The film industry is notoriously hard to break into. It's been compared to being a professional athlete; you have to continue to train and stay on top of your game if you want to start for a great team.

But just like professional sports, film and TV have changed through the ages...and so has the way you break into the industry.

As we enter into the mid-2020s, I wanted to devote an entire post to how to break into writing, directing, and producing in this new era.

Let's go.

How Do You Break Into Hollywood Now -- Streaming?

Before I talk about Hollywood, I want to talk about how the business has changed over the last decade. We know that the rise in streamers like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Disney+ has put more content out into the world than ever before.

This streamer rise has increased the number of jobs out there.

Our very own Ryan Koo made headway with Amateur on Netflix.

Every day these platforms are expanding and creating to keep up with their competitors.

So, the good news is that there will be more jobs for making "content" in the coming years, but bad news comes coupled with that as well.

More and more streamers are putting a focus on recognizable faces. That means your chances of getting an Amazon or YouTube show increase if you get stars behind and in front of the camera. See, with this much content, you need a reason for people to click. You want a face front and center on the thumbnail that encourages people to click and watch. That will get you multiple seasons and allow you to attract a fan base.

Most of your time breaking in should be spent making things that will attract buyers -- so getting those shorts up on YouTube or making a deal with a streamer to get your show on there can go a long way.

What's the bottom line on breaking in with streamers?

Right now, innovation is critical. We know what streamers deliver currently, but what will they provide next?

We've seen Netflix and other platforms get into gaming and interactive storytelling.

Interactivity is the blend of entertainment and gaming. When you choose for the characters, you choose to stay engaged with the content. That makes streamers very happy.

They also have shifted back toward a network model in recent years, having a ton of episodes of an easily producible show.

When it comes to streaming movies, stars still matter. They want big names to be able to get clicks. And it also seems like they want noisy indies that can gain work of mouth traffic.

It turns out, streaming is sort of a catch-all when it comes to what Hollywood is buying from people trying to break in right now.

Breaking in using film festivals

By and large, film festivals like Sundance are great places to seek exposure, but they're also nearly impossible to get into now without a pedigree or studio backing.

What used to be beautiful places to find new voices has become corporatized, meaning you still can find new people as long as a giant company made their movie.

Okay, so what can a new filmmaker do?

Our best advice is to make films and look for festivals that can build your clout before taking a swing at something much bigger.

Also, make sure your movie fits into what typically gets shown at the festival. If you have a genre movie, maybe try SXSW and not Cannes if you're a first-time filmmaker without a ton of press or prestigious backers. Go for Atlanta, Austin, or Woodstock.

Another thing you have to remember is that the most critical eyes at these festivals are the buyers who want to give your movie a platform. Since theatrical is becoming incredibly cutthroat, your best shot might be a streamer.

And even then, making an entire movie might wind up being the calling card that lets you pitch on progressively more significant projects.

So, instead of making a movie to break in, you might consider making some short films instead.

How will making a short film help my career?

Writing and directing short films has always been something we advocated for at No Film School. Not only do they provide you important time on set, but they also can showcase your talents on a limited budget or tease a feature film you want to get funded.

Shorts are now and will continue to be excellent sources of content.

There are so many places they can have homes and be seen by the masses. YouTube, Vimeo, Short of the Week, etc. all are websites with millions of viewers daily. Standing out in those places can be hard, but if you crack the code, you'll have something shareable and valuable.

And it's not just those websites. Netflix, Apple TV, and Prime all have various short programs that have stood out, like Love, Death, & Robots, Modern Love, and Amazing Stories (complete with gimmicky hooks to draw attention.)

Now, you don't need a gimmick all the time, but it definitely helps when you're trying to sell a series of shorts.

It all starts with sitting down and writing a screenplay.

What are new ways for screenwriters to get noticed?

Luckily for writers all over, we are always in need of new voices and ideas. While IP looks to still be king in the future, more things will hit the public domain every year.

And as we detailed above, you can come prepared with scripts and story ideas that are not just perfect for a film and TV pilot, but also perfect for a streaming series. You can also prepare pitches and TV pitch documents.

