How to Be a Film Director

Watching movies just isn't enough for you, is it? You wanna get your hands on creating them yourself. It's a tough industry and it can take years to break into, but the feeling of seeing your work on the big screen can't be matched. If you're ready and willing to put in the time, have creative vision and an impressive ability to make something out of nothing, you're in the right place. Are you ready?

Starting Your Career

Watch films. It's that simple. Watch and study the smallest aspects of movies. This might mean you will watch the same movie over and over. Try to count at least 15 mistakes in each film you watch. Doesn't matter what type -- acting errors, editing errors, storyline continuity errors, try and catch 'em all. Whenever you catch these errors, you will catch yourself indirectly learning how movies are made, because as they say, "Mistakes give away the secret." And watch them for inspiration, too!

This may seem like a superfluous step, but it couldn't be more true. Imagine if Martha Stewart never baked before she started her TV show. If a firefighter never saw fire before he tried to put it out. And even if you're not using them to hone your craft, think of it as getting a leg up on the competition. This way you'll know what's been done before!

Start making short films with your friends. Use any means necessary to make them. Get a camera if you don't already have one. Remember, the quality of the camera does not matter. What matters is the quality of the film, your vision. This is honestly the only way to get started. Whether it's on your iPhone or that expensive camera you sprang for last Christmas, get on it. Experience is the only thing that'll bust you into this industry. Even if it's films with your baby sister as the star.

Making short films will force you to start learning the technical aspects of directing. Directors are often seen sitting in chairs, wearing berets, furrowing their brows, and yelling at actors, but that's hardly accurate. You'll need to know how to edit, write, act, and do everything else, too. These initial steps will force you to do everything yourself. They'll force you to develop the skills necessary.

Act, write, and do everything else, too. The best way to learn to direct actors is by getting experience acting, whether this is working on others films or as part of a drama group. The best way to tell if a script is good is to learn how to write. The best way to know what music to use, what scenes to edit out (and how), how to construct the lighting and sets is to experience music direction, editing, and set building and lighting for yourself. You can't be the definitive, end-all voice of a production if you don't know what you're dealing with.

Sounds pretty intimidating, huh? It doesn't have to be. If you write your own script, you can then direct, film, and act in it. It doesn't have to be 2 hours long! Even a few shorts will give you good experience. And you'll foster a newfound appreciation for those roles, to boot.

Consider going to film school. Though it's totally not required, film school is great for three things: forced experience, access to crews and networking. Plenty have made it who did not go to film school, but plenty more have made it who have. You'll have access to internships, workshops, and, most importantly, names, names, names. If you have a project, you can get a crew handed to you (the door swings both ways -- you'll help others out, too). Quite obviously, at least in the states, your best bets are LA and NYC.

NYU, USC, University of California at Los Angeles, AFI (Los Angeles), and California Institute of the Arts are 5 of your big ones. They've spat out Spike Lee, Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone, Ron Howard, George Lucas, John Singleton, Amy Heckerling, David Lynch, Terrence Malick, Francis Ford Coppola, and John Lasseter.^[1]

If you do go to film school, you'll still be working up the ladder -- but hey, at least you're scoring donuts for legitimate directors instead of stocking DVDs at Family Video. And instead of begging strangers on Craigslist for help, you get those six people in your "Communism in Hollywood" class to work your cameras. Phew.

Work as part of a production crew. Becoming a film director doesn't happen overnight. You won't charm over some big time producer with your winning smile or sex appeal. You gotta start somewhere, and that somewhere is part of a production crew. There are bills to be paid, yo! No job is too small. Whether it's filing paperwork, making sure the actors have their bagels, or watching over the camera equipment at night, it's a step in the right direction.

If you're in film school, look into internships. If you're not, check your local Craigslist, get in the know with the creative types in your area, and offer to be of service. If you're amicable and trustworthy, people will want to work with you again. And the gigs will get bigger and better each time.
A production company is more likely to give a chance to someone with five years of Production Assistant experience over some kid fresh out of film school. So if you're not in school, despair not. There is hope.

