I am just curious if anyone knows who the youngest director of a major feature length motion picture is.  I know John Singleton was 21 when he did Boyz in the hood, is he the youngest?  I know Spielberg was 19 when he did episodes of Colombo.

I am curious at what age is it when you are recognized as a serious director, not just a kid with a camera.

I think age has little to do with it, you're a serious director when you take the craft seriously.

I think age may have something to do with it, I mean you're not gonna give a 16 year old 5 mill to make a movie.  I know one of the writers of the movie 13, was, well she was 13, but when it comes to directing I think there is more.

when you direct you gotta be on top of everything, camera, sound, actors, art/set, it is a lot of pressure.

when I saw that singleton was only 21 I was amazed, that is a lot of trust for a major studio, same with Spielberg, he was 25 when he did Jaws.

I think what Spielberg is doing with his television program is great, trying to find YOUNG talent, I am just curious at what age a major studio would take someone serious at?

It is a matter of age, I think. It would be great if it was just down to raw talent, but its just not that simple. I mean, do you think Anthony Hopkins or Al Pacino are going to take direction from a fifteen or sixteen year old? Of course not. They're harded industry veterans, each with awards under their belts, they're not going to take orders from some kid with a camera and some money.

Also, Robert Rodriguez gave one of his children "Story by" credit on The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl. I don't know how old his children are but they were definitely credited as a writer on the film. I don't imagine they would be any older than about ten or eleven. I could be wrong, but it sounds about right.

Cheers, Chismeister.

Quoted from The boy who could fly I know one of the writers of the movie 13, was, well she was 13...

One of the credited writers was 13 and she was in the movie as well, but she did not write the screenplay. The director of the film did. A 13 year old would never be able to pull off the undertones that film had. They don't have the life experience. The 13 year old writer contributed her life experiences to the main plot of the main character. Much of what the lead went through (the writer played the lead's troublemaker friend) was based on the 13-year old's life. The rest was done by the film's director.

How old does one have to be? Hard to say. I think it really depends on the movie. While a kid might be able to direct the latest episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, a 16 year old would not likely be able to pull of something like The Godfather. I could see co-direction, but unlikely would they be allowed to go solo.

Another consideration is work laws. A director has to put in a lot of hours, and until they're 18, they can't work more than 3 during a school day. So, I'm thinking 18 is a bare minimum for direction, but even after that, it's going to depend on life experience as it relates to the script.

Quoted from George Willson One of the credited writers was 13 and she was in the movie as well, but she did not write the screenplay.

on IMDB she is cedited as writer.

maybe I'm wrong, but I swear that's what it says

Rodiguez's kids helped make Shark Boy and Lava Girl, but i wouldn't quite call that serious.

Quoted from The boy who could fly on IMDB she is cedited as writer. maybe I'm wrong, but I swear that's what it says

Yes, she is credited as a writer because she contributed significantly to the screenplay. Don't misunderstand me on this one. I have no doubt that she contributed significantly to the screenplay. I'll even bet she wrote something down to give to the director of the film complete with dialogue and actions as well. But according to what I read about it, her contributions were limited to what the lead character did. It would have been the other, older writer/director that took all this information and made the film out of it.

So I'm not discounting the girl's contribution to that film. I would have credited her as well. I'm also saying she could not have done it by herself at her age. She didn't have the life experience necessary for the rest of the screen story.

The Shark Boy/Lava Girl contribution was Robert's kids making up a story, and he took that and made it into a film. Again, though the child did create some of the plot, it was experience of the older filmmaker that made it into a movie.

Orson Wells was 21 when he directed Citizen Kane.

Quoted from The boy who could fly on IMDB she is cedited as writer.

Just to clarify; on the IMDb, the script is credited to both Catherine Hardwicke (the director) and Nikki Reed (the then thirteen year old costar).

Quoted from Kevan Orson Wells was 21 when he directed Citizen Kane.

Now that’s truly amazing.

Orson Welles was born May 6, 1915. Citizen Kane came out in 1941. This means Welles was 26 when the movie was released and probably 25 when he wrote, produced, directed and starred in it. I knew this sounded too young because that would have put him at under 20 for the famous War of the Worlds broadcast and I knew he looked older than 21 in that movie. He did write, direct, and star in a short called Hearts of Age in 1934 when he was 19, but I hear it was pretty awful.

So is john singleton the youngest director of a major hollwood film?

Well John Singelton did do Boyz In The Hood at 23, it looks like, but that's not an uncommon age. Steven Spielberg didn't do his TV episodes until 23. Robert Rodriguez made El Mariachi in 1991 at 23 as well. 23 seems to be the magic age for a lot of people. They try to get moving sooner than that, but until they're 23, they don't seem to go anywhere.

Quoted from George Willson Well John Singelton did do Boyz In The Hood at 23, it looks like, but that's not an uncommon age. Steven Spielberg didn't do his TV episodes until 23. Robert Rodriguez made El Mariachi in 1991 at 23 as well. 23 seems to be the magic age for a lot of people. They try to get moving sooner than that, but until they're 23, they don't seem to go anywhere.

isn't there a movie coming out about the number 23.  seems kinda creepy

I believe Jake Kasden wrote and directed Zero Effect when he was either 21 or 22. That's a pretty good accomplishment. (He's more famous for Orange County).