Why are directors such a big deal?

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  • Why are directors such a big deal?

    The writer comes up with the story, the characters, the subtext, the understructure of the entire script.

    And the cinematogrpaher composes the shots and advises the director on how to shoot the scene, among other things.

    So why are directors such a big deal?

  • #2
    Re: Why are directors such a big deal?

    IMHO the directors are the ones responsible for seeing that the writer's vision and their vision of the material springs from the page to life...

    Speaking as someone who directed his own plays on a collegiate level I can say that when I directed my own stuff it wasnt nearly as effective as when fresh eyes who were JUST AS PASSIONATE came in w/ a new approach...

    I was too close to the material to view it comepletely objectively... When you divorce yourself from characterization and all the understructure you originally came up with you're left w/ new understructure and deeper characterization... It's a very difficult concept for writers to understand but in the end I think it works...

    Filmmaking is the most collaborative art form there is...

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    • #3
      Re: Why are directors such a big deal?

      John Carpenter had this to say on the subject... "As a director, I am the author of my movies. I know that's not a popular view with the writers, but I'm sorry. If the writer thinks he's an auteur, then let him thread up his screenplay in a projector and we'll take a look at it."

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      • #4
        Re: Why are directors such a big deal?

        Originally posted by boski
        Orchestrating and coordinating a crew of dozens, sometimes even hundreds, of production people and services over a period of roughly two years (?) to produce a final cut of a film is something of a herculean task by comparison IMHO.

        Directors are like showrunners, from what I understand. Artists & project managers with the skills, drive, and energy to oversee a huge project like film production successfully through to the end.
        Bos, i think you've either mistaken, or forgotten, that there is a 1st Assistant Director to oversee the entire crew personnel... not the director himself.

        This is coming from somebody with a crewing background... not Hollywood mind you but i've been around. (that sounds bad.)

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        • #5
          Re: Why are directors such a big deal?

          Honestly, we don't really do much. On the film I shot, I was mostly eating leftover catering from the floor.

          I remember yelling a few drunken obsenities in between "Move the camera. There. There!" to a kid with binoculars at the beach and I urinated on one of the crew by mistake.

          Somehow we cut the film together (or someone did). I occasionally find tapes of extra footage in my house, mostly of the Producers pulling me out of the bathroom while I'm mooning the sink and screaming, "Why the hell don't you flush like the toilet?!"

          So yeah. That's a good question.
          Last edited by amandag; 04-25-2006, 10:19 PM.
          https://actbreakdown.com

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          • #6
            Re: Why are directors such a big deal?

            The writer creates the skeleton of the film and the director fleshes it out. Or gets drunk and moons the sink.

            I didn't have as much appreciation for the role of director until I recently ended up serving as something of a de facto assistant director for a stage play. When characters, settings, actions, and dialogue move from the page to 3-dimensional (or 2-dimensional) reality, they become more than the words that represent them and it's up to the director to make sure your excellent script translates into an excellent production.

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            • #7
              Re: Why are directors such a big deal?

              Just like actors must interpret the material and find the their character, the director must do the same but with every aspect of a films dimension.

              Regardless of how many departments are working on a film a good director that understands the world he intends to make will have input in nearly all creative matters. He must make sure that everyone is on the same page and when the train jumps the track he puts it back on course again.

              He takes a story, well though out idea and transforms it into a cohesive reality brimming with possibilities.

              Take three directors that you like and hand them the same script, you'll end up with three very different films. That is why directors are important.

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              • #8
                Re: Why are directors such a big deal?

                The best written script is still a vague outline for a story. I think a good comparison is the gulf between logline and script. The same gap exists between script and film.

                A psychiatrist struggles to help his young patient who suffers from a bizarre affliction - he sees dead people.

                There is a million possible ways this logline could be interpreted and developed into a script. Once the script is finished, there will be a million possible ways it could be interpreted and developed into a film.

                Just as it takes a good writer to realize the full potential of the logline in a script, a good director is needed to realize the full potential of a script in a film.

                Fortune favors the bold - Virgil

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                • #9
                  Re: Why are directors such a big deal?

                  Because they are better than you, thats why. nanhananahnah

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                  • #10
                    Re: Why are directors such a big deal?

                    There are directors who elevate the script to an entirely knew level - finding drama where it did not exist on the page. Some actors can do the same thing. These are the actors and directors you should aspire to work with.

                    There are also directors and actors who deliver precisely what's on the page without finding anything else. These craftsman paint by numbers and you should avoid them. Unless you want your script to be less than it could be with the aid of another artist.
                    http://confoundedfilms.com

                    http://www.myspace.com/confoundedfilms

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                    • #11
                      Re: Why are directors such a big deal?

                      I'd still rather see a great script poorly directed than a bad script wonderfully directed.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Why are directors such a big deal?

                        Go see a high school production of Romeo and Juliet.
                        Fortune favors the bold - Virgil

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                        • #13
                          Re: Why are directors such a big deal?

                          Originally posted by Deus Ex Machine
                          Go see a high school production of Romeo and Juliet.


                          ZINGER!!!

                          What a great point.

                          Seriously, good direction is amazing.

                          I write TV commercials for a living. I've written many over the years, and worked with many LA directors that either have done features or went off to do features.
                          The good ones bring something new to the table on our projects.

                          Whether it's compositionally showing it through an "eye" that we hadn't considered, or bringing out a particular performance that plays against type. Etc. There could be a hundred ways that a good director can elevate your work.

                          As stated before...unfortunately, there are also many directors who just shoot the obvious and you end up wondering...why am I paying him?

                          Santino

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                          • #14
                            Re: Why are directors such a big deal?

                            Originally posted by troglodyte
                            The writer comes up with the story, the characters, the subtext, the understructure of the entire script.

                            And the cinematogrpaher composes the shots and advises the director on how to shoot the scene, among other things.

                            So why are directors such a big deal?
                            Go work on any local film/video project in any capaicty you can. Be a gofer, a boom mic operator, a clapboard holder, assistant waterboy, whatever. See how a film is made. Then you will understand.
                            We're making a movie here, not a film! - Kit Ramsey

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                            • #15
                              Re: Why are directors such a big deal?

                              The cinematographer only composes the shots for crappy directors. Since every angle, movement, framing and edit (juxtoposition) makes the audience feel something different, a good director uses cinema to turn our words into emotional images. Add to this that the director interfaces with the actors and every other creative person on the team and you have a director-driven medium.

                              Problems arise when directors think they are not working on a team, but are the star. This sort of ego issue is usually found in the most insecure directors... insecure because they don't really know what they are doing. So the first thing the do is exclude the writer (who usually has some idea what is going on with the story). And you end up with all of the crappy films in post-autuer theory American cinema.

                              The best directors are team players who try to find the most emotional, interesting and exciting way to tell the story. As a writer, I *wish* I could find a great director to work with. They would translate what I write and challenge me to improve what I have already written.

                              The most important thing for anyone on a film is to be that team player - it's all about the movie, not individual achievement.

                              - Bill
                              Free Script Tips:
                              http://www.scriptsecrets.net

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