Who here wants to go from Screenwriting to Directing

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  • #31
    Re: Who here wants to go from Screenwriting to Directing

    Yeah, I'd love to direct. Already did a few Adventure Show promos. One shoot - got thrown off a jetski and managed to rescue the cameraman before he and - more importantly - the camera drowned going down 50,000 cfs of Class III flying by. Then come winter - the same guy tried to decapitate me in a kiteboard flyby. Typical day - "Um Dan (the star), don't you want to be roped in when you're up that high on the cliff? Cuz, like, who's gunna host the show if you die in this shot?" Yeah, it was TGR/LVM on a dime-budget.

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    • #32
      Re: Who here wants to go from Screenwriting to Directing

      Originally posted by Bobby Dazzler
      Not the least bit interested.

      See so many "auteurs" running around down here.

      Many can direct.

      Few can write.
      Agreed. But the ones that can, whoo boy, can they ever. Coen Brothers, Tarantino, and Rian Johnson are some of my favorite people making movies right now.

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      • #33
        Re: Who here wants to go from Screenwriting to Directing

        Originally posted by sc111 View Post
        My hat's off to those who direct. The only thing somewhat close to directing I've done is for my advertising clients with budgets too small to hire a director for TV spots. When I realized how many hours it takes to get 30 seconds of usable film it sort of soured me on the idea of directing.
        I haven't done a commercial yet, but yes the ammount of footage you need for a 30 second commercial is mind numbing. Next time anyone is watching a commercial, or a trailer for a movie, count how many different cuts they are doing. Each one is a setup.

        A friend of mine DP's on a lot of commercials and the budgets are well into the multiple hundered of thousands of dollars. With that kind of money, I could easily film a feature. But instead they spend it on a soda ad.
        Never let the competition know what you're thinking... and never tell the unseen masses your story idea.

        -- Rule 85, Ferengi Rules of Acquisition (updated by cmmora)

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        • #34
          Re: Who here wants to go from Screenwriting to Directing

          Originally posted by cmmora View Post
          I haven't done a commercial yet, but yes the ammount of footage you need for a 30 second commercial is mind numbing. Next time anyone is watching a commercial, or a trailer for a movie, count how many different cuts they are doing. Each one is a setup.

          A friend of mine DP's on a lot of commercials and the budgets are well into the multiple hundered of thousands of dollars. With that kind of money, I could easily film a feature. But instead they spend it on a soda ad.
          It all depends what you're doing, too. I mean, for the budget of John Carter, the Coen Brothers could've made 15-20 movies. Instead, it all went to a movie that is seemingly going to flop big time.

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          • #35
            Re: Who here wants to go from Screenwriting to Directing

            Originally posted by JoJo View Post
            I rather be a writer-producer than a writer-director.
            I think we all want to direct - we do it when we're writing don't we? We see the shots in our mind's eye, the way dialogue is delivered, the creative control.

            Having said that, I'd be happiest as a writer-producer. Where the prodcuer aspect is very hands on and with a strong creative streak (aka: Don Simpson).
            M.A.G.A.

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            • #36
              Re: Who here wants to go from Screenwriting to Directing

              Originally posted by ATB View Post

              Originally Posted by Bobby Dazzler
              Not the least bit interested.

              See so many "auteurs" running around down here.

              Many can direct.

              Few can write.

              Yet directors are valued much more than writers. Probably why many writers try to transition to the director's chair.
              Maybe many can't direct.

              I think writing a bad screenplay is just as easy as directing a bad movie.

              I will tell you this. Writing is easier in the sense that you can leave people to imagine the best of how your story may work. Directing gives you no such luxury, you either have shown that story the best it can be or you haven't.

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              • #37
                Re: Who here wants to go from Screenwriting to Directing

                Originally posted by JoJo View Post
                I rather be a writer-producer than a writer-director.
                This! When I started writing, I thought I wanted to be a writer/director, I wanted to make all the creative decisions. After a few years I've realized that there are a lot of other talented people out there and making a great film is a collaborative process. A lot of great scripts have turned into mediocre films because contrarian views were never considered.

