Ok guys, lets here the inside truth from you.
Generally there are two types of directors. You're either a Geek or a Luvvie.
Are you a Geek? If you're are then, you'll most likely be totally caught up in the technowonder of film-making. You'll love the camera, the lights, the special effects etc. You won't be so keen on working with the actors, but do it because you have to. You'll be a little guy hiding away behind a monitor, baseball cap on stereo headphones in. And you probably would have spent weeks or months in pre planning to the last pixel/grain the technicalities of each shot and scene.
On the opposite end of the spectrum... Are you a Luvvie? If you are then you'll be bowled over by any sort of on screen emotion. You love actors to death and will want to spend every minute of each shoot with them. You'll let the camera team do there job, and stay away. Normally they'll be from a fine art or theatre background, ignore serious technical problems and restrictions and think that they're movie is a theatre in the rounds.

So come on guys, be honest. And whilst you're at it, explain a bit about how you like to work as a director!

Radical!

i really think i am more in the middle, but if i had to choose, i'd say luvvie, just cuz i dont know much about thje technical aspects

After I finish my photography thing (school that is), I want to go into film. I don't have enough experience to know yet, but I know as a photographer I am dead centre. But, photography is something that can neither be good without the technical side, nor without the creative/emotional side... did I put to many negatives in there? Anyway, I think I'm just very picky with what I want. I see it in my head, and it's got to be right. I expect I'll be the same as a film maker

No middle ground? ;).

I'm going to say I'm a bit of a geek. I love actors, I really do, but I love the camera more, and what the camera can do. I also love post-production, so I'm constantly thinking on set what could work where in relation to blocking the actors to the camera rather than the camera to the actors. I'm a big fan of S16mm and tend to gravitate to the camera. But hey, like I said, I love actors, and I love working with them... I just have geeky tendancies ;)

Difficult this one.

Probably more luvie than geek. However, saying that, I'm obsessive about the technical uses of composition and shot choices.

However, I probably fall into a third unmentioned category - arthouse academic.

The thing that really drives me as a director is my academic understanding of the relationship between the semantics of the camera and the deconstruction of the narative. This is combined with my backround as a philosopher, which means that my stories tend to explore moral issues.

Where I fail as a geek, is that I'm only interested in what the equipment will do, not how it does it.

The thing that really drives me as a director is my academic understanding of the relationship between the semantics of the camera and the deconstruction of the narative.

heheheeeee... Excellent. But that's just film-making... doesn't really need an academic understanding... does it? But I think I'm going to make that my epitaph!

What's your latest project clive by the way? Last time I heard you were in Post for your last film. Going well?

Getting back on track. I think the important thing is always forming a narrative. I love emotive cameras and cinematic motion within a scene. What I feel is important is sitting down and working out compositions that make sense in terms of the scene and setting.

I'm a Geek that wants to do Luvvie films.

Poke

Wooohoooo! yea, that's the way :D

Luvvie means porn, right?

Poke

nope... sorry poke. wrong dictionary :(

Okay, so does Geek at least mean Handsome?

Poke

Now you're talkin!

I went with "geek".

Far more comfortable with the mechanics... which, incidentally, is why I am taking acting classes at the moment. I figure I'll be able to draw more from an actor, if I understand more about the actors' process. :shock:

What's your latest project clive by the way? Last time I heard you were in Post for your last film. Going well?

We are about a week away from having the first rough cut on "No Place" finished. I recorded the VO's of the Mother's letters home today. I'm really pleased with how the film is looking, so is the producer.

On top of that I've just completed a production manager job on a nine camera shoot for a big anti-terrorist exercise and I'm in pre-production on a series of corporate jobs in Latin America.

I'm working on two feature scripts at the moment, both of which are optioned, one of which I'm hoping will go into production by the autumn.


But that's just film-making... doesn't really need an academic understanding

You're right, it doesn't need to be academic, I just am, not that anyone watching one of my films would know that. I'm not interested in making academic films, I just have that approach to the process. I really do believe that the philosophy of film making is as important as the process.

Corporate Jobs in Latin America? Good gig!

I'm both. Sorry to ruin your theory of two types of filmmakers. I love great acting AND great cinematography, special effects, etc. I'm pretty hands on and like to be a part of the whole project. It's all very important and that depends on which movie and stuff..so both.

I personally am obsesed with operating the camera, editing the film and Directing it. I really like to get out in the middle of the action and be sure things are captured to my like. I also only use 1 camera.... I never use a "B" or "C" Camera. I always operate this way on my own scripts.

I also LOVE to work woth Actors... I love ALL aspect of Filmmaking. Im not a geek, and yet Im not Luvvie... Im both put together. I guess thats the mark of a great Director?

However, when Im hired by a Producer to direct a script from someone else, I'll do as the Producer requests... If he wants me to sit behind a monitor yelling action and cut, I will. but, I really like operating the camera along woth the mix.

Luvvie
If I trust my dp, I tend to say "do your thing and I'll double check it before we roll" and jump in with the actors. I like to improvise and let the actors get into whatever the scene is. I have high respect for actors because I find it very difficult to get up there on camera.
I am concered about the actors and getting the best performance possible out of them. If that means taking the camera off of the tripod and running with them instead of the steady shot I had planned for, so be it.

full on luvvie here
Please help me find my inner geek - at least the part that's good at math and technology!
Catalina

i admit it - i am weeper. it got really bad a coupla yrs back with star wars episode 1, when qui gon jin got killed - then i knew i had a problem.........

More Luvvie than Geek. I like working the emotional/acting side of the scene. As for technical considerations--I pay attention to them, but only just enough to make sure the scene is watchable. You probably won't notice it (my luvvie status) much in our first movie, but hopefully it will come out more strongly in our upcoming projects.

I think the nature of animation (what i like to do) forces me to be a 'geek', but I'm a 'Luvvie' at heart.:D