Four Ways To Become A Director..
Yeah , But..How Do I Become A Director ?!....
There is no pat answer to this question. The easiest response is that you can become a film director by simply picking up the nearest camcorder and starting to direct. Voila, you're a director! Sounds simple but it's probably not the answer you were looking for. You probably mean, "how do I become a professional, paid film director".
Many people new to filmmaking are not really sure what a director does. Strictly speaking the director is the man or woman responsible for the way the film looks, sounds, moves as well as how the actors perform. He or she is the person in charge on set. The director makes decisions on almost every aspect of the making of the film - from approving costumes, auditioning actors, choosing camera angles, deciding on mood, atmosphere, style of performances - almost everything creative that goes into a film. This does not mean that the director does all of this by himself. He usually has heads of department (such as camera, lighting, costume, art, etc...) that do most of the actual work - but they do so according to the director's wishes.
The director also makes creative decisions together in collaboration with his or her heads of department. They themselves are experts in their field and incorporating their advice and creative input is an important part of being a good director. The director also often works with the screenwriter at the beginning of the project as well with the editor and music composer towards the end of the process. He is often involved in the project from the beginning right to the end. Ultimately the director usually answers to the producer, the studio or the financiers.
In many cases however this definition can be less true. Sometimes the director is also the producer. Sometimes he is also the screenwriter. Some directors are not very interested in camera angles, preferring to concentrate on actors' performance, and allow their Director of Photography to make camera and lighting decisions. Others pretty much ignore their actors and focus purely on the look and images of the film.
Independent directors often have almost complete control of the film - usually if it is a project they have initiated themselves. As budgets increase financiers and studios become more rigid in restraining directors in numerous ways. While most independent directors decide on and approve the edit of their film, studio directors are often at the mercy of studio executives or producers when deciding on the final cut.
It's a profession that requires a good feel for images, music and performance as well as understanding (although not necessarily being able to do) various technical aspects of the production process. A director should also be able to communicate well with people and perhaps most importantly be able to see both the small details of the project as well as maintaining an overview of the bigger picture. It may be corny, but true - the director requires "vision". In theory the director should already have largely pieced the pieces of the puzzle together in his head before the film starts and then oversee that the pieces are correctly aligned during the making of the project. While many ridicule the concept of the director as being the "author" of a film because of film's inherently collaborative nature - the director especially in smaller, self written, independent films is the closest person one can describe as an author of a film. This is perhaps less true to some extent in big budget productions.
Directors make a living in two ways. They either freelance, flitting from production to production being hired by various producers and/or production companies, or they can join (or form) a production company and work through this same company on projects which it has initiated or been hired to produce. The second option is usually the most preferable because it offers more stability.
There is no pat answer to this question. The easiest response is that you can become a film director by simply picking up the nearest camcorder and starting to direct. Voila, you're a director! Sounds simple but it's probably not the answer you were looking for. You probably mean, "how do I become a professional, paid film director".
BUT WHAT DOES A DIRECTOR ACTUALLY DO?
Many people new to filmmaking are not really sure what a director does. Strictly speaking the director is the man or woman responsible for the way the film looks, sounds, moves as well as how the actors perform. He or she is the person in charge on set. The director makes decisions on almost every aspect of the making of the film - from approving costumes, auditioning actors, choosing camera angles, deciding on mood, atmosphere, style of performances - almost everything creative that goes into a film. This does not mean that the director does all of this by himself. He usually has heads of department (such as camera, lighting, costume, art, etc...) that do most of the actual work - but they do so according to the director's wishes.
The director also makes creative decisions together in collaboration with his or her heads of department. They themselves are experts in their field and incorporating their advice and creative input is an important part of being a good director. The director also often works with the screenwriter at the beginning of the project as well with the editor and music composer towards the end of the process. He is often involved in the project from the beginning right to the end. Ultimately the director usually answers to the producer, the studio or the financiers.
In many cases however this definition can be less true. Sometimes the director is also the producer. Sometimes he is also the screenwriter. Some directors are not very interested in camera angles, preferring to concentrate on actors' performance, and allow their Director of Photography to make camera and lighting decisions. Others pretty much ignore their actors and focus purely on the look and images of the film.
Independent directors often have almost complete control of the film - usually if it is a project they have initiated themselves. As budgets increase financiers and studios become more rigid in restraining directors in numerous ways. While most independent directors decide on and approve the edit of their film, studio directors are often at the mercy of studio executives or producers when deciding on the final cut.
It's a profession that requires a good feel for images, music and performance as well as understanding (although not necessarily being able to do) various technical aspects of the production process. A director should also be able to communicate well with people and perhaps most importantly be able to see both the small details of the project as well as maintaining an overview of the bigger picture. It may be corny, but true - the director requires "vision". In theory the director should already have largely pieced the pieces of the puzzle together in his head before the film starts and then oversee that the pieces are correctly aligned during the making of the project. While many ridicule the concept of the director as being the "author" of a film because of film's inherently collaborative nature - the director especially in smaller, self written, independent films is the closest person one can describe as an author of a film. This is perhaps less true to some extent in big budget productions.
Directors make a living in two ways. They either freelance, flitting from production to production being hired by various producers and/or production companies, or they can join (or form) a production company and work through this same company on projects which it has initiated or been hired to produce. The second option is usually the most preferable because it offers more stability.
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