Where in the World is Raggit (going to live)?

[Raggit]

It's been a while since I last posted, but I'm back.  Usually, when I post I'm interested in finding out people's opinions or advice on this matter or that. 

This is a big one.  An important one.  Perhaps the most importantest of them all!  (Well, maybe not.)

Anyway, there comes a time in every young man's life when he must finally spread his wings and leave home.  I'm turning 20 this fall and entering my last year of college as well (obtaining an associates in music technology), so I see that this time for ME is on the horizon.

As some of you may or may not know, I'm an aspiring film composer (you know, the person who writes the musical score to movies), and I've finally managed to get a few credits to my name now, with more in the near future. 

I've completed all my jobs so far via the internet, which is most certainly NOT an ideal way of working.  Ideally, I need to be in the same physical vicinity as the filmmakers. 

This brings me to my big problem: Where to go? 

At first the answer seems simple: Los Angeles. 

The problem with LA is that I really, really don't want to live in such a big city.  I'm from small town America, so LA seems pretty imposing.  Of course, I know that negativity gets the headlines so we're only going to hear nothing but how many murders took place there today. 

So my first set of questions is to those of you who live in LA, or have spent time there: 

1. What's the best aspect of living there?

2. What's the worst aspect of living there?

3. As a general rule, are the people friendly or unfriendly?

Now, the problem gets even more complicated as soon as I say that I've also seriously considered Canada.  I think it goes without saying that I've had my fair share of issues with the way America is and what it's become. 

I understand Toronto is a major film hotspot in Canada, and I might be persuaded to consider it even more seriously if I can get some input on the following questions:

1. What's the best aspect of living there?

2. What's the worst aspect of living there?

3. Are the people there friendly or unfriendly?

4. How do the films compare in all ways to American films? (This is something that's very important to me because I want to migrate towards films that are more about, you know, being expression and artwork, instead of stars, money and explosions.  It's sort of hard to find a lot of Canadian films where I live so I'm not able to make my own judgement yet.)

5. Is Canada significantly different enough from America to justify moving there based on social and political reasons, not including career?

I'll probably come up with more questions later on, but this are my basic starting points.  I've been thinking about it all for quite a long time, and it wouldn't be complete without the input of my brothers and sisters in Blue Cuppery.

I'd appreciate your input.   

[MashPotato]

I lived in Toronto while in University, and still work there (commuting from uptown), so I can give some general impressions although I'll say I don't know Toronto as well as others who have lived there do

My first thoughts (I might think of more later):
1) In general it's a nice-sized city; it's big enough to have all the services you would need, while perhaps not as intimidating as larger cities .  There's usually stuff to do if you like going to festivals and things like that, and it's fairly easy to get around the downtown core by a combination of foot, subway, and streetcar.  While there is crime, I've never really felt scared walking around by myself (except one time during a snowstorm when it was 2 in the morning, but I'd feel a bit unsafe everywhere in that case ).  The city's very multicultural, so there's pretty much any kind of food in the world you would want to eat

2) Getting a place in the downtown core of Toronto can be pricey (though probably not as expensive as LA), especially if you're looking to own.  Transport to the downtown core might be an issue if you move to areas above Toronto, and if you live in the suburbs you'll definitely need to have a car to get around.

3) There's a joke "Q: How do you get a Canadian to say they're sorry?  A: step on their foot" (I've done it myself! ).  While I wouldn't say the average Torontonian is overly outwardly friendly (eg. spontaneously saying hello to strangers they meet on the street), I think most people would help you out if you were looking for directions, say, and people are generally polite   Like any city, there are nice people and ones not so nice--it's difficult to characterize a city

4) I don't know anything about the movie scene in Toronto myself, though I have read newspaper articles that American film companies might reduce their business in Canada somewhat due to the strength of the Canadian dollar relative to the American dollar--I'm not sure if that actually happened or not.  I haven't seen enough small Canadian movies to form a good characterization of them, but my out-of-the-air-impression is that many deal with multicultural issues

5) hard to say... I do feel that Canada is more left-leaning than the US, and things like universal healthcare do make me feel that I would rather be in Canada than the US, but it depends on your point of view.  Canada is not without its problems, they're just not the same ones as the ones in the US

Hope that helps a bit, good luck making your decision

[TheJBurger]

I've lived in LA for a long time, but I'm not the best person to talk to since I actually don't have that much hands-on experience with the city/culture itself.

I don't know if I can answer any of your questions because Los Angeles is actually hard to define as a city. Sure, it has cultural and geographical boundaries, but everything down here is just so decentralized and scattered around.

If you do move to LA, you'll almost certainly be needing a car, especially since it's so expensive to live in high activity areas. Depending where you are and where you need to be, chances are you can't rely on the public transportation system to get you there. (I don't know how it is in other major cities?  )

And the weather... well... the lowest it will get in the winter is probably the 30s (Fahrenheit), and the temperature hovers around 70 all year long. In the summer it breaks 100 on a regular basis.