But I think focusing your talents on writing things that get produced is extremely important.

Not only can you tell people you can tell a story on a budget, but think of it like writing specs to ascend a ladder. Once you start getting some of the smaller ones made, you usually get an opportunity to write some bigger ones. You can move onward and upward from there.

To get your work produced, you need to get it in front of real people who have access to money. That usually takes getting an agent or a manager -- some representation.

How do writers get reps ?

We've talked about it here before, but to get reps now, you have to stand out in some way. We've seen people use the Black List website (myself included) to get agents and managers. I still think it's a great way to be found, especially if you're not working in Hollywood or even living in the state of California.

Other options include contests. I think most are bullshit, but Nicholl, Austin, and Final Draft Big Break all have success stories linked to them.

Agent or Manager?

This question comes in fairly often. Truly, it doesn't matter so much who represents you, and long as they believe in your work and know how to get it out into the world.

Over the last few years, I've noticed most agencies only taking on more established writers because there's not much money and a whole lot of work spent trying to break them in.

So you may have more luck finding a manager who wants to put in the effort to get you to the next level.

While your lawyer handles negotiations, managers are great at listening and handling any situation you might find yourself in starting out.

The best way to get them is by referral, but there are new ways to be referred.

You can search on X to see if any managers are on there. It feels like there's always someone on Reddit giving advice. And I would put effort into going to places like AFF and mingling with these reps in real life to see if you gel.

Any short cuts for directors now?

Things are so different than they used to be. People used to go to film school and come out applying for jobs. Or just spend time on set and work their way up. Right now, as we enter a new Hollywood...people are obsessed with directors who have made things.

We learned from Christopher McQuarrie that making things is his number one piece of advice, but what should a director make?

Make shorts!

Things come full circle here, but having a bunch of shorts you can show people, especially proof of concepts for a feature. We interviewed Minhal Baig, the director and writer of Hala, who used a proof of concept short and a feature script to get her movie funded and premiered at Sundance. Now it's available on Apple TV.

More and more filmmakers are seeking this route because a short proves you can do the things you need to do on the feature version. Having scripts ready means you know where the story is going and the kinds of stories you want to tell moving forward.

Is making something a shortcut?

No.

It's still very hard to make something good that looks professional and can be your calling card. But it's active and is something you can send to people to prove you have the chops.

Camera equipment and cinematography

One of the craziest parts of the end of the 2010s was seeing the quality of footage improve on cameraphones. As we move into the deeper 2020s, you'll continue to see the drop in price and rise in quality when it comes to what you can do at home.

The iPhone shoots in 4K. That's wild!

While the equipment used day to day remains the same, you're running out of excuses why you can't crew up and shoot at home.

We talked with a director who made a 3000 shot feature with just him and his wife.

If you want to become a cinematographer, get out in the world and shoot. You can use your phone or an Alexa, but you need to get that practice composing shots, building a story, working with directors, and storyboarding.

Find a way to make your ideas more fluid.

Just like writing, there's a Reddit for you.

While we can make predictions like 8K and 24K coming soon, I think the general consensus is an amazing price drop. This will help ease your budget constraints and launch so many careers of people who might previously be priced out of the industry.

What will No Film School look like in the future?

We've been on the internet for over a decade, and stayed true to our mantra, "By filmmakers, for filmmakers."

We're excited to be introducing more long-form articles, video content, and a few surprises around the bend. If you have article or course suggestions for us, feel free to leave them in the comments below.

Our main goal for this new era is to continue to keep you up to date on what's happening inside the industry.

We do that by interfacing with you.

See a trend you think we forgot?

Put them below as well.

We'll dig more into it for you.

What's next? How to become a filmmaker...

Being a filmmaker/starting a career in filmmaking is not for the faint of heart.

In fact, whatever heart you have when you start, you better be ready to weather a storm of indignities, or be shatterproof, or fitted for a suit of armor or… maybe just be so broken and damaged to start that you’ll barely feel the pain…

Whoa, that got dark.

Click to read a lighter article than you'd expect!