"Being A Director" by James Gunn

"I get tons of people who want to be directors, actors, or writers asking me for advice here. Here's some short form advice:

Remember that it takes ten years or so to become a doctor. Entertainment is a far more competitive field than medicine - and, if you're really focused on mastering your craft, it can be just as complex. So expect it to take at least ten years of hard work at the expense of a regular life to simply be competent and perhaps begin to make a living at it. And, even then, sadly, only an extremely small percentage of people are able to do so.

If you find that too daunting, consider working in another field. If you don't find it daunting at all, consider therapy. Considering your sense of reality, you've got bigger problems than your career goals.

However, if you find that daunting, but still have the need or desire to continue, well, that's at least one place to start. I wish you not only luck, but strength, perseverance, heart, and talent.

And, before you start, there are of course lots of exceptions to the ten year rule (or, as Malcom Gladwell talks about in his book Outliers, the 10,000-hours-of-work rule). But that also takes a great amount of luck, something we don't have much control over other than putting ourselves out there as much as possible." - Facebooked James Gunn (Director for MARVEL's "Guardians of the Galaxy").

Admittedly, there was a period in my past working life, that I had such a desire to be a "director" - moreso to be able to helm and make a collection of moving visuals the way I want to experience, rather than the "perceived" glamor that comes with it hahaha … a couple of opportunities passed my way, even a script at one time too!

And I had then been disillusioned to think that my near-decades' worth of experience in the television and film industry (predominantly in the "Art Department" no less), would've prepared me to be a "Director" instead … foolish, I know … LOL

It is "easy" to be a "film director", if one believes in "opportunity", but it is a whole other thing to be a "Good Director", IMHO.