How to lead as the film director

Zachadoodle

Zachadoodle

Well-known member
The job that involves the most interaction besides the actor and script supervisor is the director. The director is the captain on board. As a director you have to demonstrate these skills that'll help you in the long run they are:


1. Making everyone's jobs easier

2. Giving people a sense of ease and security

3. making people's jobs easier, making people more powerful and wealthy

4. making people feel more accepted for having had helped you

5. you have to be very encouraging too, being very cooperative

6. being comprehensive

7. the ability to show what you are talking about well and convincingly

8. being very positive, upbeat, understanding

9. the biggest one is being sensible.

10. Added you have to be understandable

11. Being reputable

12. Be organized

13. Be as clean as you can be

14. Give people a glimmer of hope

15. Having the most control

16. Knowing how to argue in a sophisticated and polite manner properly

17. Most importantly dont be a dictator

18. You have to risk to lead

19. Lead by giving the devil in the details

The biggest leader in any setting is the smartest guy. You got to be the guy who can hold an objection as the smartest voice of reason of the ship that is your film set too.
 
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I'd say it's even simpler than that. First and foremost, the director has to have a vision and the ability to communicate it.

Zach, you are clearly very passionate about this craft. Are you currently working on any films? Experience is the best teacher. It's a way better use of time than hanging around DVXuser.
 
I am currently in college for business analytics, taking photos, and am working on a future commercial soon. Out of curiosity, how are you doing?
 
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That's great. I hope you'll share your commercial here when it's finished.

Me? I'm clearly spending too much time on DVXuser. I am shooting a narrative short next month and debating how much longer I'm going to stick it out in this profession, since the arrival of viable text-to-video seems to be coinciding with both turning 40 and possibly maxing out my day rate for this market. But there are other threads for the existential stuff.

Are you trying to follow a Director track?
 
I am, and another piece of advice I have is to be a director you have to in a way convince people that they need you not you need them. If you are an extremely valuable cog in a machine people will go to you.

Edit: A few other things is that you have to be trustworthy and the most competent person in the room.
 
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I have worked with successful directors who embody many of these things, and just as many who embody few of these things.

I would agree most closely with Quickhitrecord's distillation and for myself, when directing, that's my own focus. I would never show up without a strong game plan, and work hard to communicate the relevant information to collaborators as early as possible. There is an often-quoted expression, "your lack of preparation does not constitute an emergency on my part" and unfortunately that happens far too often in this industry.

My own definition of a director is that they should be equally versed and adept at what seems like entirely separate aspects of filmmaking. They must be able to speak to the actors in a language they can understand and encourage their performance so that the story is properly told. But, they also should be able to conceive and visualize how all of the other departments can best serve that story, via sound, picture, textures and environment.

My own advice back to you, Zachadoodle, is to concentrate your energies onto communication, on distilling and presenting your ideas as clearly as possible.
 
Directing people with the mentality of it being an intellectual pursuit is a little bit more complicated Charles. It's a little bit more than an intellectual pursuit.

Adding on to my original post: That ability to causate influence directors and bosses have is what makes them work. Along with having a well paid option for people to go to when making your film.
 
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Zachadoodle said:
Directing people with the mentality of it being an intellectual pursuit is a little bit more complicated Charles. The intellectual pursuit is step 3 and step 4 is worrying about things in production. Steps 1-3 is gaining the trust of the individual to be on camera. Especially with stubborn people who believe they're the main character. I've worked two part-time jobs, been in theater, have communicated to people on the web several times, am from a family of 4 being the second youngest. I can tell a bit how leadership works.
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Prep is entirely about "worrying about things in production", or the intellectual pursuit as you describe it. Working with the actors comes after that. Perhaps you don't mean a literal timeline but as a personal priority? The point I am making is that in a perfect world they are intertwined. However there are plenty of directors who are deficient in one or even both aspects.

The assertion that in a professional situation one must earn the authority, be the most competent and gain the trust of everyone around you is unfortunately not accurate. I wish it was. We have a saying in the industry that the director can be the least accomplished person on set and yet the results can still be decent. That is a function of the cast and crew bringing their own experience to bear in filling in the cracks. On a much smaller production, that is less likely to be the case.

The points you are making are solid ideals and for one who is striving to become a director, good objectives. All I'm saying is that in the real-world film industry, there are plenty of exceptions to be found so these are not actual pre-requisites for success.
 
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I don't know, if you have a bunch of people who start getting irritated it may be better to try to hire people who are passionate. You can't always do things the smart way to get them done. It's harshly just a matter of getting it done.

Last thing to add on the original post: Give people stability and a decent paycheck.
 
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