Director
Become a movie director
“Lights, camera, action!” Ask most ordinary people what a movie director does, and this oft-quoted phrase will likely be the response. It actually summarizes the role of the film director quite nicely. Director duties include the creative conceptualization of the movie, both for eliciting strong performances from the actors and for framing and staging the action that takes place onscreen.
There is no set path one follows to become a director of feature films, though there are some tried-and-true strategies you can use to get director jobs. One thing you’ll definitely need is a “reel,” which shows brief clips of your best work. Reels are used to entice talent agents into taking you on as a client; your agent will then put you in contact with producers who will consider you for work they have available.
The Place of the Director in the Filmmaking Food Chain
The film director ranks very highly in the filmmaking hierarchy, answering only to the film producer. In most cases, the director is given full creative control over the filmmaking process, so long as they stay within the assigned budget and include any ideas dictated by the producer.
Directors are highly involved with every aspect of the filmmaking process, from the development of the script and the casting to the sound design, pre-production storyboarding and post-production film editing. They have the authority to override every other key member of the creative team, including the screenwriter, production designer and actors; much of what directors do is coordinate, manage and integrate the various ideas of the talent involved with the project while ensuring that their vision for the finished product shines through in every scene.
Get on the Path to Directing Movies
Networking and personal connections will go a long way to open doors for you, but it’s ultimately your talent and potential that will get you through the door and working as a film director. Many aspiring directors start out shooting commercials, public service announcements and industrial instructional and promotional videos before getting a crack at making a movie, but there’s no right way or wrong way to go about it. Just as many successful directors got their start by making their own short or feature film and getting it noticed at a film festival.
Your reel can consist of short scenes you’ve shot, excerpts from movies you’ve made or fictional commercials or sketches that you’ve conceived of and shot on your own. You might also try to work your way up through an assistant director trainee program; these programs apprentice aspiring filmmakers, starting them out as third or even second assistant directors. You’ll have room to learn and grow, and over time, you’ll climb the ladder to a first assistant director position. From there, your skills and experience can lead to your chance to run the show as a full-fledged director.
