Movie
How To Direct A Movie
The best advice an aspiring filmmaker can receive on how to direct a movie is “just do it”. The action associated with those three words tend to frighten first time filmmakers into procrastinating their debut project. Following the below strategies will aid you in facing your fears behind the camera.
Stay within your niche. Debut directors should consider a subject matter they know and are interested in. If you enjoy horror, for instance, make your first film a scary movie. The more you're intrigued by a genre, the more passion will fuel your directorial fire.
Write your own screenplay. Why? Because, starting out, you'll be more comfortable directing your own material. Stress of worrying about turning someone else's written story into a motion picture should be the last thing you need at this point. Directing your own script is a great way to loosen up the fear factor a bit while learning how to direct a movie.
Recruit people you know for actors. Don't listen to outside sources about why not to cast friends and family as actors. You're in the process of learning how to direct a movie. You need people you're comfortable with. Directing a complete stranger while in the learning process can be a very difficult thing. Use this directorial debut to your fullest advantage. Telling your best friend what to do is totally different than telling a complete stranger. Just remember to rehearse your chosen cast. People who've never acted before generally have a hard time appearing natural on camera. Help them the way they're helping you.
The main thing about learning how to direct a movie is having fun in the process. Even as a professional, it's very important to maintain that feeling of excitement about your projects.
Posted on: Jul. 28, 2010
You need to come up with an idea for your movie. Unless you have an imagination the size of Oceania, this will be the hardest part. You could base the film on a popular fairy tale (ie. Rapunzel, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast), Make a documentary (or, come to that, a spoof documentary; a film about what cuddly toys get up to when kids leave the bedroom, for instance), or come up with your own thing. Often it is best not to rush the creative process - give yourself time to come up with an idea. Also keep in mind your budget and limited resources; if all you have is a camera and a few actors don't try to make a futuristic action film.
Determine what kind of sets, props, costume and actors will be required for your idea and determine whether or not it is possible. It is a bit beyond the budgets of most people to film in a replica space-station, for instance.
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Secure your actors, props, costumes and locations. If you need a toy violin, borrow one. Ask your granny if she can come over to play the wicked old witch. Get permission to shoot in your sister's bedroom.
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Prepare your set. Often, it is best to allocate about an hour to do this before your cast arrive. Lighting needs to be sorted out, for one. Also, make sure you have removed any items that are inappropriate to the movie. It is not likely to find a gameboy on a table in Victorian Britain.
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Film. A tripod is a good idea most of the time, as it is surprising how much hands can shake. Only take it off the tripod if you absolutely need to do a handheld shot. Feel free to be a little fancy with some of your shots and techniques and camera movements; you may surprise yourself and others with your talent in this regard. But also be sure to get plenty of plain, stationary shots to safeguard, just in case you don't have the talent for fancy techniques.
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Once the filming is over, and the footage is transferred to a computer, you need to edit. A movie-editing program that comes free with your computer, ie. Windows movie maker or iMovie, should be fine for this. Many plugins are widely available on the internet that can enhance your video and audio.
Tips
Many towns have halls that can be rented out if you need a more spacious set.
Fades and dissolves usually look more professional than other transitions, even though you may like them.
Try writing a bit of music to go with your movie. It just gives it that special touch.
Have your actors look over the script and ask them to write down things they would like in the movie. Try to have them in a logical sequence and make sure they are not too outrageous for your movie.
Ideas to be a great Film Director!
Directing a film is the most intensely solitary and intensely collaborative experience you may ever have. On a psychological level, it's about keeping your ego in perfect balance with your need for input, and your vision moving forward with your changing circumstances.
Whether you're running your first independent-film casting call or into your millionth day of shooting, you may find some useful ideas here.
A great movie is about catching the audience on every level.
All the great film directors always say: Direct the stories that you know right now. Express yourself in the films. Put your personal vision in the films.
The main questions a Film Director must answer are:
1. Where do I put the camera?
2. What do I tell the actors?
3. What is the scene about?
David Mamet says that directing a film is about shooting a variety of unaffected shots and then cutting them together to effect a mood and feel.
True creativity is allowing your unconscious to be free.
The audience gets the idea - a house looks like a house.
KISS - Keep it simple, stupid
People look at the most overriding thing in the frame. Human perception goes to the most important thing.
Just be honest in making a movie. Then you'll find that it�s fighting back against you and telling you how to write and shoot it.
IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT, HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU�RE DONE?
"The shots are all you have."
Directing a film is like climbing a mountain. It's frightening sometimes and it's usually lonely but you don't have to climb the whole mountain all at once.
Pick up people along the way who will be a part of your creative team, and you will be a part of theirs as well. That is 50% of Directing a Film
There are no minor decisions in movie making.
Always prepare the groundwork. See that it allows for the lucky accidents to happen. That's what makes a first-rate movie.
The director is in charge of keeping the wheels turning. Handling the moods and egos, the politics and personalities, the insecurities of everyone on set.
It's VALUABLE to have people who challenge you - search for the TRUTH
Tension never helps anything.
ASK YOURSELF:
Does the scene contribute to the overall theme?
Does it contribute to the storyline?
Is the storyline moving in an ever-increasing arc of tension and drama?
As as Director, it's important to understand each and every line that�s in the script.
Good style is UNSEEN style. It is style that is FELT.
"I know the first film I ever saw � it must have been some time in 1924, when I was six or so... was Black Beauty. About a stallion. I still recall a sequence with fire. It was burning, I remember that vividly. And I remember too how it excited me, and how afterwards we bought the book of Black Beauty and how I learned the chapter on the fire by heart � at that time I still hadn't learned to read."
