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in the series i go behind the scenes and
look at some of the different crew
positions on movie sets and what each of
these jobs entails
if there's ever one crew position that
everyone has heard of it is the director
they are a person to whom their entire
creation of a film is accredited to
you may know a bunch of famous ones but
do you know what their day-to-day job
actually entails in this crew breakdown
video i'll go over the role of the
director
break down what they do
what their average day on set looks like
and some tips from some of the best
directors out there
unlike some of the other crew positions
that i've previously gone over that are
more technical
the director's role is largely a
conceptual one as the name suggests they
are responsible for directing how the
overall film is made by taking a script
visualizing it and creating an
overarching cinematic tone for the
project
in doing so they guide the actors and
the various crew heads of departments to
realize the vision which they have
unlike most other crew members who
fulfill a particular niche in the film
production process
directors are present throughout the
entire making of the film from
pre-production to post-production
and usually even after it's been
completed from distribution to promotion
as such they are responsible for a great
many duties along the way and require a
diverse skill set like with other big
picture management positions there isn't
a definite list of duties or ways of
going about things
steve jobs and bill gates had very
different ways of doing things but both
produced tech products which were
different yet reflective of their
individual philosophies a director's
level of involvement in these various
duties will change from case to case and
usually includes but is not limited to
casting actors
deciding on locations
production design and costumes
forming a visual style for how the film
will be shot and edited
communicating and delegating that vision
for crew members to execute
and overseeing the post-production
process including the edit color grade
sound mix selection of music and any
visual effects
directors also need to be cognizant of
the budget of the project and visualize
and craft a film which takes that into
account
some directors like to write their own
screenplays but this isn't a
prerequisite many others prefer
directing scripts which are written by
screenwriters
the process of visualizing a screenplay
requires directors to make technical
decisions to sculpt the visual language
or vocabulary which ends up on screen
certain tools you use and those tools
become part of a vocabulary
that's just as valid as that vocabulary
that is used in literature what it made
me realize was that there was an
intelligence another kind of
intelligence that was trying to tell a
story through where the director the
writer and the cinematographer
where they were focusing your eyes
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usually in these videos i start with how
a crew begins their day on set however
in the case of the director their
involvement in the projects happens long
before this moment
unless they are a hired gun employed to
direct a project with the screenplay and
many of the elements already in place
directors usually have to create their
own work to some extent for example in
the world of commercials directors will
receive a brief from a creative agency
which the client has picked they will
then use that brief to come up with a
treatment or vision of how they imagine
the commercial
and then pitch that in order to win the
job there are many ways a feature film
can be made but in most cases it will
require the director to pitch their
vision at some stage whether for funding
or studio approval
unless it's a totally self-financed
independent film which is rare once
funding has been won and pre-production
begins the director will start the
process of casting actors deciding on
shooting locations and outlining their
creative vision
through storyboards a shot list or just
conversations with key crew members
once everything is in place principal
photography will begin
a director's day may start early on set
by viewing some of the rushes or dailies
raw footage from the previous day of
shooting this informs future creative
decisions which they must make
is a way of checking they are on the
right path
and helps them to determine if they need
to make changes or do any reshoots
rushes could also be viewed at other
times when shooting on a digital camera
such as at night after the day shooting
at lunch or at the end of a week
directors will arrive on set with a
pre-planned schedule for the day
detailing the scenes and shots that need
to be covered
on arrival they'll be presented with art
direction related decisions which need
to be made such as confirming the
costume of on-screen talent adding or
removing props or production design
items from the set
and sometimes commenting on the makeup
required most of this would usually have
been dealt with in pre-production but
sometimes these choices are narrowed
down or finessed on the day of shooting
the actors will arrive on set and do a
blocking with the director this is where
they quickly run through the scene
determine how they will move in the
space and their actions the director
will work with them here giving their
feedback or direction for how they see
it playing out
the actors will leave the set and the
director will then collaborate with the
cinematographer and other crew members
to decide on how best to cover the scene
some directors may be very technical and
specific here
and others less so
once the lights camera and everything
else has been set up the actors will
return to set and do a take
some directors like to call action
themselves action but more often than
not that's left up to the first id
in between takes the director will give
feedback in an attempt to get the shot
as perfectly as they can in the way in
which they imagine it it's their job to
know what they are looking for and to
find it
they will sculpt a bunch of elements
like their molding clay making subtle
changes to things like the performances
the camera movement framing or the
blocking until everything comes together
to their liking
once they've got a take that they are
happy with they will then move on to a
new shot or scene
and repeat the process
it's really hard to make a movie it is
it's like a two three year process and
you're really married to it i call these
films my children this is what i leave
behind this is what my name is on and so
so i put a lot of time a lot of focus
into it and so why do that for something
that you don't care about
unlike other crew who bounce around
between projects with a greater
frequency
directors are in it for the long haul so
pick the projects that you want to work
on carefully
especially for directors who work in
long form
as i mentioned there are many different
styles of working but having a broad
skill set as a director is usually
helpful
the more you understand about the
process from casting down to the sound
mix the more you'll be able to shape
each facet of the process into the tone
that you imagine the director's job is
all about making decisions
on set they may be faced with hundreds
of little choices that need to be made
every day
cultivating the ability to quickly
analyze a situation and make a firm
decision
is a crucial skill for anyone entering
this position
when making subjective decisions in the
creative space there's never one right
answer
so perhaps the best approach is to make
those choices by bringing yourself and
your own background into the equation
some of this movie comes from
from me sure i'm never gonna be able to
make a movie that doesn't you know even
if i'm making a movie about the turn of
the century i think you're gonna it's
always gonna be personal it's just in
the detail stuff when i grew up in the
valley i lived there i was really
embarrassed for the longest time that
that's where i lived and that's where i
grew up because i knew i wanted to make
movies and i would look back to my
favorite directors and think okay
there's uh there's howard hawks and boy
he served in the war and there's ernst
lubit who escaped germany you know but
i don't have to bring i was like i'm
from the valley you know and i was
really embarrassed about that for a long
time i guess until one day i just woke
up and said well i guess that's what i
have to make movies about while telling
stories from your own point of view is
valuable it's equally as important to
use each scene and every creative
decision to serve the thematic ideas in
the story that you want to unpack
ask yourself why certain scenes are in
the script and try to translate that why
to the screen
films are experiential and emotional we
all know that storytelling in narrative
fiction we can't be merry to factual
accuracy it's all about what best serves
the story and so i really started
thinking about why i had all of these
meal scenes aside from the fact that
this is realistic but what does that
mean you know what does it mean to this
experience how did it make me feel while
i was there
every director is different
some rehearse some don't some prepare
everything some improvise
some edit or shoot themselves some
delegate and collaborate
some are more technical some focus more
on performance
there's no general advice that can be
given in this regard directors need to
find their own voice and then use that
as a guide in determining way of working
which is best for them after all these
different voices visions and working
styles are what makes film the
artistically diverse medium that we all
enjoy
thanks for watching this crew breakdown
episode if you are looking for clothes
to wear on set go check out the official
idc merch which features original
illustrations of various crew members
otherwise until next time thanks for
watching and goodbye