» Posts Tagged ‘directing’
Rian Johnson is one of the more fascinating filmmakers to listen to not only because he is a film geek and loves movies, but because he took a very traditional and then non-traditional path to success. After attending film school at the University of Southern California, he spent most of his 20s floating around Hollywood until he finally made his first feature, Brick. His third feature, Looper, is now in theaters, but last year he sat down with MakingOf to talk about screenwriting and directing, and some of the ways he approaches his work. Below is another interview with Johnson and his long-time friend and leading man Joseph Gordon-Levitt. More »
This article is a continuation of the series “Visual Anatomy of a Scene”. See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. This post will conclude the series about the “One Click Away” project. I’ll discuss some creative visual illusions that we created “in camera” for the project. Although techniques involving green screen compositing are often the best solution to creating visual effects, I like to consider “in camera” effects whenever possible because they usually feel more organic and real. More »
This article is a continuation of the series “Anatomy of a Scene.” See Part 1 and Part 2. In this post, I’ll discuss the use of some non-traditional lighting sources that we used for the “One Click Away” project. These low light level sources would require a very light sensitive camera. First, I’ll discuss our choice of camera (Sony PMW-F3) overall. More »
This article is a continuation of the series “Anatomy of a Scene.” See Part 1. The purpose of this series is to help emerging filmmakers improve their craft by sharing techniques (how something was done) as well as presenting the creative rationale behind the choices (the “why”). I’m not presenting my work as a model of artistic perfection and I don’t expect readers to agree with all of my choices. My intention is to analyze a sample of work to encourage other filmmakers to explore their own creative process of interpreting a project visually. More »
Making a low-budget independent film is hard - there are budgetary limitations, crunched schedules, and the inevitable last-minute change of plans. It’s no surprise then that some traits might make you better at handling these conditions and constraints. Are you the kind of director who will halt production if the right extra isn’t on set? Or someone unwilling to be a jack-of-all-trades over the course of a film’s production cycle? Can you offer creative alternatives at the drop of a hat? Independent film producer Mynette Louie outlines what she believes to be the 12 key traits that make for “indie-friendly” directors, in what ends up being a revealing and challenging list for all filmmakers: More »
This is the first article in a series written for filmmakers specifically interested in learning more about the craft filmmaking from a visual perspective. In this series, I will “dissect” scenes from some of my more interesting projects as a Director of Photography and discuss the visual aspects of creating these scenes from both an aesthetic and technical perspective. I think that it is equally important to explore the creative thought process (the “why”) as well as the nuts and bolts (the “how to”). I’ll start by profiling a recent project called “One Click Away.” This was an ambitious and visually challenging project with a modest budget. More »
This is a guest post by DP and filmmaker Randolph Sellars.
I’ve read several interviews with Hollywood directors who, when asked about directing actors, responded with something like “casting is 90% of the job.” While I agree that casting is extremely important and certainly makes the director’s job easier, I must quibble with their percentage estimate. This 90% claim is either a cop-out answer or these directors aren’t fully doing their jobs. Even the best actors still need skillful guidance with their roles. We’ve all seen great actors deliver bad performances occasionally. In most of these cases, it’s not entirely the actor’s fault. Much of the blame can be assigned to bad writing, sub par directing – or both. More »
This is a guest post by indie filmmaker Jason Sokoloff.
Everyone wants to write and direct, but the reality is it doesn’t happen immediately. Coming out of NYU’s Graduate Film Program, I was surrounded by talented filmmakers, but, while you’re writing scripts and trying to do what you love, you have student loans to repay, rent that’s due, and health insurance would be nice. Quite simply put, you need a job – preferably with benefits. In order to pay my bills and still be active in the film community, I found my niche working as a production manager and line producer. I cannot express how important it is to work on a film set and what better way to continue growing as a filmmaker than by helping others produce and make their own films. More »
This is a guest post by DP and filmmaker Randolph Sellars.
