Published: April 4, 2019 | Last Updated: June 28, 2024
Director. The title is synonymous with indispensability when discussing film. Next to actors, directors are the most famous film personalities because it’s widely accepted that a film is 100% their vision from stem to stern.
A film with a certain director’s name attached comes with certain tangible expectations. Think of these names: Scorsese, Tarantino, Villeneuve, Bigelow, Spielberg. You can find online masterclasses with some A-list directors here Masterclasses For Filmmakers and Directors Online.
When someone utters these names, we immediately think of moods, tones, genres, and styles. We attach meaning to them because we’ve come to expect a specific quality of film from the men and women behind these names.
But what does a director do? And how does one do it well? That’s something most are unsure how to answer. Let’s break down what it means to be a good director.
Part 1: The Performance
You could argue that a director’s job is divided into working with the actors and working with the rest of the crew.
A good director knows how to work with actors and the crew and make it all come together. In this first part, we’ll look at how the director best aids the actors to get a great performance on camera.
Work with Actors
At the most basic, core level, the director’s main responsibility, whether big budget or small, whether Hollywood or Bollywood, whether found-footage superhero horror or sci-fi slasher family comedy thriller with political overtones, is to work with actors.
Other departments have their own heads making decisions that they will clear with you when appropriate, but if no one directs the talent, then performances could be all over the spectrum from take to take.
Please don’t let the actors guess what you want; work with them to shape the performance.
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Give Clear Direction
When discussing what approach your actors should take regarding their characters and performance, keep it as clear and concise as possible.
Philosophical discussions involving moral outlook and character biographies should be discussed in pre-production before you get to set. Did Character A betray Character B when they were stuck behind enemy lines ten years ago, resulting in Character B’s nihilistic outlook on life? Discuss it in pre-pro.
Keeping it as clear as possible helps actors narrow their performance to the correct beats you’re looking for. In the next take, try to give them one change at a time, one thing to try differently. Don’t get carried away in your role.
Giving actors a research paper of direction is overwhelming. How can they take it all into account for the next take? They’d have nothing but bullet points flying through their heads, losing the thread altogether.
This goes hand in hand with step three:
Wants Vs. Feelings
When directing your actors, talk more about what a character wants and less about how they feel. It’s easier to make defined choices when they’re looking for something tangible from another actor rather than to act an emotion.
For example, picture this scene:
Character A explains something important to Character B, who plays video games on the couch.
You tell Actor A, “You want him to understand what you’re saying is important.”
For Actor B, you say, “You don’t get what she’s saying, and you want to play your video games.”
This gives each actor a specific intention involving the other person in a simultaneously descriptive and concise way. It’s something tangible to grab onto while still having the freedom to figure out how to approach this intention creatively.
Now think about the alternative, talking about just feelings.
You tell Actor A, “You’re frustrated.” and Actor B, “You’re confused.”
That’s it. Those are the feelings they should be performing, but with nothing concrete to attach them to. It’s too vague. It leaves the actor with only the script for guidance and scene interpretation.
Giving actors an intention or motivation will naturally elicit the feelings you’re looking for, connected to the interplay between the two actors in the scene, rather than each of them just playing the generalized feeling of frustration or confusion.
That’s not to say that feeling or emotion should never be used as directorial tools.
Take the scene above. Imagine the actors doing everything exactly as you want it. They understand their intentions and play off each other.
The scene is great, but you want more from Actor A. In this situation, it’s acceptable to tell them, “That’s exactly what I’m looking for; just give me a little more frustration.”
You can tell them the specific line you’re looking for more frustration from or have them apply it thicker across the board.
Intention and motivation are an actor’s foundation for a performance, so you should often give them these to help them make their creative choices.
Feelings and emotions can be used as tools for refinement to tweak performance to exactly the level you’re looking for, but they should never be used as the foundation of your direction.
Modeling Lines? Don’t, Just Don’t!
This is a biggie. Never, ever model dialogue for your actors. Seriously. It might seem more convenient than using all the directorial tools at your disposal to quickly say, “I want you to say the line more like this: Blah blah, blah blah.” but that’s a huge no-no.
It’s insulting to your actors. Actors are artists like you who deserve the respect of being allowed to do their job.
Acting is about making creative choices and taking creative ownership of the characters the actors portray, adding dimension and depth you might not have expected.
If you remove the opportunity for those choices, they aren’t actors anymore; they’re mouthpieces parroting your lines.
So, let your actors act, and give them some freedom with the characters.
This leads us to the next point…
Be Open To Suggestions
Filmmaking is a collective enterprise, and collaboration is the word most often used when talking about
Your crew is your collaborators. This means that while you are arguably at the top of the pyramid, everyone comprising all the other levels has ideas, too.
Be open to those ideas. Especially regarding actors.
Actors train to embody the characters they play. They give your words and characters life. As a result, they may have some ideas about what a character may do or whether a line sounds authentic or forced.
They may ask you to change things in the script or try something new performance-wise. Don’t shoot them down outright. Listen to what they say; even if you disagree, let them give it a shot if you have the time to spare. You may be pleasantly surprised.
Countless YouTube videos document ad-libbed lines or acting decisions that weren’t in the script but were loved by the directors and, later, audiences.
“I’m walkin’ here!”
“Hey Malkovich, think fast!”
“You can’t handle the truth!”
“Here’s Johnny!”
I bet you can name a few of the movies these lines come from. Each line is now a classic, and the actor added each one.
Hell, even Johnny Depp’s entire comedic characterization of Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean wasn’t in the script originally. Depp decided Sparrow would be more memorable with a less serious bent, and he was right.
