Tips or advice for a first time Director

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fobers95

Active member
I am working on my first movie, I wrote the script last year was going to film it over the summer but had some issues with actors not being in the same state at the same time. I was reading over the , script and decided that I needed to rewrite some parts and cut out a few scenes, I am currently rewriting the entire script and hope to start filming in May and finish in June or July. Since this is my first movie I really have no clue how to direct so I was wondering if anyone had any tips or advice that could help me? I am doing a lot in this movie I am producing, directing, editing, handling the camera and doing a little acting.
 
Having no idea of your background, I'm going to assume (wrongly perhaps) that you have not really worked on any projects. If you have, great! But if you haven't, read on.

Super high level overview:

  • First, work on other people's films. Get on set and get comfortable with everything that's going on. Learn as much as you can about each role and get hands on when you can. Pay attention to how other people direct. Watch and learn how the cast and crew respond to their direction. You'll find all kinds of directors using all kinds of styles. Some work, some don't. Build relationships.

  • Second, work on as many projects as you can. Meet people, learn from people. Do this for more than a little while. Watch, listen, learn, participate. Crew on the small side projects a lot of people on set are working on. Develop a network of people who help you with you projects. Build relationships.

  • Third, shoot a single scene. Try lighting and shooting it different ways. Then shoot a 2-3 minute piece. Then another. Then another. Keep building on each project, adding in more complexity. Shoot indoors, outdoors. Try to work with real actors. Build relationships.

  • Fourth, have other writers you've met and whose films you've worked on, review your script. Give it to people whose criticism you'll respect and most importantly, will listen to. You don't have take their suggestions, but you should at least be able to understand what they are suggesting, why they are suggesting it, and why you reject suggestions. Most importantly, build relationships.

  • Fifth, don't produce AND direct AND edit AND DP AND act... on your first real film. If you want to direct, then direct. Spend your time focusing on all that directing entails. That's a lot of stuff. Directing the crew. Direct your set designer, your DP, your actors. Your DP can light and dress your film. Very important to make sure you have a reliable DP who you can communicate with clearly. A good DP is worth everything. A good audio guy is as important as you DP. Have someone watch everything on set to make sure you're getting every shot you need. Tap in to all of those relationships you've built.

  • Sixth.... well, if you are just starting out, then you'll probably spend a couple years doing all of this stuff. When you're ready for step six, you won't need anyone here to tell you!

And welcome to the forums!
 
Thanks for the advice. I haven't worked on any other projects well I am making a 8 min documentary for a film contest but this my first full length film. The only reason I am doing a lot of stuff for this movie is because this is a film that I am working on with my cousins they are the actors and none of them know how to edit a film, plus I want to edit my work. Also only reason I am acting in it is because I couldn't get anyone else to play the part.
I watch a lot of different genres of movie and have been seeing what their directing style is I mainly watch Steven Spielberg movies (hes actually what made me want to become a movie director) and Alfred Hitchcock. I am more into horror films and that's the style of movies I want to make, I don't want to do today's bloody and weak plot horror, I want make horror films like the ones in the 60s and 70s.
I am trying to find people around the area that I live in that are into filmmaking but have no clue how to find anyone, this is the first site that I have found people who are into making movies. Again thanks for the advice, it will defiantly help me.
 
First of all, congratulations on taking your first step into a wonderful and arduous world. Making movies is hard work, but it's also one of the most rewarding things I know of.


There are so many things you can do to prepare for filmmaking, but here are a few of the *musts* in my opinion:

1) Watch a lot of movies. As many as you can get your hands on. Don't just watch movies in your preferred genre, but branch out to expand your horizons. Watch a lot of foreign films. Pick a handful of movies you really love, and watch them over and over. Each time you watch, pay specific attention to a different element. One time pay attention to the acting, another to the music, another to the sound effects. Turn the volume off, and pay attention to the angles, then to the lighting. Etc.

2) Read books about movies. There are plenty of great books out there for filmmakers. My personal reccomendations would be "Directing Actors" by Judith Weston, "On Directing Film " by David Mamet, and "Sculpting in Time" by Andrei Tarkovsky. Other greats would be "Save the Cat" and "Hitchcock by Truffaut". Don't just read books on Directing, read books on Screenwriting, Editing, Cinematography, Acting, Editing, etc. Always remember that a Director needs to know a fair amount about every single element that goes into a movie, so that they can properly communicate with everyone else.

3) Listen to Directors interviews, commentaries, etc. Try to find any tidbits of info you can get from your favorite directors. A lot of this stuff is admittedly fluff, but you will occasionally gleam a great nugget of advice.

4) Get a subscription to "American Cinematographer", by far the greatest magazine on filmmaking you will find. Keep in mind, this is not a magazine that is dumbed down for newbies. There will be many terms used that you dont' understand...look them up. You will soon enough start to understand the language of a cinematographer.

5) Learn to trust your own voice, but dont' be so closed minded as to not listen to advice. Ultimately it's the directors vision, but the director that refuses to listen to others because he is certain he knows the best way, is not going to be very successful. Make everyone feel a part of the creation, but don't let it become filmmaking by democracy.

