Becoming a film director is a dream job for many people. If you're ready and willing to put in the time, have a creative vision and a great ability to make something from the ground up, becoming a film director might be the job for you. Just remember that these jobs are highly competitive and may take years or even decades to achieve the goal. However, if this is your dream, go for it!
Step
Part 1 of 3: Starting a Career
Step 1. Watch the film critically
You've probably seen a lot of films that attracted you to become a director, but you can start using the movie-viewing experience as a way to learn about filmmaking. Watch as many movies as you can and pay attention to the details.
- Try to count at least 15 mistakes in every movie you watch. Look for acting, editing, storyline mistakes, etc.
- Develop awareness of storytelling while watching movies. Try watching it silently and watch how the story in the film develops with the pictures. Alternatively, you can also listen to dialogue, soundtrack, and other sounds in a film to see how the story develops based on the words of the characters.
Step 2. Start making a short film
To become a director, you have to start right away and take all the necessary steps. Buy a camera if you don't have one. While a quality camera will help you produce better films, start with whatever camera is available.
- Write your own script or work with a friend who is a writer.
- Gather friends for the weekend and collect scenes to make a short film. Over time, you can put individual scenes together with a program like Adobe Premiere.
- Making short films will force you to start learning the technical aspects of directing. You have to know how to edit, write, and do everything else. Making short films will give you the opportunity to try out different roles and develop a different set of abilities.
Step 3. Learn to act
The best way to learn to direct an actor is to accumulate acting experience, either in your own films or in group plays. Learn more about acting and do it yourself so you can appreciate the actors you work with and make it easier to communicate with them.
Try to learn all about actors. For example, you can learn about different acting strategies or techniques, such as method and classical acting
Step 4. Read other people's manuscripts
While you may start by writing your own script, you may have to deal with other people's scripts later on. Reading a script that someone else has written is a great way to bring a story to life. When you're reading someone else's script, try to think through the details of how you're going to shoot each scene.
For example, if two people are arguing in a scene, how would you position them? Which camera angle will you use? What type of lighting do you prefer? What sounds will be in the background?
Step 5. Consider attending film school
While this isn't strictly necessary, film school is good for three things: developing experience, accessing crews, and building networks. Many directors never attended film school, but many more became students. You will have access to internships, training and, most importantly, new names, names and names. If you have a project, you can be helped with the crew and build a network by helping others.
Although highly competitive, NYU, USC, University of California at Los Angeles, AFI (Los Angeles), and California Institute of the Arts are some of the top film schools. Several well-known directors have attended these schools, such as Spike Lee, Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone, Ron Howard, George Lucas, John Singleton, Amy Heckerling, David Lynch, Terrence Malick, Francis Ford Coppola, and John Lasseter
Step 6. Work as part of a production crew
Being a director is not an instant thing. Most of them started out as assistants, camera operators, or took on other roles as part of the production crew. No job is too small for aspiring directors. Whether it's filling out files, making sure the actors have a snack, or keeping an eye on camera gear at night, it's all the right move.
- If you're studying at a film school, look for an internship. If not, check out the Craigslist site and find creative people in your area and offer to help them. If you are trusted and friendly, people will always want to work with you again in the future. Besides, your work will get bigger and better every time.
- Production companies are more likely to give someone with five years of experience as a production assistant a chance than a film school graduate who is still green. Try to find a production assistant job or other entry-level production crew job and do your best.
Step 7. Start creating a social network
In short, you cannot become a director without acquaintances. This is the most important thing to have. This means, this industry is very easy to beat if you have the entry point. In order to get it, you must immediately build a social network. The more people you know, the more opportunities you will get.
Take part in events in the film industry, such as meetings, conventions, parties, premieres, etc. Introduce yourself to people and try to develop a good relationship with them. Offer to help on future projects or invite others to work together
Part 2 of 3: Getting a Job
Step 1. Find other projects
On the path to film directorship, you'll need to develop a resume with other types of directing work, such as directing music videos, TV shows, and commercials. The pay you receive may not be much, but all of these jobs will help fill a curriculum vitae with directing experience.
Some of these jobs may pay well and you'll love them, so don't immediately turn down an offer to direct an ad just because it's not the same as a longer feature film
Step 2. Create more sophisticated short films
Making short films with friends in the industry is the fastest way to develop a work history. Team up with new friends and others who are also still trying to break into the film industry. Sometimes, you will have to prepare your own budget, but this is a necessary step for success.
Step 3. Submit your short films to the festival
If there's a self-made film that you're very proud of, submit it to a film festival. The best part is that you can take part in film festivals anywhere. There may be several film festivals in your state or region that you can participate in.
