How do you become the highest grossing director of all time? Easy — don't go
to film school. These iconic directors didn't need formal training to make movie masterpieces.
If it wasn't for Peter Jackson, our vision of Middle-earth would look a whole lot different
today. Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" adaptations won seventeen Academy Awards
across three movies thanks to their grand scale, groundbreaking special effects, and epic scores.
Jackson knew from a young age that he wanted to be a filmmaker,
but he wasn't interested in attending school outside New Zealand to make that happen. The
nation's film industry wasn't substantial in the 1980s, so he had to do things himself.
"I never went to film school, so I don't even know what film schools do, to tell you the truth."
After dropping out of high school at the age of 16, Jackson worked hard
to earn enough money to purchase his own 16mm camera. Jackson's first film,
"Bad Taste," was shot on that very camera, and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 1987.
Jackson's career was launched with a film that sits snugly in the splatter-horror genre,
and he used his success to create more of the same with 1993's "Dead Alive."
He gained international attention with 1994's "Heavenly Creatures," which opened
the door for his first Hollywood film, "The Frighteners." Of course, it wasn't until
"The Lord of the Rings" that the director found himself thrust into the stratosphere.
James Cameron is one of the world's most successful directors — but unlike many
of his peers, he doesn't have the most consistent output. Instead,
he spends years working on his projects, often developing new technology to bring his
imagined worlds to life. He's made several of the highest grossing films ever made,
and there's a simple reason for that: he's a brilliant storyteller who cares about the details.
Cameron studied physics at a community college, but transitioned to English before dropping out.
He then worked as a truck driver while pursuing his interest in film technology. After seeing
"Star Wars" in 1977, Cameron knew for sure that he wanted to pursue a film career.
Cameron's big break came when he sold the rights to "The Terminator" for just $1. He
did this on one condition, though: he had to be allowed to direct the movie himself.
Years later, Rick Schultz asked Cameron in an interview if film school was a good
place for aspiring creators to hone their skills. The director replied —
"When I started out, I was working as a truck driver. Didn't have much
spare cash. Certainly couldn't afford film school. But all you
have to do is pick up a camera and start shooting something."
Lana and Lilly Wachowski, collectively known as the Wachowskis, are two of the most unique and
entertaining directors working in Hollywood today. They made their mark on the industry
in 1999 with the release of the sci-fi classic "The Matrix," which they co-wrote and directed.
The Wachowskis followed a nontraditional path to becoming Hollywood A-listers,
having started in the world of comic books. Instead of going to film school,
they went to college for other subjects, but they both dropped out before graduating.
The pair worked in construction for a bit, and in 1993, they wrote for Marvel Comics' imprint,
Razorline's Barkerverse. They continued to work in comics, initially conceiving "The Matrix" for
that medium before transitioning the story to the silver screen.
Before that happened, though, they had gone to Warner Bros. with the script to
an action-thriller called "Assassins." The film got a page-one rewrite and failed to
turn much of a profit, making the Wachowskis realize that if
they wanted their visions brought to life properly, they needed to do it themselves.
They directed their first film, "Bound," for a few million dollars, and it became a critical success.
After seeing what the pair could do behind the camera, producer Joel Silver gave the green
light to the movie the Wachowskis were dying to make. Their third film for Warner Bros. was "The
Matrix," and the sisters have continued to make movies in their own trademark style ever since.
Ava DuVernay made her way to the film industry much later than most of her peers. She was 32
when she picked up a camera for the first time, and doing so was the result of a career change.
She started working in journalism when she helped cover the O.J. Simpson trial, but she
soon became disillusioned with the industry. From there, she worked in public relations and
made a move to filmmaking in her early thirties. In an interview with Refinery29, DuVernay said —
"Can a director also have my hair, and my skin, and be a girl… Yes, everyone can be it all."
DuVernay's debut film, "I Will Follow," was a small indie that
garnered great reviews and opened the door for her to score some big-budget
projects. On the subject of her first film, DuVernay elaborated —
Terry Gilliam was the only American member of Monty Python,
and he spent much of his time creating the group's animated segments. He also performed
with the group and directed "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," which became a massive hit.
When Gilliam started out, directing movies wasn't on the horizon, as he started out as
a strip cartoonist and animator. He did this with a BA in political science from Occidental College.
Through his work with Help! magazine, Gilliam met John Cleese, and after moving to England,
he met Eric Idle, Michael Palin, and Terry Jones. Regarding film school,
Gilliam has opposed the concept, having spoken about it numerous times.
