8 Ways to be a better Director
When you commit to being a director, it’s not like other forms of artistry. Most artists have the benefit of being singular in some ways and can insulate themselves from others (for the most part). But I learned fairly quickly that to be a good director you have to do more than just tell people what to do. You have to be a leader.
To be a leader, you have to have a strong sense of self. What is your philosophy on filmmaking? You have to know what kind of films you want to make and HOW you want to make them. It’s not just knowing what you want to tell stories about, it’s also knowing how you want people on your set to be treated, how you want them to treat each other, and how you yourself will respond to the situations that inevitably arise on set.
Admittedly, this has been an area of growth for me. I’m a self-identified introvert so I gather my energy internally by being alone (or with those closest to me). But being a director means I have to take time to invest in the people who work with me and have empathy for their own challenges and struggles.
As I’ve matured I have found a method that works for me to accomplish this. I will share part of that method here which is a series of rules that I follow. I’m calling these rules for directors but know that, these rules could really apply to leaders of any kind.
Be an advocate for the story.
Filmmaking is first and foremost about telling stories visually. That is the product we’re selling. Visual stories. And it’s a very collaborative art form. You are going to work with a lot of people who are all going to advocate for their part of the endeavor. The cinematographer will advocate for the image, the producer will advocate for the budget, the actors will advocate for the performance, etc. None of those elements is necessarily more or less important than the other. So how do you weigh the competing interests and values of each? Start with the story. Inevitably you will have to fight for the elements that are most important to the story. For example, you might want to hire a certain actor for a part in the film whose rate is outside the budget. The Producer will likely present a collection of other actors to you within the budget. You will have to make the case to her as to why this particular actor is critical for the role. If you make that case successfully, she may then tell you that you need to make compromises elsewhere to make room for that actor. If you know the story well enough, knowing how and when to make such compromises will be much clearer to you and will allow you to communicate to your team why those compromises should be made.
Be brave.
It’s important to have your own voice as a Director and sometimes that requires a willingness to buck the trends. This isn’t always easy because everyone, especially in the beginning of your career, will question your aesthetic choices. They will want you to lean on the experience of others or repeat something that someone else did. “Don’t shoot it like that. Let me tell you how to shoot it. I’ve been doing this longer than you.” Or “Here’s how this other Director did it. Do it like that.” But that can be a formula for boredom because now you’re just repeating what someone else did. Don’t be boring. Be brave. Use your own voice to tell stories.
Be collaborative and listen.
That isn’t to say you shouldn’t listen to people. When someone tells you you’re wrong or that the way you’re doing things is going to mess up the project, don’t ignore them. Listen to what they have to say. Remember, this is a collaborative art form and it’s important to invite others into that process and let them have a say in the project. They might be right. You might be wrong. So consider what they have to say because it might make the project better. I realize this sounds like a contradiction to point 2 but it’s not. Consider what your team has to offer. Then, go back to the story and consider whether their way is going to make the story better and go from there.
Have a plan and a backup plan…and don’t be afraid to throw both away.
Part of what can help you make these critical decisions is having a plan. Go through the script, develop your shotlist, map out the blocking ahead of time, etc. Coming to set prepared will do wonders for you and help save time. People will see that you’ve given the story ample consideration and you know exactly what you want. That will engender trust. At the same time, know that you might have a plan that’s dependent on a certain location being available to you or the weather being bright and sunny. If you lose that location or if it starts to rain, what do you do? Sometimes you can afford to move the production to shoot a different scene and go back when you have what you want. But often times you can’t. So have a backup plan already in your mind. If it’s not sunny, shoot the scene indoors. If you can’t get the location you want, have a secondary location in mind. If you can’t get any of that, be prepared to wing it and come up with something on the spot. Lean on your team for help when those things happen. Communicate to them that you’re trying to accomplish “x” but the elements you needed aren’t there. See if they have a solution. They might surprise you and they’ll respect you for being flexible.Never yell at people.
When things don’t go according to plan, keep your cool. Working on a movie is stressful. There’s never enough money, never enough time, and there’s a great deal of pressure on everyone to succeed. People are going to perform better, though, when the leader of that set is calm and isn’t yelling at them. Partly, this is just about good professional behavior. Treating people with respect should be the norm. There’s certainly the trope of the Hollywood Director who loses their cool and treats people like crap. I like to think that this is maybe the Director’s misguided attempt to show their passion for the project. But there’s a difference between communicating emphatically and passionately versus just being a straight up jerk who demeans your crew. For me, I try to maintain composure in all situations to maintain the right tone on set. That tone is “we’re here to make something great.” You don’t have to be happy or giddy in every interaction. But treat people with respect. If you need to communicate over distance, use a walkie-talkie or get a bullhorn. Try to remember people’s names. Give people on your set an example to follow and a life vest to hold on to in the stormy sea of filmmaking. Make them feel that they can come to you with anything. Show them what respect looks like and they’ll give it back to you. Remain calm - especially when they present you with problems. If needed (and sometimes it is needed), there’s no shame in stepping away to calm your nerves. Make an excuse to do so, compose yourself, and then return, with a calm mind, ready to problem solve. If you can do this, people will respect you and follow you to the end of the earth.
Resolve differences in private
Now, sometimes there are people who will land on your cast or crew who are just difficult to work with. Let’s be honest - it happens. But do not resolve differences or address problems with those people in front of others. Pull them aside or into another space if you need to. Even if the conversation starts in public, if you can sense it turning sour, do your best to move the conversation into a private space. The minute the rest of the crew detects that you have a difference with someone on set, people start to make assumptions, spread gossip, and take sides. It’s not healthy for the production. So make sure that if you need to resolve a difference with someone that you do it where others can’t see or hear it. And if you think the rest of the crew believes you’re not getting along with someone, make a public show of the two of you getting along. Laugh at a joke they say - even if you think it’s corny (as long as it’s appropriate) - or give them a fist bump. Once the crew sees this, they’ll move on.
Be empathetic.
Part of resolving differences in being empathetic to people’s needs and wants. You do this for the characters in your story, so you should do it for the people you work with as well. That’s not to say you should give people everything they want. But it helps to understand what they want so that when you communicate with them, you can show you understand them. This is especially helpful in conflict resolution. If you know someone is concerned about budget, you can speak their language when talking about story. For example, you can talk about making the story better by spending less. They’ll see that you want to collaborate with them - not dictate to them.
Be decisive.
This is one of the most important things you can do to engender trust on set. If people see that you’re unsure of a decision, unable to delegate, and unable to make a move in general, they won’t trust you as a Director. And why should they? The Director’s job is to lead. How can you trust a leader who doesn’t know what direction to go in? So make a decision and own it. Trust your instincts. Know the story. If you don’t know what direction to go in, ask for help. But don’t freeze or second guess yourself. Be decisive.
I hope this list is helpful for you as you move forward either as a Director or as a leader in your field. Write me and let me know if you think I should add anything to this list or if you disagree with something I’ve written. I’d love to hear from you and learn from your experience.