Get to networking. Long story short, you won't become a director without a reel. That is the most important thing to have. That being said, this is definitely an industry where it's a lot easier to show said reel if you have an in. To get an in, you need to start networking and start networking now. The more people you know, the more opportunities you'll be aware of. The more nos you'll meet, and the more yeses (if Dictionary.com says that's how you spell it, it must be right^[2]).

Because of this, it's important to be on your best behavior at all times. You can do the dictating when you're sitting in your villa in Italy. But for right now, play nice. You never know when you need to call up a favor.but just remember: believe in your self

Making the Cut

Search the couch cushions for nickels and Cheetos. Since you need experience to start your reel and you need a reel to get experience, it's gonna be ramen noodles and peanut butter sandwiches for a while. Some directors talk of being poor for decades before they made a living at it. It won't be glorious, but the thinking in the end is that it'll be worth it.

That being said, it's important not to have a sturdy plan B. If you have one, you'll fall back on it. So whatever job you have to pay the bills, don't get too comfy. That cubicle may end up calling your name after all.

Find other gigs to get by. Film directors are the big kahunas of the industry. To be one, you gotta be good. Because of this, it's a lot easier to pad your resume (and your wallet) with other gigs, like music videos and TV shows and commercials. The paycheck won't be in the millions, but it'll put pizza on the table.

Some of these gigs will pay well and the work may get addictive. National commercials are nothing to turn your nose up at! And don't think of it as selling out -- you gotta eat.

Make short films worth viewing. This is the quickest way to bulk up your reel. Sure, you've made shorts before, but those were with your iPhone of your friend Steve getting kicked in the crotch. Work with the friends you've made, actors willing to put up with you and actors you're willing to put up with, and work with others who are also trying to break into the industry by making something good. Sometimes the budget will come out of your own pocket, sometimes it won't, but it's a necessary step on the ladder to success.

Enter your shorts into film festivals. Woo, we're finally getting to the recognition part! If you have a film you're particularly proud of, you can enter it into a film festival. The great part about it is that you can enter a film festival anywhere. So look around, find what you want to be a part of, and spread your good word.

Sure, Sundance is the dream (yes, anyone can submit their work; newbies and alums get similar treatment), but what with their 12,000 submissions per year, it may be a little hard to come by. Start smaller and work your way up -- there is literally a film festival going on somewhere every day of the year.^[3] Just make sure you meet the deadline and formatting requirements!^[4]
Ideally your film will get recognized, you'll get recognized, and it's all easy peasy and cake from here. Your script may get picked up, they'll want to buy it from you, and you say, "NO! Unless you let me direct it!" or you cave and take the money. Whichever.

Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs" was discovered at Sundance Film Festival. Steven Spielberg stumbled upon a then unheard of film called "Paranormal Activity" at a film festival. It does happen!

Assemble your reel. Alright, the fun, important stuff. This is what you'll be submitting to any project that's looking for a director. Models submit their modeling portfolios, actors submit their headshots and resumes, and you gotta have this. It's basically everything about you and a bit of everything you've ever done. Here's what you'll need:^[1]

Information on your educational experience
An accompanying resume showing your experience to date
Your contact information
Clips that also show your skills in editing, writing, animation and cinematography
A list of film festivals participated in and awards won
Miscellaneous experience -- music videos, commercials, animated shorts, TV shows, etc.
Stills and storyboards showing your process

Schmooze. We already had a step on networking, but it needs to be said and said again with less sugar-coating. Though you're the director, you're not necessarily on the top of the totem pole. You'll have to cater to diva-y actors. You'll have to chop scenes because the producer is on your case to meet budget and time constraints. You'll have to take orders from people that you don't want to take orders from. And you'll have to do it with a smile on your face.

Imagine that your producer calls you and tells you he doesn't like the scene you filmed at 5 AM in the middle of Nowhere, Kansas to get the exact perfect shot at the golden hour. The actress changed a few of her lines to give her character more depth and the money's gone. But yes, you got this. You'll spend the entire night reworking the script to make room for something that can be filmed tomorrow at the studio. And would your producer like you to do a couple backwards cartwheels while you're at it? Because you can.

Hitting the Big Time

Get an agent. Once you have a decent reel, hopefully an agent will come around and want to represent you. They'll negotiate your contracts for you and tell you what is and what isn't in your best interest. And the best news? If they're any good at all, they won't charge you unless you make money (read: never pay for one). Agents aren't just for actors, you know.

