Talent, training, luck: What it takes to get a career break in movies

Entertainment industry boom means there are more opportunities for aspiring filmmakers, actors, scriptwriters

Walt Disney, the American film and TV producer, said this about his profession: “We don’t make movies to make more money. We make money to make more movies”. It’s a glamorous profession but requires hard work, struggle and luck.

There are three ways to get into movies: Work at a studio set, make and publish your own short films on YouTube and other social media, or join a formal training course. Doing all three would be fine too.

Finnish filmmaker Hanna Vastinsalo, who has a doctorate in molecular genetics, left a career in scientific research to make movies. She combines