IMP Director chronicles- Genesis (the beginning)

 

What it takes - Director  

 

For are IMP projects I have been given the task of directing one of the two short films. As an added bonus, I get to direct my own idea which is fanatic! However, the role of director is not an easy one. Imagine a gallon. You have all the crew fulling their duties; making sure the ship is going in the right direction, that it is sea worthy and it is protected from attacks. But non of the crew decide on the direction or path of the ship, or even where it is going to end up. That is all down to the captain. He plots of the course and makes sure the ship stays on course by using the crew he has and utilizing those with special skill sets. The captain holds the ship together. A director does just that but with a film. He 'plots the course' of the project and make sure it ends up where he/she set off to get to.

A skilled director picks his crew for there individual talents and how they work with others. He then utilizes their individual skills while uniting them as a whole. However, as with a real ship, the oceans you sail will rarely work in your favor. A skilled captain can work around the ocean. Even using some situations to his benefit. He uses his crew to make sure that his ship doesn't go down and is lost to depths. A director must be veristaile in dealing with situations that arise during a production. How he deals with them can decide if the project sinks or not.

Before setting out on any length of journey across the sea, a weathered captain will have mapped out a route, including back-up routes in case of emergency. Without a plan, they ship would sail blindly which could end up in shipwreck and disaster. Similarly, a director must have a clear course of action before filming ever begins. This comes from huge amounts of pre-production, sometimes starting a year or more before anyone shouts lights, camera action!

 Skills I Posses

 

 Knowing what it takes to be a great director is all well and good, but what skills do I already posses? For me, the biggest skill I have is my communication skills. A director must be able to clearly put across a point while not coming seeming to be argent or viewing the other person as an idiot. This comes into it's own when dealing with actors. It is vital that a director can communicate well and clear with actors so as to get the best performance possible. This is a skill I have developed. I can build re-pore with an actor so as to get exactly what I need from them. This goes the same for crew. Being able to put across what is in my mind to a DOP or costume or sound etc has taken practise but i have become very proficient at it.

I also have cultivated my pre-prodution skills. Keeping meetings on track and on topic can sometimes be a challenge when dealing with creatives, but I have found my own style of keeping creativity open, while still remaining in control. This again stems for good communication skills.

I also have a incredible imagination. Creating entire worlds in my head in vivid detail is second nature. This comes from having a lack of friends as a child. Instead of playing football in the playground, I would create a new world, characters, plots etc then take them on an adventure, visualizing it as if I was watching a movie. This gives me the ability to not just see an idea, but feel it, as if I was actually in the characters shoes.

Could Do Better

 

However, as always there are things I could improve on. One thing is how I can become very set in my ways when it comes to making adjustments to shot lists and story boards on set. when I have a certain set of shots and someone wants to shoot something different than planned I have been known to just shoot what I wanted too, turning their idea down. This is not a good quality. I have at times allowed people to do their idea and it was been a disaster which has either set us back or just wasted time. However, on the flip side of that, there has been times where an extra shot or variation has actually been a very good call ending up in the finally edit. Finding a good balance is something I need to improve on.

Progress So Far

 

As of writing this a lot has happened. I have been working closely with Vicki, my scriptwriter, as well as the other departments in order to get things ready for when we shoot. The script is nearly locked in with just some minor changes to be made. I have asked my DOP to go away and watch a few classic movies: Silence of the lambs, rear window and few others, to get a feel for the type of style I want to accomplish. I have also had my DOP come with me to work on client work to give us experinece working together. I have also been in communication with are Art Department in order to give specs for characters clothing, the overall look of the apartment, props etc. I am also in discussions with my producer on casting choices and locations.