I’ve officially left behind my twenties now.

Turning 30 is not a big deal age-wise, but somehow 30 is a magical number. As a kid you consider someone old with 30 years of age, as a teen you think you’re a millionaire by then, and when you’re in your early twenties, 30 is still way ahead.

It’s funny to recap all the imaginations you had about who you will be when you’re 30, and while some visions might have been a little bit too ambitious – I’m not a millionaire by now – others turned out quite true. And then there are parts of your life you even didn’t imagine to become the way they are.

When I was younger I had quite different ideas of my career, but somehow I think that a creative path always was part of myself. And now I can’t think of doing anything else.
Honestly, I can’t think of any other job, or even hobby, I would rather do than directing – and that’s quite a nice way to feel about your job.

There are many ways to become a director, and each one gives you different tools for doing your job.
I learned them by watching quite some directors do their work and – more importantly – with hands on experience of my own.

Instead of a film school I had a two-year internship for the directors Dirk Meints & Toni Weiss at Moving Target Films – that was the best thing that could have happened.

So I thought I could share my personal thoughts on the business of directing.
This might be considered as a follow up to an earlier post on my blog from over 3 years ago: Job, Hobby, or both? 10 tips for the road….

Directors Direct

Just like “Writers write” and “Actors act” – there’s no way around that. Thinking about directing, reading or watching about it can help, but in the end it’s about getting your hands dirty.
No book can teach you the feeling when you’re on set and many people rely on your preparation and instinct.

And certainly no book can teach you the feeling of being lost on set, all eyes on you waiting for an important decision. I’m pretty certain that every director has been there, something doesn’t work out or something unexpected happens – which is the case on almost every shooting.
So there you are, everyone looking at you and waiting for a decision. So it’s easier when you’ve been in such a situation before, preferably on a short movie with friends or smaller scale projects where not so much money is involved.

Dealing with that kind of situations becomes easier when you gain experience. And the good thing about working in a team is that you’re not alone. Sure, you should be the one with a plan, but with a great team it’s a lot easier to deal with problems of all sort.

So if you want to become a director then don’t only think or read about it, do it. Nothing easier than writing a short story and shooting it with friends. It doesn’t have to be perfect, i almost certainly won’t be, but however the shooting may go, you’ll gather valuable experience.

Preparation is everything

You will curse every minute you spent on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube instead preparing for the shooting. In fact, directing is kind of an office job – you spend 80% of your work within an office – being it your own, in an editing room or in meetings. Only a minimum of the whole project will be spent on the set. Still it’s the shooting that counts, nobody will be interested in how much time you spent preparing, it’s the shooting that determines the success of the project. You can repair some things in editing, but you will start to hate the phrase “We’ll do it in post”…

The most important part for a director on set is to know what you want and be as well prepared as possible. You have to know which shots you need to tell the story and what kind of performance you need to to tell the story in the best possible way.

Improvisation on set is a great thing, but it’s only possible when you really have an idea of what you are doing. If you don’t you may be shooting many great shots, but in the end they are just great shots on their own and not a coherent story.

And when i talk about story i don’t exclusively mean narrative fiction films, every commercial, image film, web video, short film or video of any kind should tell a compelling story and evoke emotions. To boil it down: Directing is evoking emotion by telling a story.

And if you’re not prepared and just try to figure it out on set, it’s too late almost every time. For sure you wouldn’t like it if your D.O.P. just didn’t think about important camera equipment – so do your homework and always be prepared.

Communicate as Clear as Possible

As a director you have your own vision about each project, you know how it should look and feel and you carry it around in your head for quite some time. Without proper communication you might end up with something completely different, or deliver something nobody expected. While those things could also be a good thing, when you get paid to direct something you also have to meet certain expectations.

Always be as clear as possible from the beginning on. No matter if you’re working on a movie, a commercial or a TV show, everyone has different imaginations towards a project, and you’re the one that should specify how this project will be tackled.

When you are working on assignment it’s crucial to define your thoughts about the look, the performance, the edit and almost everything else. If you think that this great one-take-crane-shot will tell the story in the most compelling way, you should tell everyone before the shooting.