During an appearance on "Roundhouse" in 2007,
Gilliam expressed the opinion that if someone only studies the technical aspect of filmmaking,
they'll be unprepared to get to work making movies. In a Facebook post in 2011, Gilliam
doubled down on his opinion of film schools, saying it was for fools. The director wrote —
Quentin Tarantino is arguably the most successful independent filmmaker of all time, and his work
speaks for itself. His first directorial effort was "Reservoir Dogs," which quickly established
the young director as a force to be reckoned with. He solidified his name in Hollywood history with
his second film, "Pulp Fiction" — and from there, he consistently made hit after hit.
Tarantino didn't attend film school: in fact, he dropped out of the ninth grade. However,
he took acting classes at the James Best Theater Company. He also worked
for five years at Video Archives in Manhattan Beach, California,
where he further educated himself on the artistry and history of cinema.
"I got hired because I was a film expert. And then I had five years
to just do nothing but watch films instead of get a job for a life."
Tarantino has discussed his lack of formal training throughout his career:
during a Cinema Master Class at Cannes, he told audience members —
Tarantino expanded on this during his time at the film festival, elaborating —
Those films made Tarantino into the violence-loving auteur that we know him as today.
Joel and Ethan Coen comprise the filmmaking duo collectively known as the Coen brothers. Joel has
been credited as director since their first film, "Blood Simple," hit theaters in 1984,
while Ethan was uncredited in that role until 2004's "Ladykillers."
Regardless, both brothers write, produce, and direct — together,
they've created "The Big Lebowski," "Fargo," and "No Country for Old
Men," but that's a fraction of their outstanding body of work.
Joel indeed went to film school, having attended the film program at NYU. Ethan,
too, was no slouch in the education department, but he instead earned an undergraduate degree
in philosophy from Princeton. If you've seen his movies, that might not come as much of a surprise.
Still, a philosophy degree isn't the same thing as film school. At a press conference for "Hail,
Caesar!" in 2016, Ethan spoke about his education, saying —
Julie Taymor has been ensconced in the world of theater since 1980,
and it's a world she knows all too well. In 1997,
her adaptation of "The Lion King" became the most-watched Broadway production of
her generation — and according to Playbill, it's the highest-grossing Broadway show of all time.
Taymor didn't study film in college, as it wasn't her primary interest — rather,
dance and film have driven her throughout her professional career. Her films are reminiscent
of theatrical work, and it's easy to see how that background drives her vision on the big screen.
Taymor began working in film in the early 1990s. Her feature debut, the highly successful
adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Titus Andronicus" called "Titus," gained worldwide
recognition. It did decently upon release and has gone on to become a cult classic.
Taymor followed up "Titus" in 2002 with "Frida," a biopic of the artist
Frida Kahlo. That movie earned Taymor even more critical acclaim,
which she continued to enjoy with "Across the Universe," "The Tempest," and "The Glorias."
Steven Spielberg is the highest-grossing director of all time, and easily one of
the most influential directors of the last 50 years. Making movies was something Spielberg
wanted to do ever since he was a kid: he shot a nine-minute film called "The Last Gunfight"
for a Boy Scouts merit badge, and continued shooting movies with his father's 8mm camera.
Spielberg applied for the film programs at UCLA and USC, but he was rejected because of
his grades. Spielberg wanted nothing more than to be a filmmaker, though,
and he wasn't going to let rejections from film schools keep him from pursuing his dream.
He attended classes at California State University, Long Beach,
but dropped out when he scored a deal to write and direct the short
film "Amblin'." This early effort earned him a seven-year contract with Universal Television,
making him the youngest director at a major studio in Hollywood history.
From there, he became the most successful film director of all time — and he did it
without attending film school. That said, Spielberg did return to college in 2002 to
finish what he started at California State University, Long Beach. After 33 years away,
Spielberg finally took home a BA in Film and Electronic Media.
"But you're better at this than you were in school."
"Oh damn, damn straight!"
Stanley Kubrick is one of the greatest filmmakers of all time,
and his work has influenced generations of filmmakers. Interestingly,
Kubrick's interests weren't initially as aligned with filmmaking as they were
with the technology and cameras used in the process. His first career was in photography,
though he didn't attend university to pursue that dream. Instead, he sold prints to Look
magazine shortly after graduating high school and went on to become a staff photographer.
Kubrick always loved cinema, and after some time,
he left Look to make films on tiny budgets by renting cameras and scraping together savings.
He studied the technical aspects of filmmaking on his own, and after a great deal of work,
he was able to push his way into the industry, becoming an internationally recognized artist.
Kubrick told Joseph Gelmis that working on every aspect of his first two films helped teach him a
great deal. When asked if he would attend film school if he were starting over, Kubrick said —