6) By far the most important thing...is MAKE FILMS. This seems obvious, but is honestly the most ignored piece of advice there is. Shoot as often as you possibly can. If this film you want to make is a feature length, and you want to make it over the summer, then I would highly highly suggest making some shorts before then. Just write the simples scene you can with the people and locations you have, and shoot them. Doesn't have to be anything over the top, but by doing this by the time you get around to shooting your film over the summer, you will feel much more confident in what to do. Because there is absolutely nothing worse than a director that isn't sure of what to do.

Good luck to you! Keep us in the loop with what you're doing! And if you ever want critique's on your script or any shorts you make, post them here and we'll help you out.
 
I going to try and work on some short videos right now I am working on a 8 min docummentry on the closing of diffrent plants around the area I live in. Its for a film contest by CSPAN they hold one every year. Right now I am editing it have to have it done by the 18th.
 
Heres a novel idea too:

books on moviemaking NEVER GO INTO WORKING WITH ACTORS.

WTF- ITS HALF OR MORE OF THE JOB!!!

We always think about the camera, the visual stuff, meanwhile, performances are, basically, your biggest job.

My last short was well-written, well-shot, got sinked by the acting since we were rushed off the location and I didnt have time to get the acting where I wanted it (as far as motivation/subtext/throughline action)

The part where the acting came toegethr, where the THROUGHLINE ACTION (find out what this is) gelled with the (sub)text to create something believable and heartfelt and NOT TOO ON THE NOSE, came out glooorious. It was incredible. It was like holy cow, this is what I envisioned in the script, and it came to life and was BELIEVABLE and INTERESTING.

that was the day I figured out what directing was all about- all the aspects (camera, acting) coming together to create an INTERESTING, EMOTIONAL and yet always BELIEVABLE scene.

And the acting part is your MAIN TOOL.

We can all try and be Hitchcock types where we pretend the image is everything and actors are just objects, part of teh mise en scene yada yada

thats naive, I thought it for years and was WRONG up until last month when I ---directed my first successful scene---- (the one mentioned above).

My actor friends/pool of actors are all highly trained acting students (like four or more years of acting school under their belts), so if I can get them in-line with the (sub)text, and Ive written scenes brimming with characterization and direction (objectives) and depth, then MY next job is DIRECTING them to pull them off.

get "practical handbook for the actor", start to figure out what acting is all about, how to direct actors to fill a scene with subtext and realism.

and of course, eventually you have to write good scenes so thay have something good to do, which likely take literally YEARS of screenwriting hard work and practice, but thats another story.

anybody with enough practice can eventually learn to light a scene or compose a shot.

start learning how to direct actors.
 
nycineaste said:
anybody with enough practice can eventually learn to light a scene or compose a shot.

start learning how to direct actors.
Click to expand...

Uhhh--let's not demean the job of the DP by suggesting that anyone can do it with practice. Would you be comfortable with reading the same about directing? I would suggest that if one has great actors to begin with, one already has an advantage. Sets don't light themselves and cameras don't self-compose (yet) but actors have instincts and with little to no guidance, may bring something as good or even better than what the director envisioned.

I've worked with many directors who literally had no clue, on everything from no-budget to tragically large-budget shows. I've whispered notes to the director for them to parrot to the actors. I've been part of a cabal of DP/Operator/Script Super/1st AD/Producer who have banded together to do the lion's share of the director's work and keep things from derailing. Yet when one of us fails at our own job to that degree, we get replaced. The old joke is that the person on set who can get by with the least experience is the director. Some great films have been made by total hacks. Such is the film industry.

Obviously a great director brings a ton to the table, as it should be. Despite the above, most of the directors I've worked with have been really good and I've learned a lot over the years watching them work. I've talked with many actors about their process and seen their approval when they are expertly guided.

And everything else you said in your post is valid. We all know (or should) that it's all about the script and the performances. But let's not suggest that the other stuff is somehow easy and masterable by all.
 
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nycineaste said:
We can all try and be Hitchcock types where we pretend the image is everything and actors are just objects, part of teh mise en scene yada yada

thats naive, I thought it for years and was WRONG up until last month when I ---directed my first successful scene---- (the one mentioned above).

.
Click to expand...


Actually it seems to me that dismissing Alred Hithcock, along with plenty of famous and acclaimed directors over the years, is what is truly naive. I don't disagree with you that learning how to work with actors is extremely important, but to dismiss all the other aspects or to say that someone that believes actors are not the most important part is naive, seems a very narrow minded approach to all of this. This art form is big enough for more than one approach to it. The key is to figure out which approach works for you and the stories you want to tell.
 
I defiantly want to learn about lighting and stuff like that, having good actors is one of the keys to having a successful movie but if you have have poor lighting, sound, bad camera angles, and a weak story then what is the point of having great actors. I want to have a directing style similar to Hitchcock, Spielberg and Nolan.
 
ugh, threads in this forum always get so heated so fast.

I MAKE (short) MOVIES! I know cinema history from Melies to the Present. I think Im aware how important and talented a great DP is and how important and talented hitchcock is.

actors and acting are your ----primary----- material.

NOT the shot.

