A film Director is a storyteller. Everybody working on a film, from cast to crew, are there to facilitate and help to tell one story. The Director’s story. The Director’s main job is to look after the story and ensure that the story is told properly. What is important to understand as a Director, however, is that each and every department is vitally important, they are all cogs in the machine of filmmaking and if one isn’t performing properly it will affect the whole machine. A Director must know how each department works and should work closely with all of the HOD’s (heads of departments) to ensure his/her vision is being communicated properly and everyone is working towards the same end goal. The Director is one of the first people to join a project and is one of the last people to finish with the project, whilst other crew may come on at the start of production and leave at the end of production the Director begins work at the very start of pre-production and sees the project through to the end of post-production. Below is a break down of what a Director does throughout the three main stages of a project; Pre-Production, Production, and Post-Production.
Pre-Production
During pre-production, the Director will usually work closely with the writer to further develop the script. It is very rare for a script to be locked right at the beginning of pre-production, a lot of work goes into developing the script to ensure it’s the best it can be by the time production begins.
The Director is heavily involved in the casting process. A Casting Director will bring a number of actors audition tapes to the Director is he/she isn’t able to attend auditions. The Director and Casting Director will work together closely to ensure the right actors are cast in the film. A Producer is usually involved in this process also, however, the final decision rests with the Director.
The Director and Producer will work together to assemble the crew for the film. They usually will bring on people in the HOD roles such as the Director of Photography, Location Manager and the Production Designer. These HODs usually fill their department with their own crew who they work with from project to project.
Once all of the HODs are in place the Director will work closely with each of them ensuring they all buy into his/her vision for the film. This leads to decisions on locations, colour palettes, the ‘look’ of the film, shot lists, storyboards, etc. This should be a collaborative experience between the Director and his/her HODs as each HOD is an expert in their particular field, the Director should explain his/her vision and then see what his/her HODs come up with and then together refine those ideas.
Once the actors are cast it is invaluable for a Director to have rehearsal time. On smaller budget productions this is a luxury you can’t afford but even a day working with your actors before the beginning of production can be the difference between getting the performances you are seeking and the film falling flat.
Pre-production is a vital period in filmmaking, if utilised correctly it can set you up for a very successful and (slightly) less stressful production period. Most people have heard the term ‘fix it in post’, and anyone who works in post-production will tell you that is a very dangerous way to make a film. The better option is to fix it in prep, use pre-production to identify potential issues and problems you might face and make contingencies for these potential issues. This can be as simple as ensuring you, as the Director, have a complete and well thought out shot list or ensuring your gaffer was at the recce at a certain location so they know what equipment will be needed to light a particular location.
Production
Once all of the prep has been done in pre-production it is time for the shoot. Production for the Director is usually the most stressful yet enjoyable part of the filmmaking process, this is where you want to be, working on set with your cast and crew. Your Assistant Director will have worked on the schedule during pre-production and now they are your most trusted and pivotal crew member on set. The relationship between a Director and their Assistant Director is key, your AD runs the set, they know everything that is going on, they ensure you are on schedule, they take care of everything so that you as the Director can concentrate on working with your actors or DP (Director of Photography). Having a strong relationship with your AD is vital, you need to understand how each other work. Every Director works in a different way to another and they will expect different things from their AD and it is vital this is communicated in pre-production. For example, some Directors want full control of what is happening in a scene and in the frame and therefore want to direct the background action (extras/supporting artists) themselves, however other Directors will concentrate on the main cast and want their AD to organise the background action for them.
For me, the most important people on set are the actors, they are the heart and soul of the film and without them, you wouldn’t have a film. Keeping this in mind, the most important part of a Director’s job on set is working with the actors. If you trust your technical crew you should be able to spend the bulk of your time working with your actors and trust that your DP is ensuring the set is lit properly, the camera positions are set and that your AD is ensuring everything is on schedule and when you arrive on set for the scene everything is ready barring some final tweaks that you ask for.
Once the Director and actors are on set the Director will usually block the scene with the actors. Blocking is an essential part of the process, it allows the Director and actors to work in the space and figure out where the actors should be in the scene, whether they move from one position to another or stay in a static part of the set. Blocking is usually observed by the DP, Gaffer and the AD. This allows them to see what is happening in the scene and if anything has changed since their initial plans for the scene, the DP will be thinking about camera positions and if they need to add any shots or if they can combine shots to cover the action. The Gaffer will be studying the blocking session so they can solidify their lighting setups and see if anything needs tweaking. These ideas will usually be discussed with the Director once blocking is complete.
Once tweaks have been made to lighting and camera, the Director will run a rehearsal with the actors and iron out any last-minute issues with performance. Sometimes the rehearsals will be private and only the Director and actors will be present and other times everyone who needs to be on set will be there for the rehearsals. Once this is out of the way the Director will be ready to go for a take. The Director will usually take their place at the video village and watch the take on the monitor and once they ‘cut’ the Director will either come in and tweak the performance with the actors or if he/she is happy with the performance will check that the camera and sound departments are happy and move on to the next set up.
This process repeats itself over and over again throughout filming until weeks/months later you are ready to wrap after shooting everything. During production a Director must think on their feet a lot, filmmaking is all about problem-solving, new issues will arise every day that you didn’t plan for and it is the Director’s job to lead the crew through these problems. As problems arise, a Director should be in constant conversation with their HODs about how to tackle the problems and how to move forward. A Director must be the leader on set, handle pressure well whilst keeping their vision for the film at the front of their mind to ensure they are telling the story they intend to.
Post-Production
Post-production is where the film comes together as a whole. The majority of the crew have left the project by this point, the key crew at this stage of the production are the Editor, Composer, Sound Designer, Sound Mixers, Colourist and of course the Director. The Director will work closely with the Editor during the editing process ensuring that their vision comes through in the edit and that the story they intended is being told. As with working with any other department thought, the Editor is a specialist in his/her field and bring their own expertise to the film and this should be a collaborative process between Director and Editor.
Once the edit is locked the Director will work with the Composer and the rest of the post-production sound department to create the music and sound for the film. Once all of the separate components of the sound are complete the film will be mixed. The Director and Producer will probably be present at the final mixing session along with the film’s composer. Once the film is mastered the Director’s job is done, apart from the promotional duties they will have to fulfill leading up to the film’s release.
A Director is the main driving force behind a film, they should be a strong leader, collaborative, appreciative to their crew and above all, a storyteller. A Director is involved in every part of the filmmaking process and as such is the most scrutinised person on a film, they burden the majority of the responsibility if a film is good or not. Due to this, they are the possibly the most celebrated artists in the film industry, possibly second only to actors.