- Ingmar Bergman
What you do with the camera:
-Can make up for a deficient performance
-Can make a good performance better
-Can create mood
-Can create ugliness
-Can create beauty
-Can provide excitement
-Can capture the essence of the moment
-Can stop time
-Can define character
-Can provide exposition
-Can make a joke
-Can make a miracle
-Can tell a story
SHOOTING THE MOVIE
-Be prepared, organized and disciplined. Get body in mental shape.
-Relax in the morning. Do something different to get mind moving.
If your concentration breaks, you know something has gone wrong. Do another take.
A good day is a day the actors don't get bored.
REVIEW THE DAY MENTALLY:
-Did you get what you wanted?
-Do you need additional coverage?
-Is there anything you want to reshoot?
All good work is self-revelation.
Making a movie is going through a series of battles. If you think you�ve won, you will only have to fight them over again.
"Cinema is a matter of what's in the frame and what's out."Martin Scorsese
THE DIRECTOR�S JOB FOR DIRECTING A FILM
To care about and be responsible for every frame of every movie you make. To make the best possible movie you can make.
There's a sensual satisfaction in working in close unions with strong, independent and creative people: actors, assistants, electrics, production staff, props, make-up, costume designers - all those personalities who populate the day and make it possible to get through.
You gradually build up the psychological situation piece by piece, using the camera to emphasize first one detail, then another. The point is to draw the audience right inside the situation, instead of leaving them to watch it from outside. And you can do this only by breaking the action up into details and cutting from one to the other, so that each detail is forced, in turn, on the attention of the audience, and reveals its psychological meaning.
If the camera is always in one position and you don�t cut, you will lose your power over the audience. They will watch the scene without really being involved in it. They won�t understand what the characters are feeling.
If the take is good, move on. Try to improve on something later, not something that doesn't need it, or isn't going to be any better.
Look for something that has style and visual energy.
Given time and freedom, the actors will fall naturally into their places, discovering when and where to move, and you will have your shot.
THE ESSENTIAL PRINCIPALS OF CINEMA HAVE TO DO WITH THE HUMAN NEED TO MASTER AND KNOW THE WORLD.
Think about the music and sound effects the moment you begin directing a film.
Directing a Film is not only creatively handling actors and interpreting the screenplay. It also includes the ability to complete a day's work on time and on schedule. A director who is properly prepared allows for creativity, while planning for the inevitable problems.
A director who is able to think creatively while making instantaneous decisions based upon the pressures of production is a successful director.
"A movie is never finished, only abandoned."
George Lucas
WORKING WITH YOUR CREW WHEN DIRECTING A FILM
-If you want professional reliability from your crew, you must first be a model of professionalism yourself.
-Trust your crew reasonably and they will rise to crisis selflessly
-Have meals and coffee breaks built predictably into the schedule
-Always maintain communication
-Keep abreast of developments
-During breaks, encourage discussion of the production
-Above all, encourage involvement
-Shooting should take place in as calm an atmosphere as possible
-A calm, respectful atmosphere is a necessity
-Choose colleagues carefully
-If you are sympathetic towards the crew's problems, they will be generous when you want their help solving one of yours
DIRECTING THE CREW WHEN DIRECTING A FILM
-Scheduling and communication is a necessity before the shoot
-Make sure everyone knows and keeps to their area of responsibility
-Encourage moment-to-moment communication during the shoot
-Encourage the crew to act supportively towards the TALENT
-Encourage solidarity and maintain professionalism when there are internal disagreements
THE DIRECTOR�S FIVE STAGES OF PRE-PRODUCTION
-Scriptwriting
-Production Design
-Script Analysis
-Cinematography
-Rehearsal
SCRIPTWRITING
-Dissect the script and come up with gameplan
-Write down ideas for images for each scene
-Look for connections to your own past experiences
PRODUCTION DESIGN
-Scriptwriting answers the WHAT questions of the story;
Production Design answers the WHERE AND HOW
-The Director begins the prep process by having conferences with his or her Production Designer, explaining each scene of the script as he or she sees it
-Break down the script, answering: How long will it take, and how much will it cost?
-TWO TYPES OF VISUAL DESIGNS � PICTORIAL AND SEQUENTIAL
----PICTORIAL: Set design, costumes, props, make-up, and any elements that are layered on top of a location and must by built, manufactured or otherwise obtained
----SEQUENTIAL: Skills of the writer, Production Designer, Director, DOP and Editor
-Once locations are secured, the Director develops an overview of the film
SCRIPT ANALYSIS
-After the Director is totally prepared , and the script is in great shape and the locations are locked � NOW it�s time to work out the shot-by-shot plan for each scene and really prepare to start Directing a Film.
-SHOT PLAN � Size of the action, size of the shot, choice of lens and camera angle: HOW DO THEY ALL DETERMINE THE NARRATIVE QUALITY OF THE SCENE?
-What is the Director trying to express?
CINEMATOGRAPHY
-DOP�s major responsibilities are lighting, exposing the film, and executing the framing and camera movement determined by the Production Designer, Director and DOP
-It's a good idea to show the DOP a visual source, illustrating what they�re after stylistically
REHEARSAL TIME
-It is the Director's job to create an environment in which the actors can connect with their impulses and find the unexpected and unpredictable in their work together
-Even in rehearsals, place the frame around the actor - because it always changes the way a scene plays
For the Director, art of learning the craft is having a good sense of what will work before the camera rolls.
DIRECTOR�S JOB To evaluate what portion of the event you want to feature, and from which vantage point.
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