But it’s also very important for your crew to know how you imagine certain aspects. I worked in the art department for some time and i once worked with a director who just didn’t care. Whenever we presented something or showed pictures he just left all the decisions to us. That is, until the shooting started.
The night before the first day of shooting we had to rework a whole lot of stuff – and this is just not necessary.

Personally I like to give each department enough freedom to be creative – it’s such a great thing to be surprised by great ideas and input. Nevertheless it is crucial to brief each department about your overall vision.

In the pre-production of each project i try to create briefings for each department with enough details of what is important for me but also enough freedom for creative input and ideas.

Walking the Fine Line

For a director time and money are not the most important priorities, you think about the story, the performance, the camera, etc.
But guess what, without the money and time you would just be a creative person with great ideas but nothing to show.

So while it certainly is the most important part for a director to take care of the creative process and create the very best product possible, this product hast to be created within a certain framework.

Don’t always blame producers for the limitations, because for most producers the goal is also a great product, but they have to take care of the money. And thank god they do! On my short movies i was producer AND director and that’s the worst thing one could do – at least it was for me.

There are many directors that do take after take just to find the perfect one – and basically that’s what a director should do. On the other hand, a director who’s almost never in time and doesn’t know at which point a performance won’t get any better, won’t succeed either.

In the best case scenario you can talk to the producer and stress what is important and what is – to some extend – less important, but don’t think that the money will be thrown at you because you say so.

Be Creative

It sounds obvious, but “Be Creative” also includes not to make excuses for not being creative because of the tight schedule, budget, etc.
Be creative within your limitations!

Like i said, the money won’t be thrown at you and producing a film, video or show is very expensive. And no matter what your budget is, you will have to work within a certain framework.

Everyone is working on a tight budget and schedule, even James Cameron, Christopher Nolan or Peter Jackson.

So the best thing to do for a director is to find the most creative way to tell the story, aim for the best with the time and money you’ve got.

Treat Every Project with Importance

Even the smallest, seemingly ridiculous, project should be treated with importance. If you don’t, you should pass on it – because nothing is worse than not taking a project serious.

I think everyone made this mistake once, and to be honest it’s a really bad feeling when you know you didn’t do the best you could. That basically is lost time, and even when you made money with it, when you don’t stand behind what you do, just let it be.

And doing something JUST for the money is a bad decision anyway, if you don’t have at least the ambition to make the best you possibly can, you are the wrong person for the project. If you really need the money, then do it, but take it serious.

You are Nothing Special

Well, basically you are, but so are the production assistants, drivers, and everyone else on set working hard for your visions. Without them you would be a person with an idea, nothing more.

Treat everyone you would like to be treated yourself. And that’s why i think it is a great thing if every director has worked in different positions before.

After I directed a couple of short movies I quit my day job and wanted to make a living in the movie / commercial business – so I started to work as a production assistant. Those where great times too, but some people just treat you like shit.

I once drove someone important (at least he thought so) to a location. He told me that the thing he hated most about PAs is that they always tell him what they are working on besides being PA – he simply doesn’t care. A PA is a PA for him, and nothing else. Wow, and that coming from a person who used to be a set driver himself.

So while you have great responsibilities on set you certainly are not the most important one. So whenever there is time after a shooting, make sure to thank everyone on the team for their work, because everyone is doing an important job.

You’re Only as Good as Your Team

That’s what directing is about – assembling a great team. Because as a director you heavily rely on each of the crew members, so always gather yourself with people better or more experienced than yourself.

For a director it is very important to have very solid basic knowledge of all the different departments, but it is just impossible to know every detail of every department.

Another important factor – at least for me – is the chemistry within the team. I just love to work with people I like and have fun on set. Everything is just so much easier when everyone enjoys to work with each other.

And Cut

Pick up a camera. Shoot something. No matter how small, no matter how cheesy, no matter whether your friends and your sister star in it. Put your name on it as director. Now you’re a director.
Everything after that you’re just negotiating your budget and your fee.
James Cameron

One of the great things about being a director as a life choice is that it can never be mastered.