What is Directing?

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What is Directing?

Help me out please, I need some input, opinions , etc....

It seems like there are many ways of seeing what this job entails, which is good, because from what I can see there isn't only one right way to do it. In the end we have endless approaches that bring freshness to the craft of storytelling. I really enjoy seeing how we can interpret the same material and come up with a huge variety of ways to tell a story.

Some directors focus on the actors and leave camera stuff to others. Some like to get on the camera and shoot themselves....it seems like there are many ways.

Do you, the director, setup the shots or does your DP?
Do you storyboard? how much?
Do you wing it much?

What's directing?
 
Re: What is Directing to you?

Re: What is Directing to you?

Directing to me, is a methodical sequence of mistakes between an idea's inception and the first frame filling the screen.

Seriously.

Think about it.
 
Re: What is Directing to you?

Re: What is Directing to you?

Not bad.....I'll have to ponder this, how about, complete compromise of ideals, because reality actually came into the equation. Or in other words, the differnce between theory & practice.

It reminds me of, "Feedback Control Systems Theory." A missle is launched at a target, it immediately goes a little off course, what does it do? it self corrects incrementally, ....and so it goes..... correction...... off target..... correction, etc....

Interesting thought! Maybe this is how we make movies. Afterall, we do this is most every other aspect of our lives.

I think my question is a little too intimidating. It seems difficult to move from camera to directing.
 
Re: What is Directing to you?

Re: What is Directing to you?

I direct, produce and shoot. Friend of mine holds the boom. When I will have more cash I will share the responsibiliets. Now I go with what I want. Just finshed first feature.
 
Re: What is Directing to you?

Re: What is Directing to you?

Last night I saw an old rerun of a Sidney Pollack series on an educational channel in which he & other directors answer these questions about directing, what is it, how do you go about it.

The question takes an enormous amount of effort to answer because it's so big. Billy Wilder said something to the effect: Directing is directing the attention of the audience to what's important according to what the storyteller feels is important in the story. You take their head and force them to look at what you want them to look at. This then requires giving orders so that the art direction can comform as well as the musical score, the camera work, the acting,.... so that in the end there is hopefully an end product that somewhat resembles the auteur's vsion.

Sounds like an answer to me. ;)
 
Re: What is Directing?

it's one of those questions that means a different thing to different people...with answers that mean different things to different people. It's a complex question inside a simple question...like

What is living?

What is God?

What is Art?

What is Canada?

I think what is more important to understand is that in a very real way, directing does not matter. The practice, the method, the steps, the theory...in the end, it is all completely inconsequential because you're left with a product that is ALWAYS larger and more important then the process used to result at that product.

A painter may employ any variety of mediums, brushes of synthetic and natural composition, and any variety of secondary aids...what matters it not how a painting is accomplished, it is how the painting looks on your wall.

The only parts of a film that matter are the idea and the print, thus the only thing a director can possibly do is err and correct in the pursuit of printing that idea. I think that’s the same for any art, a disparity between the ethereal creation and the physical result…we struggle to paint the picture in our heads, to write the story in our minds, to photograph the scene our eyes present, to play the melody our ears recreate, but we always fail in capturing the full detail.

Filmmaking, like any art, is a struggle to make an idea a reality, and the process or act of directing is nothing more then a series of mistakes and corrections along the path of approximating that idea.
 
Re: What is Directing?

The unexamined life is not worth living, Socrates, is believed to have said. How we get to the finish line may not be what what everyone values, but life & film making is a process & some processes are simply easier and far more enjoyable then others. I choose to explore, learn and find better ways of getting that idea to the screen.

We know some artists have difficulty getting the brush to canvas. They suffer in torment beforehand while others swiftly cover it with ease & expressive joy and still others don't think but act and discover later of their efforts.

Is directing a way for finding what you think the story is about, in other words, one discovers as they engage in the assembly process of photography the real message they want to convey? Some like Hitchcock would storyboard the film so photography was more of an act of recording than creating.

I think it's worthy to reflect and ask about the nature of how one comes to a point of view and helps bring a creation using the talents and resources of a vast army.
 
Re: What is Directing?

But Hitchcock, like the Coens, merely found and applied his creativity further up the pipeline.  Instead of deciding which lens to use, or what angle to cover on the set, he previewed the movie in his head first.  

Mozart is said to merely have taken down the notes that were already in his head.  His hand transcribed what his brain already figured out.

I realize you are not questioning the validity of that particular process. I believe it is different, although no better or worse. I think it is just an example of an individual learning what specific process works best for them.
 
Re: What is Directing?