- Sundance receives 12,000 entries every year, so the festival is very competitive. You may be able to start with smaller festivals and work your way up. Just make sure you meet the deadline and the format requirements!
- Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs was discovered at the Sundance Film Festival and Steven Spielberg stumbled upon a film called Paranormal Activity at a festival.
Step 4. Create a portfolio
A portfolio is a list of all the projects you've directed, so make sure it's eye-catching. Models must also provide a portfolio of modeling activities, actors must prepare facial photographs and curriculum vitae, and directors must register their portfolios. This portfolio should include information about his education, professional experience, and films. This is what you will need:
- Information about educational experiences
- Curriculum vitae of participants showing their experience from start to date
- Contact information
- A short film that also demonstrates editing, writing, animation and cinematography skills
- List of film festivals participated in and awards received
- Various experiences: music videos, commercials, short animated films, TV shows, etc.
- Storyboards and scenes showing the process
Step 5. Practice social skills
Even after becoming a director, it doesn't mean you become the ruler. You have to work with a lot of different people, and sometimes fights are unavoidable. As a director, it's your responsibility to keep everyone happy. Start practicing social skills from an early age so that you are ready to deal with various problems and personalities in the future.
Keep in mind that you may have to deal with some frustrating situations. Imagine a producer calling you and telling you he doesn't like a scene shot at 5 am in a remote location and perfectly prepared. Or, your actress may change some of her words to deepen her character and you lose money. You'll spend the night rewriting the script to make sure something can be filmed tomorrow in the studio
Part 3 of 3: Raising a Career
Step 1. Find an agent
Once your portfolio is good enough, there may be an agent who wants to represent you. Agents can negotiate contracts and help you determine what is and isn't good for you. However, never pay money in advance to hire the services of an agent. Agents can only earn money if you earn from their work.
A big part of an agent's job is negotiating gross points. This term refers to the percentage you earn from a film's revenue. If the movie you're in is only making $100, that's fine. However, if the next film gets $1 billion, it's a big deal
Step 2. Try not to despair if you are not recognized
Be prepared to be disowned and always blamed. If a film is successful, the director is rarely considered the main reason. However, if the film fails in the market, the director is always to blame. If the film is bad, you're going to have a hard time getting another parallel job any time soon. Even if a film you direct is a success, you may not be as famous as the actors.
Although you may be resilient, sometimes, an average director is not considered a great film visionary (even though he is). People value actors more and regard them as the most important figures in a film. So, in public, you will not be appreciated; so does your crew. If a film is bad, the producers will blame you. If actors aren't happy about how their hair looks, they'll blame you too. This is a cycle you have to tolerate as you grow as a director
Step 3. Be part of the director's guild
After landing a few directorial jobs, you can become a member of the Director's Guild of America (DAG) (if you live in the US). By becoming a DAG member, you are guaranteed a salary of $160,000 (approximately IDR 2 billion) for 10 weeks.
In most cases, you have to be employed by the company in order to earn a salary. Or, you suddenly become famous. The initial joining fee is a few thousand dollars (several tens of millions) and you also have to pay some other minimum obligations. This cost will be worth it, especially if the projects you get are not constant
Step 4. Enjoy your amazing work
Once you hit your target, make sure you enjoy and appreciate your work. Sometimes, you will be stressed, but at the same time, this work will feel satisfying. You'll also always be doing something different depending on the stage of the film you're directing.
- In preproduction, you have to translate the script into a film, into something visual. You also have to determine all the logistics needs, the cast, and other things. This is the most important.
- During production, you have to do everything everyone imagines a director's job to do. You have to tell the actors what you want from them and how you want the scene to unfold. However, you are also being chased by a deadline to produce a spectacular piece of work. The process will be chaotic but also fun.
- In post-production, you'll sit down with the editing team and put all the scenes together. Make sure you develop a good relationship with the editors so you can share your views. At this stage, you also have to determine the music and all the other important elements to bring the film together.
Tips
- Aim by centered on visual elements and spend as much time as needed on short films. Try to make feature-length films only when you're completely ready.
- Build relationships with cinematographers, producers, production managers and production designers. Without them, you are nothing.
- Try something simple for your first film.
- Here is a recommended reading: Directing Actors: Creating Memorable Performances for Film and Television by Judith Weston (in English).
- If you really want to be a film director, remember that you have to put in the effort for a long time and the jobs in the film industry that you get every once in a while may not make a lot of money. So you have to learn how to live frugally while continuing to work towards your goals. Set a budget for yourself and stick to it.
Warning
- Be friendly to everyone. The film industry is smaller than you think and there's a lot of gossip in it.
- This career is very difficult to live and may only be successful when you enter your mid-30s. However, keep chasing your dream. If you really want it, you will succeed.
