How To Be A Successful Director?
- Thread starter suj321
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Try to learn much about directing, editing, lighting, cinematography, writing, etc. as much as you can. Some people do this by going to film school but if many learn on their own just by trial and error, the internet, and books.
Make short films. Practice and keep at it until you can make respectable short films that you can enter at different festivals. Win some money.
Try and get a job as a director's assistant, director shadowing program, intern, etc. to get some hands on experience. After you're highly experienced at making shorts, try and make a feature full length. Spread the word about it as much as you can through festivals and advertising.
If you're lucky/talented you will get noticed. Someone will offer to work with you, small companies, or maybe even large production studios. You can get contracts with commercials, tv shows, and eventually movies.
Make short films. Practice and keep at it until you can make respectable short films that you can enter at different festivals. Win some money.
Try and get a job as a director's assistant, director shadowing program, intern, etc. to get some hands on experience. After you're highly experienced at making shorts, try and make a feature full length. Spread the word about it as much as you can through festivals and advertising.
If you're lucky/talented you will get noticed. Someone will offer to work with you, small companies, or maybe even large production studios. You can get contracts with commercials, tv shows, and eventually movies.
Welcome, suj321!
that1guyy has made excellent suggestions. You'll also find some
amazing tips/advice by reading the threads right here on indietalk.
Have you looked at many of the threads yet?
Have you directed any short films yet?
Until then, the basic steps.
Write or find a screenplay you like.
Figure out how much it will cost to make it.
Find a couple for friends willing to be the crew.
Find a few actors.
Set a shooting date.
Make the movie.
It will suck. And suck bad.
So you do it all over again.
Make one short film a month and by August you will have six, finished
short films. If the last two aren't pretty good - STOP MAKING MOVIES.
If the last two are pretty good, make six more.
that1guyy has made excellent suggestions. You'll also find some
amazing tips/advice by reading the threads right here on indietalk.
Have you looked at many of the threads yet?
Have you directed any short films yet?
Until then, the basic steps.
Write or find a screenplay you like.
Figure out how much it will cost to make it.
Find a couple for friends willing to be the crew.
Find a few actors.
Set a shooting date.
Make the movie.
It will suck. And suck bad.
So you do it all over again.
Make one short film a month and by August you will have six, finished
short films. If the last two aren't pretty good - STOP MAKING MOVIES.
If the last two are pretty good, make six more.
People don't put their own movies in theaters. A distributor does that. You
sell your movie to a distributor and they make the deals with the theater
owners.
The exception being what is called "four walling" - you rent a theater for the
night (or the weekend, or the week or the month) and show your movie. You
can rent many theaters (if you have the money) or just one. You are, essentially
acting as a distributor. You have to pay for everything in that case including all
advertising.
So have you made a short film yet? Or is directing still a dream?
sell your movie to a distributor and they make the deals with the theater
owners.
The exception being what is called "four walling" - you rent a theater for the
night (or the weekend, or the week or the month) and show your movie. You
can rent many theaters (if you have the money) or just one. You are, essentially
acting as a distributor. You have to pay for everything in that case including all
advertising.
So have you made a short film yet? Or is directing still a dream?
Going along with what Directorik said,
yeah, you need to have a distributing company put it in the theaters. If you are backed by a major production company or somebody with influence in "the business" it will be a lot easier.
Also, movie theaters can only play movies made on film, not digital (yet).
But that's for the far future. If you're just starting out just focus on gaining experience and then later, some credibility, so people won't automatically throw your proposals in the trash.
yeah, you need to have a distributing company put it in the theaters. If you are backed by a major production company or somebody with influence in "the business" it will be a lot easier.
Also, movie theaters can only play movies made on film, not digital (yet).
But that's for the far future. If you're just starting out just focus on gaining experience and then later, some credibility, so people won't automatically throw your proposals in the trash.
According to NATO (The National Association of Theatre Owners),
currently nearly 40% of theaters in the US are equipped for digital
projection.
That's pretty much it.
It is, of course, more complicated, but that's essentially how distribution
works. A distributor will buy the distribution right from you for a set fee
and then you will get a percentage of what the film makes in the theaters.
Very simplified explanation. If you're very serious about how distribution
works there are books and websites you can research.
When will you make your first one?
You get a lab to print it onto film for you. From what I've gathered, $4-500 per minute isn't unusual.
You're correct, chilipie.
At the low end $250 per minute - at the high end $500.
At the low end $250 per minute - at the high end $500.
That's for the video to film transfer.
Each print will cost between $1,500 and $2,500.
Each print will cost between $1,500 and $2,500.
Every cinema will be running predominantly digital projection within a couple of years (this is prediction rather than fact) simply because it's not commercially viable to keep using film.
Chains of cinemas often have to rush reels between local screens, because it's too expensive to purchase multiple copies. Running a cinema is not a very cost effective thing in the first place so I'm sure that something to eminently cost effective as digitial projection will catch on...
Chains of cinemas often have to rush reels between local screens, because it's too expensive to purchase multiple copies. Running a cinema is not a very cost effective thing in the first place so I'm sure that something to eminently cost effective as digitial projection will catch on...
I don't see why your prediction can't come true, Nick.
2006 - 38,415 screens - 400 digital
2007 - 38,794 screens - 5,000 digital
2009 - 39,233 screens - 16,000 digital
NATO says the 2010 numbers will be available in February.
US numbers. By 2012 AMC Theaters has said all their screens will be digital.
2006 - 38,415 screens - 400 digital
2007 - 38,794 screens - 5,000 digital
2009 - 39,233 screens - 16,000 digital
NATO says the 2010 numbers will be available in February.
US numbers. By 2012 AMC Theaters has said all their screens will be digital.
Amazon.ca has it for $1,016.98, which is quite a lot cheaper…
why is it cheap on amazon? That's like $800 off
No idea, maybe whoever told you it was $1,800 was mistaken. The US list price is $999, so I can't imagine Amazon's discounting it at all.