[Nikolas]

I don't see you getting worried about money, which should be a central point in your discussion I find.

I'm in London, so don't have first hand experience with LA, but I know people who live there. The competition (especially in the movies, not so much computer games (yet)) is fierce! Are you up for it? I mean, you're 20, which is quite young, you mention experience under your belt but are you ready they are enough to get you started on a place where your competition will have names like... Williams, Zimmer, Elfman, etc (and each one will grab 5-10 movies per year! ). I don't mean to discourage you, but this is exactly what I'm doing! (lol).

Thing is that, anyone I've met going to LA, they already had tons of experience before and some promise of work. And you start small, of course.

You are right, you do need to be in place and not do things over the Internet, just know that LA (as far as I know at least) is almost as expensive as London, which makes it HUGELY expensive. IF you are to pay rent $1000, for example, plus car, plus the way of living there (which will exclude having ready made noodles for lunch, when a team you want to get in are having steaks... (examples of course)) will get you paying lots of money.

Bottom line, from what I've heard, you need to have aside LOTS of money ($50,000? $40,000?) in order to make it for the first... 6 months (numbers might not be correct, as I said I'm in London), and in order to live as long as is needed in order to find a job there.

RE Canadian movies. Google, imdb and torrents be your friends! I find your case highly excused and don't care what anyone says. Well, maybe not...

But really, I'm sure you can come up with a list of 10-20 movies made in Canada the past few years. If not hit the movie makers forums and ask questions. Then... buy the DVDs. it might be the best $200 you'll ever spend, IF you buy the DVDs... It should give you enough insight on what's going on in Toronto. After all, if nobody knows them, then maybe Toronto is not so hot? Just an idea!

[Dave Gilbert]

Just to warn you, the visa requirements for immigrating to the US from the UK are S-T-R-I-C-T!  Make sure it's even possible for you to move to the US before you stress out over where to live.

[Raggit]

Dave,

I'm already a US citizen (born here), if your comment was for me.   

Nikolas,

Indeed the money is an imporant point, but I already know the financial costs, and I'm looking for input on the other points which I'm still wondering about. 

I know the competition is huge, but I guess I'm not real worried because I won't be competing with the major players for a long, long time, as I'm starting out at the bottom here.  If I thought I was going to waltz right out there and start working on the level of any of the major composers in Hollywood, I'd be very dissappointed if at least one of you didn't slap me upside the head.   

I'm prepared to struggle, I just need to figure out where the best place to go about it will be. 

I've also kicked around the idea of maybe living somewhere smaller within a tolerable drive of LA, though I'm still debating the practicality of that.  Granted, I probably wouldn't have to drive there EVERY day, but it's hard to say. 

[Makeout Patrol]

I live in Vancouver, which is another major film hotspot in Canada. Just since this past October I had to dodge film crews for Battlestar Galactica, the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still, and some shitty Aston Kutcher movie on my way from residence to class at Simon Fraser University, and there are an awful lot of films that don't use SFU as a location. I'm not sure how much music gets dealt with here, but I'm pretty sure that Vancouver's film industry is bigger than Toronto's (and at least a few years ago was bigger than LA's), so I guess I might as well talk about our city, too?


1. What's the best aspect of living there?

It's a truly beautiful city; most (if not all) of the municipalities in the Vancouver have zoning laws that require a lot of green space, and as a result the sort of sprawl and artificiality that you'll see in other big cities isn't nearly as oppressive. It's a coast city, so it's not difficult to get to the ocean, and there are hundreds of public parks spread throughout the area. If you're into outdoor sports, there's plenty of opportunity for it. The arts scene - including the indie film scene - is very alive and vibrant.

2. What's the worst aspect of living there?

A lot of people don't like the weather, and it's true that it does rain a lot. There are a couple of bad neighborhoods, including the poorest neighborhood in North America, but as long as you stay out of those areas you won't have to worry about crime practically at all. Property is quite expensive, but should start to get a bit cheaper after the 2010 Olympics.

3. Are the people there friendly or unfriendly?

I'd say friendly. People generally ignore other people, but are rarely outright rude to strangers.

4. How do the films compare in all ways to American films? (This is something that's very important to me because I want to migrate towards films that are more about, you know, being expression and artwork, instead of stars, money and explosions.  It's sort of hard to find a lot of Canadian films where I live so I'm not able to make my own judgement yet.)

That's because there just aren't that many Canadian films - the domestic film market is pretty poor. Most of the work you'll find in film in Canada will be for American companies, unless you stick to the indie scene, which is very vibrant and diverse. A Canadian movie called "Young People Fucking" that just came out is generating a lot of buzz, and a new federal bill that's on its way through the legislative process is generating a lot of interest in the Canadian film scene, so maybe this will change, but for now, film in Vancouver is basically American movies and TV shows with a higher-than-average number of local indie productions.

