In remember a story from my fikmmaking class 20 years ago.... Rodrigo Garcia (the son of Gabriel Garcia Marquez) wanted to be a filmmaker. The industry is quit

In remember a story from my fikmmaking class 20 years ago.... Rodrigo Garcia (the son of Gabriel Garcia Marquez) wanted to be a filmmaker. The industry is quite closed. Everybody knew almost everybody and it was quite hard to break into the industry. This guy did something unusual. Instead of trying to be a director from the first time, he bought a piece of equipment for moving the camera up/downwards, leartn how to use it perfectly, and rented the device with an operator... which was him, of course. This way he was able to get in touch with the industry, make contacts, etc. My advice is to do something similar. Get a copy if the American Cinematographer Manual from the ASC, use it to learn the language of the industry, and do like Rodrigo Garcia (he was director of photography): use your current skills to find a contractor niche where you can get to know people in the industry.