Expert: Taylor Sheppard - 3/23/2011

Question
Ok, so I'm a Junior in high school and lately I've been pressured by my parents about what i want to do for my future. So, I've been trying different classes and studying different things, but nothing really fits that well, except for theater. But I don't want to be on stage or in the film (although i do like acting), I would rather be directing the actors'/actresses' energy to accomplish the overall goal. I can read scripts and books and envision the scene. Is that what makes a good director? Should this be what I pursue?

Answer
Hi Makana,

I really enjoyed reading your question. It displays a great deal of maturity for a person your age!

While I can't define a director by traits, I can say as an actor, that actors love "an actor's director". That means that we love working with someone who is committed to pulling the best performance possible out of us and who has the ability to understand things from our point of view!
Some directors are famous for referring to actors as: "moving furniture". They treat us gruffly and uncharitably, excusing it with the notion that if we ask too many questions, we are being lazy.

While you don't necessarily want to spoon feed them everything (you might miss something even better that they do on their own), it is important to realize that actors want to be informed as to the color of the scene or film by someone who has lived with the project for a very long time. Some directors I have talked with have worked over ten years to bring a film to the theaters. Sure, I will admit that a part of us wants to please, but really, we want to make the best show we can!

I can't say that your parents are wrong: other countries stress making up your mind super early by American standards, but given how many people who are lost and searching for themselves career-wise who is to say its wrong to commit yourself early on?

The ideal would be to get some experience on set to make an informed decision. There are lots of facets to being a director: creative, financial, and promoting. Unfortunately, you can't have the luxury of just kicking back and creating your "vision". Oh,no, you have to deal with producers who complain you are killing the budget with your demands of "expensive" shots and sets. You also have to often be a public face to go out and make the rounds with the press and other public forums. When I was working on a movie once, as a stand-in, I remarked to my friend, an older actor, that I would HATE to be a director. I meant that I would not enjoy people breathing down my neck about how much time I was taking and worry me with talk of the budget. Unfortunately, actor Rip Torn ("Men in Black" and Men in "Black 2" [and maybe "MIB 3"] was standing nearby, and he proceeded to walk up and rebut my remark. He started by saying how he had won many awards as a director himself. But afterward, he seemed to devolve into an angry rant. I thought I had offended him, but looking back, there were other factors in play, and in fact, he was fired from the show and all his scenes were re-shot without his character.

Having acting experience will help you relate to the actor's struggle and give you tools to use as a director with them. You should take classes. While I have personally met the self-made director Robert Rodriguez, and worked for him. He is an anomaly, why chance your career on figuring it out o your own? The field is flooded with wannabe directors who can't or won't afford a formal education in directing. It can't hurt! Plus, if you can make it into directing school at USC or NYU, you can gain good connections in the field! You would do internships on movies in low-status positions, but what better vantage point could there be? You would work up the chain until you were gaining DGA (Director's Guild of America) credits toward your career.

If you love something and can make a career of it, you will be a fortunate soul.

Best to you!

Taylor