Before you start directing

If you're thinking that you really should be a film director...
maybe you should read this modest outline.



 
You're much better off forgetting about the whole thing. Today, EVERYONE wants to make a movie. Just ask the first stranger that you meet on the street. Chances are he/she has started a screenplay. The truth is that the film industry (and I mean the business of making films, as opposed to the magic of watching a great film) has captivated the imagination of the world. Hundreds of thousands of very intelligent people, who in past generations would have wanted to be doctors or architects or engineers or lawyers or The President -- now want to direct films.

Movie Stars now view becoming a Movie Star as just a stepping stone to directing (just ask Gary Oldman, Johnny Depp, Jodie Foster, Kiefer Sutherland, Tom Hanks, Timothy Hutton, Kevin Bacon, Griffin Dunne, Robert Redford, Barbra Streisand, Clint Eastwood, etc. etc. etc.). Sure, some of them ARE great directors, and some aren't. But who's a studio gonna give a film to -- them or you?

So imagine the SHEER FLOOD OF PRODUCT when every bright and ambitious person on the planet wants to make movies. In 1997, there are more than 400 films being released in North America. That's more than ONE A DAY. That means many good films are not going to be seen, period.

And consider this: If you are not A) a movie star, B) born into the right showbiz dynasty or C) very, very, very wealthy -- it's going to be a very rough uphill climb. Think "brutal." Think "humiliation" and "despair." Hollywood is littered with thousands of bright, talented and very bitter people who thought they had the stuff to make it, and didn't get a decent chance. For every SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT, CLERKS and SLACKERS there are hundreds of thousands of small indie films, many very good, that never get seen... or never even get finished. In the end, these films really do nothing but eat up people's savings and credit cards and leave a very bitter taste in their mouths.

Even if you make a GOOD film, that does't mean that it will be distributed, or that anyone will go see it or that you will ever make a dime off of it. Making films as a Hollywood "outsider" is like playing emotional Russian roulette -- except there are five bullets and only one empty chamber. Not great odds.








If you are really an artist at heart, think of all the other things you could do and get immediate artistic satisfaction from. Music, dance, painting, poetry and fiction all jump to mind. You see, if you write a poem, that poem EXISTS -- even if your best friend is the only person who reads it. Remember Emily Dickinson? You've made a work of art-- there it is, in your hands. Congratulations: you've expressed yourself!

For a film to exist, it's not so easy. It means writing the screenplay, plus a dozen or so revisions, a business plan, budgets and spreadsheets galore, a couple thousand business lunches, fifty thousand or so phone calls and three hundred shouting matches. Then there's paperwork for miles -- secured loans, letters of credit, deal memos, contracts, completion bonds, chain of title, music clearances. And then there's "The Begging" -- begging agents, begging actors, begging deals, begging locations, begging crew not to walk after 16 hours on the set. Then there's the panic, the compromise, the scrambling for even more money... and early aging.

Then -- MAYBE there's a film that MAYBE someone will see.

Now, if none of this dissuades you... if you're sure you will absolutely CEASE TO BE AS A TRUE HUMAN BEING IF YOU DO NOT MAKE A MOVIE... well, okay. Read on.






Okay -- first and most important -- HAVE AN ORIGINAL THOUGHT -- have a real emotion you have not borrowed from someone else's movie or TV show or comic book. An emotion YOU OWN. Sure, all filmmakers make references to other films. Mozart made references to Haydn too, but Mozart had a vision and a voice and an intellect that was all his own. Filmmakers must also. So, make sure you live and have some kind of life experiences to speak from. Get your hands dirty in Real Life and experience the emotions and dreams and disasters and triumphs of real human beings. Volunteer at a food bank or old age home, walk across Central America or work the night shift at a bus station. In short, LIVE.

Filmmaking is privilege, not something you "deserve". It's a privilege to be able to speak with the voice of the world's most powerful and popular art form. So have something to say that lives up to the privilege. No one wants to pay money to see a movie that's a predictable patchwork of other directors' films. An homage to every other director who ever lived? Who cares?! The only reason to slug through all the bullshit in Number Two (above) is that you deeply and desperately have a point of view and need to put it up on the screen. An audience wants to be taken somewhere real and amazing by a guide who knows where he/she is going.





