3. Engage In A Film Community
I miss being in education. I miss it because once it is gone, you begin to feel you instinct and knowledge dulling. I spent three years engaged in the world of filmmaking when I was at university. I spent my days surrounded by lecturer's and other aspiring talent and it was one of the best things that ever happened to me as a writer and director. Being part of and engaging in a community of film makers or critics will keep you sharp and keep you talking about film which you need to understand if you want to be a good director. For me, this came in the form of a university course. For you, this could come in entirely different forms. Go online, find people who meet up and talk about film, start writing about film for a blog, join forums or join a film club. If possible I would encourage you to meet up with people and talk about it rather than just spamming forums about your ideas. Your retention of discussion will be sharper and your confidence in what your saying will grow. Being part of a group of people who are talking about film constantly will allow you form your own opinions, find your voice and eventually push you abilities. Being challenged by them is important to keep you motivated through the preproduction, production and the absolute slog that is postproduction. By creating films around other people who make or love films will keep you accountable to finish what you have started. Living and breathing the practice you want to start doing will inevitably make you better at it. That will be so much easier if you have people around you who are doing the same thing.