Expert: Phil Nemy - 9/19/2003

Question
I am doing a report for economics on a career choice. i asked about steps to become a director -- schoolinG etc (to another member) and told just to go and shoot ... so now i am now asking you --- if i make it as a director, once hitting big screen my dream as of many.... what do i need to know as the technical side. i am so clueless. i want to be a director (used to want to perform) and have had school experiences with minor "directing" and it just comes natural. so again what technical things does a professional or atleast high paid director need to factor in and pay attention to? I just like telling people what to do .. when acting i see it my way and am open to opinions and suggestions but i already have the vision of the outcome in my head. i have movies i make in my head. whatever. write back please. --EMILY SMITH

Answer
Dear Emily,

Thanks for writing. So you want to be a director? There is no right or wrong path to becoming a director.

First, you must recognize that in feature films, the director's primary responsibility is storytelling. He must know the story he wants to tell so well, that he can explain that story to anyone invovled in the film so that that person can do his or her job effectively. If a director doesn't know what he wants, then the crew can't help him. Nor can the actors.

Second, a director must understand fully as many different styles and techniques of acting so that he/she can help an actor with a performance. If you wanted to build a car, and you didn't know a carburator from an exhaust pipe, how could you possible tell a mechanic what to do? Same with actors. You must understand the craft and language of acting, and have incredibly empathy, passion and love for actors, so that you can help them through the difficult acting moments they will encounter. A good performance comes from a talented actor who trusts his director.

If you have these two skills, you can begin to pursue a career in directing.

How do you develop these skills? By studying the craft. Whether that is going to film schools like NYU, USC or AFI, or taking classes at your local college or community college, or studying with directors, you must learn these skills in order to become a good director.

Assuming you have mastered these skills, what separates you from a "good" director and a director on the caliber of Martin Scorcese or Steven Spielberg is a familiarity with the art of writing screenplays, the camera and with editing.

You don't have to be a good writer to be a good director, but you must know what makes a script great and what makes one crap. Again, study in this area will help.

Learning what a camera can do for you to aid you in telling your story is a plus. For example, if you have a very intimate conversation between two actors, which lens will help create a more intimate setting, a 15mm lens or 70mm lens? Knowing this makes you a better filmmaker.

Finally, a film is truly made successful in the editing room. I have seen good films become crap because the editor didn't know what he was doing, and I've seen mediocre directors look great because they had amazing editors putting their story together. LEARN THE ART OF EDITING! It is crucial.

Ultimately, the more you can learn about acting, directing, photography, lighting, editing, visual effects, etc., the better prepared and marketable a director you will be. However, you still will not be offered a job to direct a film until you have something on film you can show. By that I mean, direct a short film and now you have a calling card that says to everyone, "See, here's my work. I know how to tell a story that's passionate, funny and entertaining. Hire me to direct your next feature film."

I hope this information helps. Good luck!

Phil