While you are having that Real Life, you have to become aware of the lexicon and history of film. That also means films made prior to 1970! Maybe you know Hitchcock and Welles, but you should know the difference between Hawks and Ford and Capra and Sturges and Wilder and Lubitch and Vidor and Keaton as well. Most of these films are there at your corner videostore (in the area that's not called "Current Releases" or "Hong Kong Action"). Here's my personal list of must-see (pre-1970) films as a starting point:



Jim's personal pre-1970 must-see film list:

Sunset Blvd. + Double Indemnity + The Apartment (Wilder)
8 1/2 + La Dolce Vita (Fellini)
Wild Strawberries, The Seventh Seal & Persona (Bergman)
Bringing Up Baby + The Big Sleep (Hawks)
The Lady Eve + The Miracle of Morgan Creek & Sullivan's Travels (Sturges)
Meet John Doe + Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (Capra)
A Touch of Evil + Citizen Kane (Welles)
Day for Night + Four Hundred Blows (Truffaut)
Rear Window + Vertigo (Hitchcock)
The Searchers + The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (Ford)
Plus...
Rashomon, Breathless, Beauty & the Beast (Cocteau, not Disney), The Third Man, Dr. Strangelove, The Red Shoes, Wuthering Heights, The Sweet Smell of Success

Silent Films (from the time when film truly was a universal language):

The Big Parade + The Crowd (Vidor)
The Gold Rush + Modern Times (Chaplin)
Napoleon (Gance)
Sherlock Jr. (Keaton)
Metropolis (Lang)
The Flesh + The Devil
Wings

Watch your favorite films more than once-- watch them with the sound off so you can better understand what was done with the camera; shot selection, editing, camera movements, art direction, costumes, focus, dissolves etc. etc. etc.

Close your eyes and LISTEN to the films; hear the dialog pacing, the background sounds, what the music does, when it starts, builds, fades, how it's mixed, the sound effects, and especially what all of this makes you feel. Films are COMPLICATED-- there's a lot to learn.

Assuming you want to WRITE movies, too, you're going to have to read screenplays. Read every one you can, even from movies you don't like. You can get the suppliers of scripts from the back of some of film magazines (try "Premiere", "Movieline" and "Film Comment"). And, I would personally limit myself to reading only one or two of those "how to write a screenplay" books -- you'll pick up format and style from reading the real thing, unless you are a complete dolt, in which case you won't make it anyway (see Numbers 1 and 2 above!). And one more thing... those "how to" books are generally bad for your writing because they teach you silly rules that you tend to cling to, because they're the first thing you learn.





Film is the synthesis of the arts. It's also its own unique art form. To be a good director you should know all the arts, because they all figure into what you do (or should be doing) as a director.

STORY -- you must know the classics in literature, poetry and theater.
IMAGE -- drawing, painting, printmaking & photography.
DESIGN -- architecture, fashion design, graphic and interior design
PACING/EDITING -- you can learn a lot from dance, opera, jazz and classical music (think of film as dancing images with words)
MUSIC -- you can learn from all musical forms, and you should know the basics of all types: jazz ,classical, rock, folk, world, country, rap, etc. And get a basic musical education -- know why chamber music is different from a concerto and what an oboe sounds like.

A director's job has three parts:
A) Having the vision (and being committed to it)
B) Communicating the vision (to your team).
C) Realizing the vision (on the screen).

Parts A & C are based on talent, heart and guts. And the more you know about the Arts, the easier Part B is to learn. You need to know Ibsen from Miller from Mammet to talk to your actors. You need to know allegro from diminuendo from legato to speak to your composer and music editor. You'll need to know Monet from Hopper from Weston from Rubens to talk to your director of photography. You'll need to know Dior from Queen Anne from Bauhaus to talk to your Production and Costume designers. You must make each department's aesthetic blend seamlessly with the others to make the whole damned thing one piece -- YOUR piece. Plus, you will win your crew's respect -- a major battle for a first-timer.

You'll also have to know the art movements and what they meant to their times. That means understanding the difference between Gothic and Realism and Mannerism and Expressionism.

The simple fact is that the arts can only be spoken about in the context of other artworks. You might have to say that the "mood is Baroque" or the score needs to be "more like Beethoven here" or that this line should be read like it "was written by Hemmingway". Directing is leading a ragged pack of artists on a perilous journey, and the first step is to help them understand what the hell you are talking about.

Besides all of that -- you will be infinitely inspired by what you learn from these painters and designers and musicians and writers. They all dealt in the same commodity, HUMAN EMOTION -- the very stuff you are dealing with.when you make your movie. Why not pick up a few tips from the masters?








