A director needs to know how to light a film

J

Jerryv

Active member
A director needs to know how to light a film.

True or not?

I think most directors think in images.
The have a idea of how the want it to look.
Because a director needs to work with so many people, i think a director needs to know about lighting and filming.
When the are working on large movie project, than the dont have to work on the lighting, but the DO understand it. And that is needed i think.

Someone like Steven Spielberg, considerd a very big director, has none DP credits.
But did he learn how to light and shoot BEFORE he get hired as a proffesional director?

Because i cannot image that a director/filmmaker does not know how to lite a scene.
I want to become a proffesional director, but iam now starting to get a good lighting kit and to lite my filmprojects! Ofcourse i can ask someone else to do it, but i think, as a director, the technical side is important also.

So iam curious to your opinions!
 
I don't think a director necessarily needs to know how to light, but they do need to be able to speak in the language of lighting. They have to understand the fundamentals of how light works and what you can and can't do with the tools you have.
 
Agreed. He should be able to communicate what he wants to the technical talent on the project, but he doesn't need to know how to do it ... unless his crew is inept, which hopefully isn't the case.

My #1 rule for directing - always surround yourself with people with more talent and experience than yourself - they'll make you look fantastic.
 
but then again in the indie scene, that might not always be possible. Like currently i'm a 16 year old student in singaopre. That means, i have no money to spend to hire anyone, and even if i did not many would take me seriously, and i dont have any contacts of dps who'd work for me. Thus i'd have to learn how to do things myself if i'm to get anything done
 
MalcolmOng said:
but then again in the indie scene, that might not always be possible. Like currently i'm a 16 year old student in singaopre. That means, i have no money to spend to hire anyone, and even if i did not many would take me seriously, and i dont have any contacts of dps who'd work for me. Thus i'd have to learn how to do things myself if i'm to get anything done
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I wish at your age I had figured this out... now that I've moved to a smaller town for a better life... I need to do a lot more things myself... now I wish I hadn't fallen asleep in all those lighting lectures...:Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)


Just kidding but I wish I would have learn the craft better... a great lighting person is like a great painter... they just paint with light instead of a brush...
 
I can often find talented lo/no cost crew to work on my films simply by having a great script ... something they'll be proud of having their name on.
 
A director does not need to know how too but I believe it is a bonus of they do.

-

Perhaps todays indie filmmakers are a different breed than ever beofre as we're being forced to light, shoot, edit, cast, write (and cater heh heh) our own films ?
 
Hairy Lime said:
Agreed. He should be able to communicate what he wants to the technical talent on the project, but he doesn't need to know how to do it ... unless his crew is inept, which hopefully isn't the case.

My #1 rule for directing - always surround yourself with people with more talent and experience than yourself - they'll make you look fantastic.
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Rule #2 - the more talent and experience you have (can get), the better that will make everyone around you (according to rule #1).

Don't be afraid (or unwilling) to learn (whether by book or by doing) everything you possibly can every day of your life.

But also don't let "learning something that someone else can do for you" take priority over "doing something that nobody else can do for you".
 
John_Hudson said:
Perhaps todays indie filmmakers are a different breed than ever beofre as we're being forced to light, shoot, edit, cast, write (and cater heh heh) our own films ?
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And I hate it. I hate doing all this for a film because it is so freaking hard and yet I love it so much.
 
As a Director you should know how to work with actors. It's also important that you understand the concepts of the camera blocking/rehearsals and have a basic vocabulary of lighting terms.
You do NOT need to know how to light.

You should always have a good DP who you trust. I've worked on plenty of projects where first timer Directors wear totally prepared and understood what was going on, and other that don't. The less technical knowledge you have as a Director, the more important it is to have a good DP you can rely on. I worked with a very experienced DP that 98% directed a first timer movie, because the Director was in totally over his head. Good thing too; if the DP hadn't, we never would have made the days.
 
A director should know a thing or two about lighting, I mean it's a major tool to tell your story. Films are cinematic, we see it, light creates what we see. Now knowing how to light a scene is different, that's what your DP is for. However, you should know imo the fundamentals of light and camera. At very least know the differences between high key and low key lighting...

