Everybody has had the thought of directing a film at one point or another. Whether you just saw a great movie and you wanted to get a slice of that glory or you just watched a terrible movie and thought you could do much better. You must admit that the idea at least crossed your mind at some point. While there is no one route to becoming a director, the most commonly treaded path is that of the short film. Many of your favorite directors almost certainly started their careers making little short films, many of which you may be able to find online. Short films allow you to experience production, think about your craft, find your voice and get an understanding of the technical aspects of putting a movie together in a small condensed dose. Once you have a short film, you aren't just talking on the promise that you will be great at directing, you actually have evidence. It gives you a chance to be seen and judged as you can enter your film in one of the MANY short film festivals around the world. While I am no Scorsese, I do have about 6 years worth of experience working in and around movies, having directed two shorts myself, produced some and written and script doctored many more. I also spent three years o my life dedicated entirely to film production at university, so while I can't tell you "how to make it big" (I am still trying to figure that out), I can perhaps give you some incite into how to direct a short film and about getting a project off the ground.