It's great that everyone (almost) has access to a video-camera. So get started. Borrow a camera and start shooting. Make a documentary about the mailboxes in your neighborhood. Get aspiring actors from the local community theater and try to do something. Edit in the camera (shoot in order, scene by scene) It's all great practice. There are angles, lenses, light, acting and pacing to deal with. Sure, it's not "professional" but it's a moving image with sound-- it's filmmaking. Plus, you have more credibility when you talk about yourself as a "director" if you've made a dozen short films on video, instead of just talking about the day you are going to be a big-time film director. A good director knows everything about making films -- or at least can fake it. That means you should try to learn as much as you can about the craft of your cast and crew. Attend acting classes (you can monitor the class if you are shy) to learn what actors go through. First-time directors often have a notoriously bad time talking to actors and conducting rehearsals, so put this at the top of your list. Learn about editing and photography and art direction and sound recording any way you can -- school, books, seminars. The more you know, the more tools you have to be a real filmmaker. Almost anyone can get a job on a real movie if they're determined enough and don't mind working for free and doing less-than-glamourous jobs like sweeping out trucks, getting the coffee and holding traffic during takes. But what you will learn even in the worst job is valuable -- and cheaper than film school. Call your local film office and get a list of all the films that might shoot in your area, write an impassioned letter about how much you want to work like a dog for free... and you'll most likely get a call. If not, go to the film's production office and find the Production Coordinator (NOT the director, producer or production manager) and beg (good practice for Number 2 above). Mention that you live for making photocopies and driving to Federal Express at midnight.








Find good people and make a movie that's worth their talents.

One of the most important things to learn as you make your first film is that you really can't do everything yourself. Make it a priority to seduce/beg/hire the most talented DP, Costume Designer, Production Designer, Set Decorator, AD, Gaffer, Editor, etc. etc. you can afford. These people are artists, too, and can give your film a polish and sheen that sets it apart. Plus, it makes it easier for you and your actors to do your jobs when talented people are doing their jobs all around. One strategy for low budget films is to give talented assistants their first "key" position. Find that asst. camera person or gaffer who's looking for a shot at their first DP job. They will really care about what they do because this is their one chance, too -- and they'll forgive the lower salary.

Remember, a first-time director has only one "at-bat" and it had better be a solid triple if not a home run... because there's another five thousand guys behind you in line who are itching for their chance. So build a good team around you.









This may seem to be silly advice, but BE SMART. That means don't let your emotions or ego rule you on the set -- THINK before you shoot off your mouth. Every action you take and every word you speak has to be a calculated move designed to make your film better. As a first-time director you have your authority challenged on a hourly basis. Everyone's watching you and second-guessing you because they want to be where you are. On the other hand, they want the film to succeed, so they want to look at you and see confidence, honesty and commitment -- what they don't want to see is a selfish brat. Remember - they have never seen a feature film that you have made. They've never read a review of one of your films. Will the film suck? It could. And remember, they've probably worked on several films that have been awful. It's hard on an actor or crew person to work their ass off and have the film be horrible. They ask "Why did I kill myself for that piece of shit?" It's easy to see their point. Remember -- it's ALWAYS the director's fault if the film sucks -- and that's the way it should be. It's easy to get bent out of shape when you feel you are not respected. But it's better for the film if you out-think people rather than just having an ego fit. If the actor is challenging you -- remember he/she is scared to death that you will make them look foolish. Address that fear by doing whatever you can to help them trust you (knowing what the hell you are doing helps). They want you to lead them... and to listen to their point of view -- it's a very delicate balancing act. In many ways every actor and crew person is your opponent in a negotiation -- your job is about negotiating them into your vision for the film -- which is where they really want to be anyway. Just remember that the only leverage a first-time director has is his/her brain. You haven't directed an Oscar-winning film yet -- so you can't bully anyone. The only power you have is the power that comes from passion, determination, wisdom and commitment. So get those things in spades before you step on the set! SO, THAT'S MY TOP TEN -- I write all of this admitting that I love films and filmmaking (really!). It took me over twelve years to raise the money for my first feature film, and I feel very privileged to have been given my shot. It was only through sheer persistence, not being smart enough to give up and the grace of God that I got the chance to make my first feature. If you are stubborn and smart enough -- you might make it, too. By the way... You'll notice I left out all that stuff about "raising the money" and "making the deal." It's all random chance anyway... so whatever I could tell you will be almost worthless because what worked for me will probably never work for you. What matters is that if and when you DO get your shot, you have the craft and vision to make a film that means something. Good luck! Jim Robinson Courtesy : http://www.stillbreathing.com/