A question about Directing....

G

gibbo

I'm new to all this guys so bear with me!

Up until recently I've had my veiws changed about what a Director physically does. I believed this whole time that he did the camerawork/lighting/set design and other roles, So it seemed that to be a director you need to do all that stuff and it was a bit off putting and while achievable, alot harder than what it turns out it actually is.... I was thinking that you needed to be a highly skilled camera man/cinematographer and know everything about cameras, know everything about lighting and likewise for the other roles needed for a movie.

But before I continue let me be sure that I know what a Director actually does:

He litterally directs! :lol: Basically organises everything and tells people what to do? He can, depending on the director and the production, get more hands on but for arguments sake he stays away from all that stuff and tells the people what he wants out of the shot and they make it happen.

Assuming that's the case, and all the director needs to do is tell the story, why's it so hard? I don't understand.

All input greatly appreciated!

P.S. Sorry if this sounds dumb but I've been wondering about this alot recently
 
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gibbo said:
Assuming that's the case, and all the director needs to do is tell the story, why's it so hard? I don't understand.
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The director doesn't just show up on set, and everything just somehow magically happens.

A lot of the director's work is done before Day 1 of the shoot. There's an incredible amount of prep that can be put into the project ahead of time. How can the director have all the various departments do their jobs properly, if (s)he can't decisively tell them what needs to be done?


He litterally directs! Basically organises everything and tells people what to do? He can, depending on the director and the production, get more hands on but for arguments sake he stays away from all that stuff and tells the people what he wants out of the shot and they make it happen.
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It depends on the scope of the production, but that's essentially it.

On an actual set, there's also a heirarchy that is used to assist the director... who is often so busy with the actors & DP that a 1st AD is needed to coordinate things with everyone else.

Remember, though, that a lot of the "hats" we wear/use depends on our current budget level. It can be great to have the resources to afford actual depts, but if all we have to make a film is a pocketful of lint and the nickels found behind the sofa - then the director will be doing a lot more of the hands-on. ;)
 
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Why's it so hard???


The hard part is knowing the right thing to say. Lots of people can organize and tell people where to put stuff. But he has to know the right place to put the thing and HOW that person should do that other thing while someone else is doing something else entirely.

Get it?
 
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I can tell you from watching directors work on two films now (as an actor) that it's entirely too much work for a product that has no guarantee of turning out the way its supposed to or even being successful if it does.
 
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barnaclelapse said:
I can tell you from watching directors work on two films now (as an actor) that it's entirely too much work for a product that has no guarantee of turning out the way its supposed to or even being successful if it does.
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It's not always about being a 'product' that you can sell. It's a labor of love. And those that truly strive for selling and marketing the film, usually have their act together, and wouldn't consider it *too* much work.
 
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A director can be absolutely anything depending on how much they want to truly get their message across cinematically within a film. It isn't easy, and good communication with a hard-working team of well informed crew members within different areas of production is harder to come by than you might think. The director, if he REALLY wants to get it EXACTLY as he wants, has to be looking into all of the areas of his film before, during and after the shooting has occured.

Being a director on many short films at this time, and doing a LOT of different areas (producing, editing, shooting, etc) myself, I can tell you that if you're a hard working director who wants critical success, it is NOT simple.

Then again, if you leave it all to everyone else, I imagine it is. That doesn't usually create anything you can call your own though, and that's exactly what I think a director should be.
 
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While steering away from the term "vision", the director does have to have some idea of what he wants the finished product to look like, to sound like, etc... He has to have an idea of what techniques he is going to use to effectively tell the story, some idea of that the story "means" to him. He needs to have a rough picture of what the finished film is supposed to be. Then he coordinates all the various talent (both cast and crew) to create that. Along the way that initial "vision" may change, but it should only change with his "permission". If it changes against his will, then he has failed on some level, even if the finished product is "good" (See Alan Smithee).
 
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On set, the director's primary responsibility to to make sure that everything that needs to get shot gets shot.

How does he do this?

By preparing for the shoot beforehand. This is where methods differ...your preparation can be as simple or as complex as you choose. You can meet with your DP/camera operator once, talking through the script, telling him what you want and trusting he will get you there. You can make a list of the shots you think are essential to telling the story. You can storyboard the entire film and shoot exactly according to your boards. You can schedule the entire shoot, shot by shot. You can rehearse your actors so they perform as you need them to. Etc. Your job is to take the script, whether its your own or someone else's, and ensure that you film and record everything that is necessary to tell the story of the script onscreen.

Film is one of the more collaborative arts, so the director's job usually involves a fair amount of delegation. But you're responsible for what your delegates come up with.

And remember the 6 "P"s of filmmaking: Prior Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Productions.
 
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Hmm... OK, thanks for the input.

Why don't more directors write their own screenplays? Do you guys think that a good director should be able to read a book and visual it as a film as he is reading and come up with a decent screenplay/script?

I mean, in a book most of the dialogue is already there and everything is pretty much good to go right?
 
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I wish! I'm adapting Lovecraft at the moment and it's hard - very hard - so hard in fact that in my opinion, nobody's done a satisfactory job of it so far (that's why we're having a go). The truth is, books are very different beasts to film - they follow their own rules that don't necessarily align well with want you want to achieve with a 110 minute film - look at the popularity of Stephen King - how many great adaptations of his work are there? (I can only think of four).

As to writer/directors - I think there's two types - those that have a story they want to tell and those that do it out of necessity - I'm the latter - I hate writing :)
 
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Aegis said:
I wish! I'm adapting Lovecraft at the moment and it's hard - very hard - so hard in fact that in my opinion, nobody's done a satisfactory job of it so far (that's why we're having a go). The truth is, books are very different beasts to film - they follow their own rules that don't necessarily align well with want you want to achieve with a 110 minute film - look at the popularity of Stephen King - how many great adaptations of his work are there? (I can only think of four).

As to writer/directors - I think there's two types - those that have a story they want to tell and those that do it out of necessity - I'm the latter - I hate writing :)
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My first film was an adaptation of Beyond the Wall of Sleep, released last year. It's a flawed movie (some pacing issues, some less than stellar performances), but overall pretty happy with it, a "straight" adaptation.
 
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