is top 5 and not the top 5, because I'm missing lars von trier and david lynch; and then indeed living top 5, or else you would have to include fellini, pasolini, visconti, tarkovski, and so many others:hand:I don't know anything about their training though
 
All great directors Roberto

I'd like to add an one name from the golden era of Hollywood.

Victor Fleming was a car mechanic before being hired as an AC by director Allan Dwan in the silent era. He worked his way up to director and in 1939 pulled off one of the great achievements in cinema. He directed two of the most iconic motion pictures of our time. The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind. Not bad for a years work.

Film school? Not even close.

On the job training.
 
Gavin Greenwalt said:
Wait a second. Didn't spielberg go to UC Long Beach. And I swear Ridley Scott made a student film as part of his college degree.
Click to expand...

Spielberg was an intern at Universal. He didn't get in to film school. 'Two quid Rid' went to the Royal College of Art, which if any of the people I know that have been there meant doing anything other than learning how to make movies, but you're right he did study film.
 
If I remember correctly, Cameron did attend film school, but only for a short while -- which reminds me of something about Paul Thomas Anderson:

"For the brief time he was at NYU film school he handed in some of Pulitzer Prize winner David Mamet's work as his own. When he got it back with a "C" grade he decided to leave."

As far as attending filmschool, I think you're either an artist or you're not. Guys like Cameron, Scott and Jackson can (for example) draw very well (not sure about Spielberg or Fincher). Talented filmmakers tend to already be good at another art form; you either "get" art or you don't.
 
Yes, perhaps it would have been better if he called it "Five Top Directors..." instead of "Top 5 Directors...".
I didn't want to change the title after already trimming the article down.

Denis, that is such a fucking hilarious story! HAHA! Thanks for sharing.

Of course there are great teachers out there as well. One of my first acting classes with a very smart guy called Michael Goia included something very similar to James Cameron's quote. It translates to anything you do, be it accounting, a seat on the shuttle, paper-boy, or Director.

You could quote Yoda instead if you wished, but I can't remember the exact line... something along the lines of "there is no such thing as trying"... or was that Karate Kid? LOL... I need sleep. You get the point. :)
 
Denis Haineault said:
As far as attending filmschool, I think you're either an artist or you're not. Guys like Cameron, Scott and Jackson can (for example) draw very well (not sure about Spielberg or Fincher). Talented filmmakers tend to already be good at another art form; you either "get" art or you don't.
Click to expand...

I agree with that. I would also add that it seems to be conveniently overlooked here that every one of the directors mentioned is highly educated and intimately familiar with art, art history, music, and in most cases, literature. A good director is a life long student of art and the human condition. For some, film school helps instill a discipline that is helpful. For others, it's an adjunct to a wider journey of personal enlightenment and self education. But if anyone here for one minute believes that any of these guys got to be who they are simply by "on the job training," you're really fooling yourself. If you are ever lucky enough to be in a conversation with any of them (or some other directors I could add to the list), you will find yourself encountering one of the most intelligent, most observant, most literary, and most well read people you've ever met. And yes, I speak from a bit of experience.
 
Practice, Work, Experience, Networking, more hard Work and luck.

Film school is a way, but not the only way.
 
True, going to film school is not what makes someone a great director -- or filmmaker. -- which is true of any artistic discipline -- and probably any discipline you can name. The people who went on to greatness who had trouble with or ignored formal education are legendary. But they are few in number. And it seems that those who are exceptional, never let education stand in the way of their learning.

Those of you under four decades, might find it hard to imagine the world before the film school industry blossomed with film departments springing up left and right. Even in Spielberg's time, there weren't a lot of seats to be had.

But two cinema giants I can think of -- Roman Polanski and Krystoff Kieslowski -- did go to film school. And obviously survived and went on to make great films. Which speaks well of the famous Lodz school. As always, there are many ways up the mountain.

I believe Spielberg was given an honorary degree by USC -- and I think he earned his film degree at Long Beach (which he dropped out of) in 2002.
 
christopher nolan,

studied english literature.

i guess francois truffaut wasnt in a film school too, he was a film critic

and

akira kurosawa, started as 1st ad in a studio

and sergio leone

and tarantino (was in a actors class)

and

clint eastwood (worked in a gas station before starting his acting career)
 
but the other way around: film school boys


francis ford coppola
george lucas
de palma
robert rodriguez


the point is there is no way one way.
 
You have to be a student of "something" to be able to communicate to human beings.

Formal or not, Education ≠ Training.
 
Agreeing with Mmost... personally I think Cameron's philosophy major is a more applicable educational background to directing than any film school.

I learned a few valuable things about film making in film school, I've found reading philosophy and history far more valuable and inspirational. You can always hire people to point your cameras and keep you within the conventions of big budget film making. But all of the directors on the list have transcended technical proficiency, they are eloquent communicators able to enable those around them to work in concert. Which isn't to say they aren't technically proficient... two of those directors started in FX... just that with a large enough budget and a talented enough crew you can almost always deliver a film with "Hollywood production values".
 
Film Student vs. Filmmaker

Film Student vs. Filmmaker

I have spoken with some "Film Students" and asked them if they would like to make a 35mm movie, I would pay for the film and supply the cameras and lights etc., they would get to direct and supply the actors, sets and locations.

Every one so far says something like "Oh.. I just a "Film Student." Well WTF for?

What good does it do to be a "Film Student" who never makes a feature film and just dabbles with camcorders?

==

I wonder what percent of academy award winning filmmakers went to "Film School".

The same but what percent of highest grossing filmmakers.

==

They say "those who cannot do teach". When one looks into filmschools I think one should talk to the faculty and see how many ARE academy award winners. Just what qualifies those to teach and if they are not successul themselves what are they passing on, where does their personal knowledge and experence depart from reciting something they read in a book.

Perhaps the best "film school" is looking at the works of the masters and studing them with a hand counter and a stop watch. Getting the original scripts and comparing those to the end result, and reading books written by people who have experence, perhaps more experence that an instructor you might encounter.

Today equipment and software for doing a DI are so cheep anyone can learn by doing at little or no cost. What seems lacking is enough selif criticism, putting yourself on the same plane as the masters is not going to happen to 99.99% of those who might like to think it is easy to do because of technology, what you end up with is a misformed shadow, and imitation, like cutting bits out of anothers great work and pasting it together and saying "look what I did, it has the same words as that great work so it must be it's equal".

What made those works great was their craft and originality, and originality is not something you can be instructed in so much as needs to be consciously developed from within.
 
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