A large part of their job will be to negotiate your "gross points." This is a fancy term for however much money the movie makes, you get X percent of it. When a movie makes $100, it's not that big of a deal. But imagine if your next movie rakes in $1 billion! Those gross points matter and they matter big time.

Be good and cheap. If you're lucky enough to nab a job with a team you've never worked with before, there are two things you want to be: good and cheap. Here's why:

Good. You want to have a clear vision. You want to be able to show others that you know exactly how to milk out the most potential out of your script. You can make the actors happy, the writing team happy, and everyone in between. You can just seeit. And because of that, the process goes a lot more smoothly.
Cheap. What are most producers concerned about? Money. So if you come in under budget and yet you've still churned out an impressive product, they'll remember. Hoo, boy, will they remember. You're the guy that saved them thousands (eventually millions) of dollars. Not exactly easy to forget!

Get ready to take none of the credit and all of the blame. When a movie does well, it's rare that the director gets seen as the reason why. But when a movie does poorly, it's always that the director gets blamed. If it's a flop, you'll be hard-pressed to get another parallel gig anytime soon. And if it's not...wait, what's your name again?

Maybe not for you, but for the average Joe on the street, directors aren't seen as the amazing film visionaries they are. It's the actors that make the movie. So when it comes to the public, you'll go unappreciated. And when it comes to your crew, it's no different. If your movie is bad, your producers will blame you. If the actor is upset about how their hair looks, they'll blame you. It's a cycle you'll, best case scenario, grow to tolerate.

Stay sane. As if the aforementioned step weren't enough, there's more to this don't-lose-your-mind thing than meets the eye. Being a director sounds all glitzy and glamorous, but soon you'll find out your best friends will be caffeine and that economy-sized bottle of aspirin.

You're in the arts. By now you realize that this is not a field full of people with small egos and weak opinions. You'll be in the middle of metaphorically balancing plates on those spinny little sticks when your producer asks you to play the trombone and your lead actor decides to run away just so you can chase him. Directors have breakdowns for reasons. It's tough stuff. You can cut it, right?
You're often working on your producer's dime. "Dime" here can be billions and billions of dollars, by the way. So while it may seem like you have free reign and this is your masterpiece, you'll often be let know that that is not the case. It sucks, but it won't last forever.
Oh, and you'll also be at the whim of time, the weather, and location. The amount of control you'll feel you have over your entire life will be microscopic at the worst of times and minimal at the best. But then you...

Become a part of the union. Alright, all that deterring stuff you just read? IT GETS BETTER. It does. You become a part of the Director's Guild of America (DAG) (provided you're US based, of course), and you're guaranteed a $160,000 salary for 10 weeks. That's $160,000 guaranteed, if you didn't feel like doing the math yourself. And that's just your salary. That's peanuts compared to what you could make on big films.^[1]

In most cases, you must be hired by a signatory company to be eligible. Or you make it big out of nowhere -- that's basically your two options.^[5] The initial fee is a few thousand dollars and you pay minimal dues beyond that. It's completely worth it, especially if the projects aren't constant.

Rock your awesome job. We've covered just about everything apart from what youactually do. Hopefully by this juncture, you already know. But just in case, we'll leave you with what you'll spend your time doing. Apart from yelling, "Action!" of course. When it's all said and done, you can retreat back to your mansion in northern France and wait for the next phone call! You know, if you feel like picking up.

In pre production, you're translating the script into a movie. Something visual. You're figuring out all the logistics, the casting, and the real nuts and bolts of it all. This is arguably the most important.^[6]
In production, you'll be doing what everyone pictures directors do, combined with a bit more tutelage. You'll let the actors know what you see for them and how you want the scene to play out. However, you'll also be on a massive time crunch to virtually paint a masterpiece. It will be chaotic, but also thrilling.^[6]
In post production, you'll probably sit down with editing team and piece it all together. You gotta like your editor (and he's gotta like you), or they can make you look very, very bad. You'll also figure out the music and all the other finer points to draw it all together.^[6] It'll be a great feeling!

Saturday, March 21, 2015

How to Be a Film Director