Directors: What are your goals?

[cameronchapman]

As a director what are your main goals? What are your main objectives?

For me (granted, I have zero experience), the most important thing is creating a good working environment. That means everyone on set is comfortable and having a good time, stress is kept to a minimum (as much as it can be), and both cast and crew trust me and my judgement (while at the same time feeling like they can make suggestions to me and that I'll seriously consider what they say).

I figure that if the working environment is good, people are going to put more effort into their work, and the end result will be a lot better. Of course, this starts in pre-production, making sure that the people you hire are going to be easy to work with. Talent is important, but I don't care how talented someone is, if they're impossible to work with, they're not worth it.

But, as I have zero experience, I'd like to know what the main goals and objectives of others are.

[Ewan]

I haven't yet done a proper short/feature with lot's of cast and crew. But when the time comes, it will be to make sure they know what they are doing, they are happy and they enjoy making the film. Also of course, to have the film do well.

[Dreadylocks]

It is important to have a good atmosphere on set, and if you can manage it, it will make things go more smoothly. But you may find yourself in a situation where you need to get things moving, don't be afraid to be a bitch in that situation.

Remember your prime directive is to make a film, not to make friends.

[NickClapper]

Originally Posted by Dreadylocks

It is important to have a good atmosphere on set, and if you can manage it, it will make things go more smoothly. But you may find yourself in a situation where you need to get things moving, don't be afraid to be a bitch in that situation.

Remember your prime directive is to make a film, not to make friends.

This is why you have a 1st AD

I just want to make a good film. I tend to get on with people well enough, we tend to have fun and I tend to go to bed exhausted.

[cameronchapman]

Originally Posted by Dreadylocks

It is important to have a good atmosphere on set, and if you can manage it, it will make things go more smoothly. But you may find yourself in a situation where you need to get things moving, don't be afraid to be a bitch in that situation.

Remember your prime directive is to make a film, not to make friends.

Oh, definitely. I'm good at being a bitch when I have to be.

But I definitely feel like there are better ways to get people to do what I want them to do, and putting on my bitch hat should be a last resort.

[rayw]

Would some of you who've had directing experience, great or small, please throw in a weighting on selection vs. management?


It seems there are two general approaches to any working relationship: manage the best people resources available and select the best people resources to manage.

In your experiences, does the final product justify working with people who are a PITA that demand your constant management - or - is it better to select perhaps not the "best " people to work with but they're a lot easier to get along with to get the film done?


I'm a very low-conflict sort of guy. No one's BS is worth it to me. I'd just as soon know that I'll have "a fine product" at the expense of having "the best product" than to just have a PITA project.
But is my exclusion of some cast & crew applicants worthy of that ideal, or should I just suck-it-up because that's how the biz rolls?
Is the industry standard so high that sort of principle is naive, thus an expendable impediment?

[NickClapper]

One of the things that I've found is there aren't that many assholes in the world. I've only worked on one production where I really didn't get on with certain crew members (I was gaffering, lol) but otherwise I've tended to find people easy to work with.

What's important is to choose the best people for the job. Remember that your primary responsibility is to produce a good film. Your job isn't to make sure everyone has fun on set and gets along and makes lifelong friends. That's great and will happen naturally, but what we see on the screens, however long down the line, is what you're working towards.

So when you're hiring heads of department, general crew, actors...etc, I'd recommend judging them on the work that they can produce. Obviously if they're complete dicks then move on, because all sorts of other problems will occur if there's a massive clash of personalities, but it's important to remember that you're hiring them for their skillsets, not their personalities.

And once you've done a couple of films and worked on a few sets you'll find that you know enough people to get crew that you've already worked with or get crew that are recommended by people you trust.

[finderskeepers]

In most goal setting methods you begin with the end in mind.
So this is for me personally (others will disagree of course)

Main Obective -> create the best film possible ( believable, funny scary, sad, dramatic thrilling whatever it's supposed to do.
Sub Goals in order of importance…
1. Have an EXCELLENT script
2. Cast excellent performers with charisma (This is tough)
3. Form a skilled crew.
4. Develop a good working atmosphere.

A good working atmosphere is important. However, A great working relationship with you crew is pointless if the actors are bad and the story is lame. This is super obvious but it's easy to lose focus and forget the main object is to tell an effective story. A good story/good performers trumps all other concerns. Those aspects are the two most difficult things when you are in the process.
Best of Luck,

[Ernest Worthing]

Having the ability to adapt to different people, situations and budget to do whatever works in order to get the shot you want.

[Banned: TaylorHanocek]

I seem to spend most of my time worrying about the budget and trying to deliver the highest quality product I can deliver while reducing costs.

I have never gotten away with just being a director. I find myself doing script modifications, storyboarding, routing the travel of the production to maximize on better locations while keeping the living expenses low, sending 500 e-mails a day trying to make various things happen while working with flakey people who "just aren't feelin' it today" because the production budget isn't enough to pay top quality production staff.

The other thing about being a director is that projects don't always get finished for various reasons: writers start suing each other over intellectual property, work for hire graphic artists and musicians filing copyright claims, the main characters understudy tries to fire the producer, the actor you have selected has decided to have gender re-assignment surgery in the middle of production... You end up with miles of unusable footage.

Then, if you do TV or any of the above you end up with NDA footage that you can't distribute publicly - which is just amazing for working on a reel and trying to seek out work. You end up with a YouTube channel full of B Roll footage....


Really, just get ready for the lawsuits. Have a thick skin. The moment you put out the creation you have worked and loved so much someone will say, "OMG does the camera guy have Parkinson's?" or "Watching the sweat drip off my balls is more entertaining."


I mean, now that I think about it why the fuck did I ever want to do this? Why would anyone? It's masochism.

[2001 Productions]

Tell the story.

[Dreadylocks]

Originally Posted by NickClapper

This is why you have a 1st AD

'Tis true.

I gotta say I got really lucky with my last short. I don't remember having any occasion to be bitchy. (Ernest, keep your mouth shut! )

[directorik]

I wonder why anyone would feel they need to put on their
“bitch hat” - ever.

A director can get a film made on time and on budget without
ever resorting to being a “bitch”. Managing people to do their
best doesn’t require aggressive, angry or bitchy behavior. Even
as a last resort.

I'll answer your question cameronchapman using almost your
exact words; my main goal as a director on set is to create a
stress free, open, environment in which talented, creative, often
moody, passionate and volatile people can help me make the
movie I want to make. My "bitch hat" stays locked in a closet
in another country during my shoots. I can't put it on even as
a last resort.

[cameronchapman]

Originally Posted by directorik

I wonder why anyone would feel they need to put on their
“bitch hat” - ever.

A director can get a film made on time and on budget without
ever resorting to being a “bitch”. Managing people to do their
best doesn’t require aggressive, angry or bitchy behavior. Even
as a last resort.

I agree with this. I'm an editor in "real life" and I've never had to be aggressive or confrontational with any of my writers (and I've had some where I'm 99% sure they were pushing me in that direction on purpose, just to see how far they could push me). I hope that I have the same experience with making films. I think that by finding the right people to work with, it's completely possible.

[Flicker Pictures]

I'm schizophrenic on this topic about directing as my goals seem to change on a daily basis, which probably isn't a good sign. But I think my current goal is just to be a helluva lot busier than I am at the moment -- or at least make it look like I am!