These are extreme cases. Most of the time, actors will come to you with small things here and there that they want to try out. Maybe these are more truthful to the character or add shade to them that you didn’t originally spot.
Be open to change, and don’t be afraid to change the script. Make room for some experimentation. Many minds see more than one.
Lead with the Positives
Actors and directors constantly discuss performance. Your job is to communicate what you’re looking for, and theirs is to perform it.
With that in mind, you have to recognize that acting is a very difficult job and that putting yourself out there in performance, with all eyes on you, can be trying.
So, when a performance isn’t quite the way you want it to be, recognize that you should approach with sensitivity and don’t hit your poor actors with the negatives right away or, in fact, at all.
Instead, lead with the positives.
Say something like, “That was great, this time, let’s try it this way.” or “I like that, let’s try it more (insert direction here) now.”
This way, you avoid hurt feelings and bruised egos while still getting a changed performance in the next take.
Treat your actors as people with feelings. They know they won’t nail it perfectly how you want the first time through, so they’re waiting to be directed.
It’s up to you to use sensitivity and kindness to help nudge them in the direction you’re looking for.
Summing up Part 1
Did you get all that?
That’s the meat and potatoes of directing: working with the actors to get the best performance you can jointly deliver.
Is that all? Well, no. It’s the biggest chunk and where the bulk of your time on set will be… ahem, directed, but there’s more.
Check out Famous Filmmakers Who Started Late.
Part 2: The Rest of Production – On Set
This is where the director’s mythos comes in: the idea that every on-screen and off-screen decision is at their fingertips. While this is true to an extent, your involvement in the minutiae of each department will depend on your experience and comfort with said departments.
You might want to have a say in everything from camera filter to gel color temperature to makeup stock, or you might prefer to leave these choices to your department heads. It all depends on how sure-footed you feel in your role.
The more films you direct, the more comfortable you’ll be.
But let’s talk about some things that are your responsibility from a leadership standpoint on set, no matter your experience level.
See the Guide to Below-the-Line Film Set Roles
Set the Example
As director of an indie film, all of the crew are there at your behest because you had a film you wanted to make. As a result, it’s your responsibility to ensure that everyone feels welcome and happy to be on set.
Set the example you wish others to follow. Stay upbeat, enthusiastic, and positive; look like you want to be there. This is your story, and your excitement for it will communicate itself to your crew.
If you look excited about making this film, they will be excited to work on it. If you look slumped, scattered, and unmotivated, the tone will be set accordingly.
Address Concerns
Part of keeping people happy is hearing everybody and addressing concerns if there are any. These could be more than just creative differences.
Crews comprise many people, and not everyone will always get along. Disagreements may happen, and issues may arise.
It’s your set, so it’s your job to iron these out and ensure that smoothness and agreeability return to the set. Be the mediator, and show your crew you care about them as much as you do your film. That will inspire loyalty to the project.
Be Respectful
This one could be a subheading for addressing concerns, but part of keeping people happy and positive is treating them like adults. Never yell or belittle anyone publicly or privately.
If you disagree with someone on the crew or see someone slacking or not doing their work, don’t call them out then and there. Hash it out in private and always in a respectful manner.
Because everyone technically works for you doesn’t give you free rein to terrorize the cast and crew.
Make Sure Everyone Has What They Need
Since you’re running an indie film set and roles will likely be limited, make sure you’re checking that everyone has what they need on set. This isn’t just from an equipment standpoint but also quality of life.
Check that craft services are fully stocked with snacks and water; check that there’s an area away from the hustle and bustle of the set for people to wind down or take a load off.
Make it known that people can come to you if they have requests or want to discuss something.
You’re the director but also the caretaker of your set, and you must take that role seriously.
Don’t Micromanage
This one might seem strange, considering your vision is communicated throughout the film, but micromanaging other departments’ work is a strict negative.
Once you’ve issued your wants and choices to your departments, let them work on realizing them. Unless they ask for clarification or help, don’t presume you can do their jobs better than they can, even if you moonlight as a cinematographer, gaffer, makeup artist, life coach, or set clown on some shoots.
Give your crew the space to breathe and work, and then check in and give comments when they’re ready to show you the result. Don’t be the extra cook in the kitchen while letting your souffle burn to a crisp…or something like that.
Always Check the Monitor
Before taking a shot, always check the monitor to get a sense of how the shot looks on camera at that moment.
This one might seem obvious, but, hey, in the confusion of production hustle and bustle, sometimes you might forget.
Don’t wait for a take and then check it during replay. If you notice that it needs some minor adjustment after the fact, it’ll be too late to salvage that take.
Also, if possible, watch the take through the monitor as it unfolds. Your audience will eventually be watching your movie on a screen, so you want to make all your decisions based on how it looks on the monitor, not on your eyes, as this is how you will deliver the final product.
This will also help tailor your directing, helping actors find their frame lines and adjust their movement to what’s visible on camera.
If it were a play, that would be a different story, but it’s not. Keep your peepers on the monitor.
Summing Up
And that’s all there is to it. “Yeah, 2500 words later,” you’re thinking.
I know it can seem overwhelming, like the head manager of a giant operation or the brain of some fluid machine, but if you keep your head about you and stick with the tips in this article, you’ll be directing the hell out of some shorts very soon.
Remember, working with actors is the number one thing you’re expected to do. That’s where you should get comfortable first.
If you have to leave camera, lighting, production design, and other decisions to their respective departments, don’t fret about doing so. Focus on crafting a performance with your actors because no one else can handle that job if you’re busy mixing with other departments.
Once you get the hang of it, feel free to branch yourself out and become the auteur you were meant to be.