Tip 1 – A Film Director must Prepare Prepare Prepare.
Film Directing is divided into four distinct seasons.
- PreProduction
- The Shoot
- Post Production
- Film Festivals and Screenings
Today, lets focus on Preproduction.
Having personally worked on hundreds of film productions in various roles over the last 20 years, I have observed certain areas that a Film Director must be an expert in. At the moment, I am directing my 4th feature film, Tabernacle 101. As a result I feel compelled to clarify Film Directing for the Emerging Film Director.
Preproduction is preparation. A really experience and brilliant director will totally prepare for a film shoot. Most of the hard work is done in preproduction.A Film Director will want to work with the following experts in the Preparatory Preproduction phase.
- The Screenwriter – The Director will want to work on further drafts and revisions of the script to make sure that the best script possible is ready to shoot. Many times the director is the screenwriter in Indie Films.
- The Casting Director – The Director will want to work with the Casting Director to maker sure that the casting attracts the very best acting talent available. If the budget is small, the director will work on casting from scratch without the help of a Casting Director.
- The DOP (Cinematographer) – The Director will want to work with his or her DOP of the lighting look of the film and the shot list. You should always have an experienced DOP. Complete Shot lists in advance of the shoot are very important.
- The Production Designer – The Director will need meetings with this very important person. The Production Designer work on the colour schemes of the set on location. The Look of the film set is very important and when this area is neglected, the film looks cheap. A production designer is a great help and they will help collaborate with the director and source all the set dressing and props for the film. If very low budget, a short film can be effectively and dramatically improved for a small budget of $500.
- The Makeup Artist – The Director will need to talk to the Make up Artist ref the look of the characters scene by scene. Makeup is very important in Sci Fi or Horror genre.
- The Wardrobe or Costume Designer. — The Director will have all important meetings with their wardrobe person ref the costumes for actors.
- Rehearsals – Once the film is cast the director will work on rehearsals with the actors to improve and work on performance before the shoot.
If you do all of this preparation as a Film Director, the shoot will be at a much higher standard than with poor preparation.
If you prepare prepare prepare, the film will be at a much higher standard. Learn how to do all of the above on our 3 month Film Course