Jim I agree Hitch & others find theirs farther up the stream before cameras start rolling. I try to take the advice of Mamet, Hitchcock & others: we have plenty of time to plan and figure the movie in our head without wasting time, effort & money on a set trying to figure it out, take after take until were all crazy. This makes sense especially when using free labor for indie shoots. the problem is, it takes a lot of work to figure it all out in your head...and then we're never sure of we're there. I guess only lots of experience can deliver that type of surety.

I saw some of Mozart's 1st & only drafts in the British Museum...wait he didn't make drafts...they were full blown compositions....and yes, they were chicken scratches with no crossing out, going back, etc... he was obviously writing as fast as he could. It was all there sitting in his head!....that is freak level genius.
 
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At the same time (since most of us are not geniuses) you should leave some room for happy accidents. As much as I like to plan, I don't want that to work against me; I don't want to be so rigid as to miss an opportunity...."I don't care that DeNiro saw us shooting and wants to be in the picture, He's not on my shot list"
 
Re: What is Directing?

Hi Guys,

My defination of directing is the craft/art of visual storytelling. A director is more like a kid trying to tell a story with all emotions and with music he creates with his mouth, trying to capture the attention of audience and trying to show them what he thinks is the story all about as per his own vision. Lenses and camera comes after. The best director would be able to tell the story with the music before even it is shot and can see it playing in front of his own eyes while he is performing the art.

just my 2 cents

Thanks
Harish
 
Re: What is Directing?

[quote author=Jim Brennan link=board=Directing;num=1104979415;start=0#9 date=01/10/05 at 21:37:43]"I don't care that DeNiro saw us shooting and wants to be in the picture, He's not on my shot list"[/quote]

Okay...I GET it....I should have let him be in the movie, my mistake.
 
Re: What is Directing?

Actually, some very important detail-level stuff from the original post got missed that I'm very curious about myself.

What is the relationship between the Director and the DP? Who decides what camera angles to use? Who decides what lighting to use?

I see it as the Director telling (either via Storyboards beforehand, or on-the-fly after the previous take) the DP "Okay, next shot is a C/U of Fred, low angle, from over here and looking THAT way" and the DP setting up the camera and lights to make that happen and look best.

Is this reasonably accurate to real life?
 
Re: What is Directing?

I'm speculating, since I've never worked on a pro shoot.  I always do both jobs on my films.  Most of the books I read about the subject state that it really varies from picture to picture.  Ultimately the Director is the boss, however.  Some just give the DP a general idea of what they are going for and the DP tells them the best options to get it.  Some directors already know how to get what they want.  Some first-time directors might (if they are smart) let the DP do most of the set-ups, or at least make a lot of suggestions.  There are a lot of different possibilities.  
 
Re: What is Directing?

It's like being in a band. When writing a song, does the guitar player dictate the beat to the drummer, note for note? Does he demand a tempo? Or does he just play and allow the drummer to jump in however he likes?

It all depends on the song and the musicians involved. That’s one of the main reasons why I have trouble perusing in a discussion of this nature...there are no rules, there is no universal truth and everyone's opinion is essentially equally true and false depending on the parallax of the viewer.

Here's what I think about directing as it pertains to shots, lighting, cameras, angles, etc.

If cameras did not exist, would there still be directors?

Yes.

If a director can have purpose without cameras existing, then what's the primary focus of a director?
 
Re: What is Directing?

Most directors have very strong opinions about how to direct, that's part of what it takes to be a director otherwise everyone will be part of the fray.

Some directors stay with acting while others are very photographically inclined, most are in between from what I've been exposed to.

As for me, I tend to be very precise in what I want for key parts of the script and less precise & open on other areas. Therefore I have clear direction about what I want, how to get it and why it's the way it is. These reflect my sensibilites of what I believe is the most important parts of the story to convey and in what manner these parts need to be communicated. Other areas...I'm more open to creative input.

Using the music metaphor, if I want the drummer to play a certain beat, I work with the guy until they get the right feel for it, otherwise the song I wrote just doesn't sound right, I know I've been playing for 35 years, and it matters.

Film is the same story for me: the acting, camera placement & movement, lighting, set design, mes-en-scene, need to conform to my artistic vision. Once the feel of the vision is understood then those artists: camera, actors, sets, etc... can bring their talents to bear & take it further. I have to lead them to this defined point so they too can can help build the production.
 
Re: What is Directing?

...and finally we've reached the blurry line that defines the difference between a "director" and a "filmmaker".
 
Re: What is Directing?

Filmmaker, person who makes films.

Director, person who directs.

See the difference?

This discussion is cyclical and ultimately pointless (I say this because I doubt there is anything to be learned or discovered in persuing it). We're better off discussing who's religion is better or why your politician stinks.

(not intending any offense to anyone that's interested, I just don't see where this is going)
 
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