Photo: QUAD Education
In October I was invited to Derby QUAD, as a guest speaker for BFI Film Academy students. I was asked to talk about my filmmaking journey - from my earliest days, watching videos repeatedly on my parents' VCR, to my BFI funded short film (and beyond). Having watched my short film 'Rushed', we then discussed my creative process, my influences and responsibilities on set as a Director. Many of the questions revolved around what does a Director ACTUALLY do?
The truth is, it's different for everyone and varies on each individual project, but I believe the director's key role is to shepherd the creative process, from concept to finished film. Much of my work is done in pre-production, having discussions with Heads of Department, creating mood-boards, playlists and storyboards to communicate my vision and working on the script. Also, in the casting process, choosing the right actors for the right parts, leading rehearsals and helping them understand the character and how they fit into this world we're creating.
On set, my main job is to keep that creative process on-track, giving cast and crew adjustments to make sure we don't veer off completely, whilst also understanding that the film is alive and we mustn't suffocate it.
In post-production, my job is to work with the team, to sculpt that raw material into something finished (and hopefully polished). Guiding and giving adjustments just as I did on set. All the while I have to field questions and take notes from our funders or producers, making sure they're content without losing sight of my original intentions.
As I said before, this process differs from director to director, from project to project. The way I communicate my ideas and give adjustments will be different to how someone else achieves the same ends. It also changes depending on whether I have written the script myself or am working with a writer and frankly, how much time and money we have to complete the project.
Each film is a learning experience and mistakes made on the last project inform how I work on the next one. And of course it takes an army (or at least a small quad when we're talking about shorts) to make a film and without a skilled and talented team it doesn't matter how fanciful my ideas are, they're the ones that have to bring those ideas to reality. What does a director do? Well, quite a lot actually but also when things are working at their best not very much at all!
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