                Now, in a dream scenario, I'd want to be a writer/producer. Still maintain some creative control over the story and who to hire, but then 95% of the time just trust the other talented professionals to get the job done, but still hold on to that 5% to make sure the ship stays on course.

                In short, I'd be happy talking up the project all day, creating it in meetings, really get into the pre-production and post-production aspects ... but on the set, directing? I know there are other people who could do a better job.
                Last edited by Ven; 07-15-2012, 03:01 PM.

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                • #38
                  Re: Who here wants to go from Screenwriting to Directing

                  Originally posted by Ven View Post



                  In short, I'd be happy talking up the project all day, creating it in meetings, really get into the pre-production and post-production aspects ... but on the set, directing? .
                  You mean you want to direct but you just don't want to do the part of directing that requires you to direct on set?

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                  • #39
                    Re: Who here wants to go from Screenwriting to Directing

                    Originally posted by Incognito View Post
                    You mean you want to direct but you just don't want to do the part of directing that requires you to direct on set?
                    No I don't think that's the case. In pre-production I'd like to have a strong voice, and hire a director that I feel comfortable with, who sees the story in more or less the same light as me. I'd like to be one of the handful of people involved in the big pre-production meetings. I'd like to have a say in the process, and often nod my head in agreement with other really creative people when they have better ideas, and/or we reach a consensus, but also retain the right to speak up, if I feel like the ideas are starting to really go off the rails, or in the event that I have some great creative ideas, too.

                    I'm really influenced by my favorite movie, The Empire Strikes Back. That was George Lucas's story, he chose the writers, and he even wrote the 2nd draft of the screenplay. He hired Irvin Kershner, who was an odd but ultimately wonderful choice as director. And he hired Lawrence Kasdan to take his script and make it better. He was the master, so to speak, of all the pre-production meetings. When someone had an idea, he would say "yeah, that's brilliant" or "no we need something better". And yet, in the end, when production began, he passed it off to Kershner, and the film was so much better for that reason. IMO he could guide the creation of a great story, but he couldn't direct very well, he couldn't get the best shots, he wasn't great with fleshing out characters, or getting the most out of his actors, or writing dialogue, or any number of things.

                    Empire was the one film of his that had the most input from others. And yet he was always in charge, he always had that veto, if needed, but for the most part he deferred to the creative talents of a few other people, and it turned out the best in the end, IMO. And that's an example I always remember.

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                    • #40
                      Re: Who here wants to go from Screenwriting to Directing

                      Originally posted by Bobby Dazzler

                      Many can direct.

                      I don't think so

                      "Artificial Intelligence will never match the efficiency of Natural Stupidity"

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                      • #41
                        Re: Who here wants to go from Screenwriting to Directing

                        I've always written, ever since I can remember, but I've never considered directing before -- until recently. Out of interest I've been looking into film schools, and directing courses. Just wondering, is this a necessity? (In your opinions)

                        I quite like the idea of attempting to film/direct a few of my (as-yet-unwritten) smaller, less ambitious, scripts...

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                        • #42
                          Re: Who here wants to go from Screenwriting to Directing

                          My advice is to direct a few shorts. See how it goes.

                          I've never, ever considered directing. Ever. Not even when I was shooting short films in college.* Not even when one of my professors (of a class in which we shot short films on Super-8) told me he was going to keep an eye out for me because he thought I had a serious knack for directing and was sure he'd see my name in the credits of some movie in a few years.

                          But I'm dumb.

                          * ETA: These were for mandatory classes.

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                          • #43
                            Re: Who here wants to go from Screenwriting to Directing

                            Oh God, never. It's such a hassle. And you have to talk with all those actors.

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                            • #44
                              Re: Who here wants to go from Screenwriting to Directing

                              Writing all the way baby.

                              -- maybe with small cameos - gotta love those writers that get a one-liner in their movies/tv shows.
                              www.JustinSloanAuthor.com

                              http://www.CreativeWritingCareer.com
                              http://www.MilitaryVeteransinCreativeCareers.com

                              Twitter: @JustinMSloan

                              Want a free book?

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                              • #45
                                Re: Who here wants to go from Screenwriting to Directing

                                I still can't understand why so many here on the boards have no interest in directing.

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