Don't need to become a physics major to understand, but in the world of indie films, directors can go so many ways in terms of knowledge. Reading books is one thing too, personally I am kinesteic so I need hands on... Im not very technically inclinded but I try and learn fundamentals at least =)
 
I think a Director should know about all areas of filmmaking but it is down to the individual and what they are prepared to do. If you are an independent filmmaker, I guess at some point you will have to do every job. Its a massive subject-Directing there are no right/ wrong roads, personally I continue to gain experience in all areas. When you know about a subject you tend to trust others to get on with it because so realize each job needs 1 person to do it well. I hate this camera/ sound operator thing. 1 side is always going to suffer.
Jp
 
I think it really depends on what type of production the Director is wanting to take on. If there is going to be a heavy focus on cinematography then the director better have a good understanding of at least the basics of cinematography (lenses, lighting, camera movement, etc). In this situation it is vital that they can communicate their ideas effectively to their D.P. and understand how feasable and practicable a shot is going to be. If the production is going to feature any C.G. or effect work full stop then the Director better have some good long meetings with the post facilities too and make sure that the whole thing is going to be lit and shot right.

However, if the production is a "simple" character based movie then you don't need to be "as skilled" in the ways of cinematography, but it still helps. (notice how I put "simple" in quotation marks...)

You have to beware first time directors who focus heavily on the "VISUALS." DO NOT FORGET YOUR CHARACTERS. Without believable characters for the audience to connect to all you have is a visual wank fest. BORING. Be prepared to see your DVD in the bargin bin.

Biggest thing then is being a director who can work with the actors, being prepared to pre-prepare, and knowing how to assemble a sequence.

Not too hard is it?
 
Not all movies are created equal, so a lot of what a director "needs" to know varies from genre to genre, style to style.

That said, I don't think a director does need to know how to light. It certainly can't hurt, but as a director, if I'm focusing on diffusing a tweenie and color-balancing with practicals, I'm not doing my job. My job is to work with the crew but most importantly the CAST to get results on the screen.

Of course, if I'm doing action horror schlock, I probably don't need to be spending as much time with those actors as if I'm doing Dr. Zhivago. In that case I am going to want to spend a lot more time working with the technical side of things, with my DP and my effects guys. But is that knowledge I need to have? No. Not if I've done the very first part of my job and found a crew that I trust to do good work. This is why I'm always opposed to the idea of directors who also work as DPs. It can work, and some people are stunningly good at both... but until you get to that stage where the knowledge is second-hand and comes quickly and naturally, why divide your attention?
 
dougspice said:
That said, I don't think a director does need to know how to light. It certainly can't hurt, but as a director, if I'm focusing on diffusing a tweenie and color-balancing with practicals, I'm not doing my job. My job is to work with the crew but most importantly the CAST to get results on the screen.
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Precisely. I agree that the nitty-gritty aspects of lighting a scene should be WELL away from the front of the Directors mind. However, having an understanding of what certain lighting set-ups can do for a scene, what different lenses do for a shot, amoungst other things, is very handy to know. For example, I might tell my D.P. that I want to have a strong backlight for a scene with just a slight hint of detail coming through on the side of the actor that is facing camera. I don't care too much how they do it. The D.P. is there to help take the director's vision and make it happen (or make it better...or practical), and if the director can talk in terms that a D.P. can understand (backlight - key - fill - zoom - track - crane - dolly - crab - etc) then there wont be as much of a language barrier.

In the end though, a D.P. is going to LOVE a director that let's them go wild (within reason and without detracting from the story that's being told). And to be honest the cinematography, art design, etc, should be all sorted before you get on set - it's all pre-production. When you walk on that set, you should be focused on the actors - the rest is being taken care of.
 
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The director should know as much as he can about every creative aspect of his prodution. It's just that simple. The writing, acting, and visuals all are very important to making an audience feel what you want them to feel and if you don't know what you're doing in one, then it'll hurt your film as a whole, sometimes more than others depending on the genre. Trying to make a film work as a unified work of art means having an understand of everything that's going on and all the minute details. I can't stand those directors who say, "I don't know a thing about lighting or cameras, I'll just let my DP set up my shots." Of course you're not going to know every nitty gritty detail of what you're doing but you need to have an understanding of the effects you are going for an be able to communicate to your DP how he wants to achieve them. You don't need to say, "I want you to use a 10k from directly behind and put a coulpe ND filters on the lense," but you should be able to tell him, "we're seeing the actor from the front and I want a strong back light, blown out a bit, with just a touch of detail in his face."
 
I agree with David,

but like what Malcolm said.. I'm like him, 20 and I do not have the resouces and money to hire the pros to do it..
 
I have just bought a DVX100b for 3,500 euro's and a secondhand cheap lightingkit, but after reading this, iam afraid its a bit silly..... almost everyone is agreeing that the director should not know lighting, but only needs to understand it and communicate about the lighting, the dont have to know HOW its getting done.

I want to focus on directing, but everytime i get too much into the technical side of it, spending weeks on reading/searching about some kind of technical aspect... I give to blame to the fact that iam just turned 20 and do almost everythin myself.
 
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