This article explores the findings of research conducted with two focus groups of English high school students in 2018 that centred on the aspirations of young people to work in the British film industry. First identifying the conceptions of 'aspiration' articulated within British public and policy discourses associated with the film industry, this article goes on to explore some of the different factors shaping participants' knowledge and expectations of what a film industry career looks like. Using direct quotations from participants alongside contextual analysis, I explore how factors related to family, financial resources, ambition and school provision shape the knowledge and perceptions of film industry careers among British young people.