5. Is Canada significantly different enough from America to justify moving there based on social and political reasons, not including career?

I'd say so. We're considerably more socialist than our neighbors to the South; we've got the free health care and the social safety net, everybody takes multiculturalism very seriously, and so forth. What, exactly, are the "social and political reasons" you have in mind? If you mean you're looking for somewhere where nobody will care whether or not you smoke pot, the only better place in the world to consider is Amsterdam.

EDIT: I should also point out that while there are some great pubs, in general, the nightlife here is terrible, and for a lot of people constitutes one of the worst aspects of the city.

[GarageGothic]

Moving to Vancouver is one of my big dreams, and I plan on making it a reality - at least for a period - once the 2010 Winter Olympics are over. I absolutely adore the city for all the reasons Makeout Patrol mentions (I'm from Denmark - rainy weather doesn't deter me as long as the winters are mild). From a professional perspective I'm more interested in the city's video game industry than the movie business though. I already spent two summers working at EA's Black Box studios next to Canada Place, and while EA isn't my dream employer (Rockstar Vancouver on the other hand...), Black Box did seem a lot more relaxed than some of their other studios around the world.

Edit: Forgot to mention, another great thing about the city is its multiculturalism (as Makeout Patrol already mentioned) . As for the nightlife, I don't care too much, but I did have some great evenings at The Sonar and The Honey Lounge.

Edit 2: Oh, and how can you not mention Timbits! Another great reason to choose Canada.

[Raggit]

One of the major issues I have with America is the outright selfishness and greed to grips the culture and government.  The argument that most Americans put up against us having a public healthcare system is that they don't want their money going to pay for other people's doctor visits and treatments.  This sort of disdain for others in need is horrific, but is quite commonplace here.

The culture is generally rank and cynical, with little value for art or expression.  Not to mention the government is completely in the toilet.

I try not to be too idealistic, and I want to have a realistic image of Canada.  I know it's not perfect, I just want to try to figure out if I might be more at home there.  In general, I feel tension walking down the street because so many people are just on edge and are just so mean to each other anymore.  And I live in a comparatively small community.

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

Wait, you cite nationalized health care as a reason for wanting to leave?  Nationalized healthcare is bullshit and won't improve anything, especially for poor people.  Did you know that prior to the 1970's shift towards fiat currency and the push towards government involvement in business many hospitals were run by churches, who would typically refuse no one service?  Nationalizing something is just another way for the government to put another power notch in its belt and establish standards that may work for some but won't for a great deal of other other people.  I highly suggest you do some hard reading on the subject before espousing the benefits of such a program (such as The Cure by Canadian doctor David Gratzer, where he specifically points out the critical flaws in nationalized healthcare and explains ways to improve American healthcare without resorting to a nationalized structure).

[talking about Canadian health care] "People line up for care; some of them die. That's what happens."  - Dr. David Gratzer

He's a Canadian native condemning a system that is, quite frankly, broken.  People wait months upon months for routine checkups, sometimes half a year for critical care issues like MRI's, and this just isn't a workable solution.

I don't want to go off on a rant here, but please don't ever cite nationalized healthcare as a positive solution to any health care dliemma; if anything, decentralization and allowing doctors to actually compete for your business is the yellow brick road of healthcare reform because it turns the doctor patient relationship into a business transaction as it should be, and makes the shitty medical practices go under while elevating the ones who do good business at a fair price.  Nationalized healhcare does none of this and encourages practices to cut corners, which is the case in the UK where the waiting list for most treatments is ridiculous (dentistry is one of the worst, statistically).  They also have some of the highest health violations, but don't take my word for it -- actually read some reports on the subject .


Anyway, if you bothered to stick through my rant I freely admit American Healthcare is severely damaged right now, but it's damaged by special interests playing favors with our government; for instance, when you have insurance and you make a claim for any medical treatment, they always charge your insurance company the absolute maximum, not the actual cost to do the treatment.  This is what cripples the system, the lack of competition for dollars and the standardization of the medical and pharmaceutical industries.  This is one (of many) reasons why both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will bring nothing but future troubles to America.

I've been rather disenchanted with America myself, but I also like to be informed on what is and is not wrong with our system and actively vote to repair what is actually damaged rather than to help break things more.  Things like nationalized healthcare sound really great on paper, but in practice they are far less so.

I wish you luck with where ever you decide to move. 

[Raggit]

Prog, I actually used national healthcare (and the opposition to it) as an example of how Americans are extremely me-me-me oriented, not so much as a reason for leaving.

But thanks anyway. 

*hopes thread doesn't spiral off into a healthcare system debate*

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

Sorry, I sort of soap boxed back there.  Some things just attract my attention!