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- One of the most important things for a director to have is a vision of their own and to know why they're making a particular film.
- While established directors command mega-bucks, be prepared to endure hardship and debt early on as you strive to make a name for yourself. And if you're not interested in mega-buck productions, then be prepared to spend your whole career enduring hardship and debt.
- Do not try to copy other directors styles, but learn from their techniques. The best way to do this is to watch as many films as possible and to experiment with film as much as you can.
- Directing is a job in which you learn by your mistakes and experience counts for everything.
- Make sure you see these films and read these books. Knowledge is power.
- What a filmmaker needs: determination, a thick skin, a passion for film, technical and creative knowledge, business acumen, organisational skills, and the ability to convince people you're a genius (even if you aren't).
- A filmmaker is as much an organiser and an entrepreneur as an artist, often more so.
Your masterpiece.
AIMS
Who's going to see it?
What's it going to do for you?
Why will anyone be interested?
MONEY
How much of your own are you prepared to spend?
Are you going to look for private sponsorship?
Can you receive funding through a TV channel or film company?
FACILITIES
What are you going to shoot it on?
Where are you going to get your equipment from?
Where are your post-production facilities?
RESOURCES
Can you raise a cast and crew?
Have you got access to all the locations?
How good are your cast and crew?
PITCH
How original is your story?
Can you actually film it?
Will it find an audience?
-Open your eyes and ears to everything. Don't just watch films, look at TV,games, the Internet, books, theatre, art etc. Listen to how people speak, how they behave, how they react. Watch the way the world moves and works.
-Keep things simple. Start with something that you find interesting - a hobby or a favourite story.
-Get hold of a stills camera. In the same way that being a writer is part of being a filmmaker, being a photographer is another side to your work. If need be, you can rely on a cinematographer to look after the way the film looks, but having the skills yourself will open up a whole other way of working, and throw a new light on your work. Experiment with the way things look and the way you can make things look.
-Fill a scrapbook with images and cuttings from magazines and newspapers and with your photos.
-Keep a notepad handy and write down the things you see around you; locations, characters, behaviour.
-Think about your 'narrative', or story. Everything has a beginning, a middle and an end.
-What style is it? Film Noir, a video diary, a fly-on-the wall documentary. Maybe you've got your own style. Will the camera be on a tripod, or hand held?
Watch other films like yours on video, DVD or TV. Learn from the things they do well and avoid the things they do badly.
-Believe in your idea absolutely. If you don't, no one else will.
-Try new things, life experience is essential for an artist.
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A Short History of Film
Pt. 1: Silent Cinema 1895-1927
Pt. 2: Studio System 1927-1945
Pt. 3: Post-War 1945-1959
Pt. 4: New Waves 1959-1975
Pt. 5: Blockbusters 1975-2002