I study and diagram Pudovkin and Eisenstein movies shot-by-shot. My whole style and learning approach to mastering cinema is based on editing/montage theory and Im still telling you this.

as Im editing my new short, looking for the perfect reaction shot for each moment, the one that speaks to the subtext and colors and dimensionalizes each moment just right, I see that the performance is the material of cinema. And this is talking as someone whose movie is full of constant cuts; my style is editing/montage heavy (see my sig).

its shots of janet leigh screaming (convincingly) that the shower scene is built on

the performances are what you light, what you compose, and what you will be assembling in the editing room

OF COURSE you light and compose and get great sound and edit well.

cmon now, ppl.
 
nycineaste said:
ugh, threads in this forum always get so heated so fast.

I MAKE (short) MOVIES! I know cinema history from Melies to the Present. I think Im aware how important and talented a great DP is and how important and talented hitchcock is.

actors and acting are your ----primary----- material.

NOT the shot.
Click to expand...
That's a rather myopic view. The primary material in any film or documentary is the story. Actors are simply one of a number of tools a director can use for creative expression of that story. Some directors are heavily focussed on performance, others not so much. David Lean for example, viewed his actors much the same as he did his props. He won 2 Oscars for Best director and was nominated 7 times.
 
nycineaste said:
ugh, threads in this forum always get so heated so fast.

I MAKE (short) MOVIES! I know cinema history from Melies to the Present. I think Im aware how important and talented a great DP is and how important and talented hitchcock is.

actors and acting are your ----primary----- material.

NOT the shot.

I study and diagram Pudovkin and Eisenstein movies shot-by-shot. My whole style and learning approach to mastering cinema is based on editing/montage theory and Im still telling you this.

as Im editing my new short, looking for the perfect reaction shot for each moment, the one that speaks to the subtext and colors and dimensionalizes each moment just right, I see that the performance is the material of cinema. And this is talking as someone whose movie is full of constant cuts; my style is editing/montage heavy (see my sig).

its shots of janet leigh screaming (convincingly) that the shower scene is built on

the performances are what you light, what you compose, and what you will be assembling in the editing room

OF COURSE you light and compose and get great sound and edit well.

cmon now, ppl.
Click to expand...

Ridiculous.
 
fobers95 said:
I am working on my first movie, I wrote the script last year was going to film it over the summer but had some issues with actors not being in the same state at the same time. I was reading over the , script and decided that I needed to rewrite some parts and cut out a few scenes, I am currently rewriting the entire script and hope to start filming in May and finish in June or July. Since this is my first movie I really have no clue how to direct so I was wondering if anyone had any tips or advice that could help me? I am doing a lot in this movie I am producing, directing, editing, handling the camera and doing a little acting.
Click to expand...

First, try to do something else. This job is hard. If you can, you should go and live a life. Still here, ok. Then fully commit everything to the process of directing. Process is everything. Learn it, master it.

Second, don't do so much. As a director, you have to learn how to delegate authority and put together a team. 80 percent of directing is surrounding yourself with people who can do the work you need done. Directing is managing and making decisions, at least part of it is, so get people to manage. You don't need money, you just need vision, persistence, magic, and a little insanity, and a great script and people will follow your vision like the Pied Piper! As a first time director, I recommend not producing and operating the camera and lighting and acting. You already have a hundred-thousand reasons why you will still do this, so God speed. Maybe you are a godbody prolific film directing savant, but in case you are not, solicit help.

Third, study craft and don't skip any of the process. Don't think yourself smarter and better than any piece of advice. Read everything. Breakdown your script. Storyboard. Ignore everyone telling to skip any step of craft or process. It is so important to know the rules before you start breaking them because it is so hard to relearn them once you disrespect them. Also, value every department. Learn about all of the departments so you can speak to them intelligently. Have departments for goodness sake. Actively seek out people who are willing to help and get them to help.

Finally, do not be afraid. Don't be afraid to ask. Don't be afraid to not ask. Don't be afraid to plan, and then break your plan. Chance favors only the prepared mind. Don't be afraid to over prepare and then not need it. Remove fear from every equation by knowing all of the answers.
 
lmao...wow threads on this forum degenerate so quickly into one-upsmanship posturing.

yes, my post on getting great performances to edit together was tooootally ridiculous.

my bad.
 
This is crucial tho--

TO AVOID FAINTING....

Keep telling yourself...

Its only the internet....
Its only the internet....
Its only the internet....
 
For my 2 cents, the three most important things, in this order, are:

Story/Script
Acting performances
Editing

...oh and *everything else* matters, a lot, too...
 
Ted nailed it.

From the bottom up, in order of importance:

A good script, or you have nothing good to shoot
good performances to make it come to life and be believable (otherwise your good script will come off phony)

Then...

LIGHT, SHOOT, and EDIT that.

my main point is that as beginners and no-budget types we get enamored by script, lights and camera and forget acting.


so if you want practical advice for a first timer (not rah-rah cheerleading or brainy theorizing)...

GET A BOOK ON ACTING

your probably already doing the other stuff like learning to light and shoot.

this ones cheap, short and super good:

http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Han...8-1&keywords=practical+handbook+for+the+actor#_
 
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