One of the fundamental tools for an actor is their “objective.” This is a specific way of working with character “motivation.” Discovering a character’s objective begins with asking the question “what does this character really want or need during a particular scene?” This is not to be confused with what the character says in the dialogue. We are looking for the “subtext” or unspoken desires of a character that can be channeled into specific behavior. More »
This is a guest post by DP and filmmaker Randolph Sellars.
In my last article, I discussed the reasons for directors to take an acting class. In this article, I’ll share practical directing tips and give you my second piece of directing advice. It sounds a bit like Buddhist Philosophy: You can become a much better director if you learn how to let go of your “illusion of control.” This is easier said than done. “Letting go” requires a conscious shift in perspective and lots of practice. It’s human nature (and especially a director’s nature) to want to be “in control.” It’s common for directors to desire and seek total control over their artistic vision. But having “control” is a myth. More »
This is the sixth in a series of guest posts by filmmaker Raafi Rivero.
In past articles in this series, I’ve focused on techniques for directing with the assumption that you’d be working with full crew and support. But in the day of the DSLR sometimes even the word “crew” is a euphemism. You’re going out there like a samurai. These are some tips to make sure you come back with what you need. This will be more technical and less aesthetic than some of my other pieces here. More »
This is a guest post by DP and filmmaker Randolph Sellars.
I’ll be talking about working with experienced actors and feeling a little uncomfortable or inadequate as a director. The lack of confidence when directing actors is an embarrassing secret many directors share that’s not often discussed. More »
David Cronenberg on Directing: 'Get Good Actors and Let Them Be Good'
That quote may seem trite, but the more directors you talk to, the more you hear this sentiment echoed. Doug Liman recently said something to the extent of, “most directing is saying, ‘faster.’” And while I had a chance to ask director David Cronenberg a few questions a decade ago at the Telluride Film Festival, that was so long ago that I don’t remember any specific quotes. However, here are AFI and DP/30 with interviews with Cronenberg, whose latest is A Dangerous Method: More »
Given I just closed down comments on a post about camera technology, I felt the need to post something about movies — writing, directing, anything other than cameras! I don’t think anyone would deny that Drive was one of the year’s most distinctive films, and so here’s a video interview with director Nicolas Winding Refn that was just posted by DP/30: More »
This is a guest post by cinematographer Angelo Lorenzo.
So there we were: my production partner rented some of our gear for a music video and roped both of us in to camera operate. The crew was made up mostly of film students still in, or just recently out of, an expedited 6 month film program. The director had bailed the night before principal photography and had left our DP in charge. Throughout the course of the two day shoot we watched the production slowly implode; not because these guys lacked knowledge or enthusiasm, but because they hadn’t gained the experience to “turn the ship around” when a production starts sinking into turmoil. With this recent experience in mind, I wanted to share some advice to novice filmmakers to help their days on set go as smoothly as humanly possible. If you’re battle worn then let this serve as a gut check when shooting lean. More »
Watch the Best Directors of the Year Talk About Movies for an Hour
The Hollywood Reporter sits down with many of the leading candidates for this year’s Best Director award (take your pick of the particular awards show). Here’s the lineup: Alexander Payne (The Descendants), Mike Mills (Beginners), Steve McQueen (Shame), Jason Reitman (Young Adult), Bennett Miller (Moneyball) and Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist). There are a lot of terrific moments here: More »
This is the fifth in a series of guest posts by filmmaker Raafi Rivero.
Several of you have reached out via comments, email, and twitter about continuing the Director’s Chair series and I’m glad for all the feedback. One of the most-requested ideas was to do a post on working with non-actors. I’ll start with an old saying that comes from our sister profession, photography: The camera looks both ways. More »
This is the fourth in a series of guest posts by filmmaker Raafi Rivero.
I often hear directors say stuff like, “he was good in the audition, but I don’t know what happened.” How do you tell a buddy that his actor sucked? Half the time you sit there thinking, “well, did you direct him?” How do you get a woman who was so good in the audition to just relax and be who she was before? The sad news is that if you “don’t know what happened” I can tell you: you weren’t a good enough director that day. These are the bad times. The slightly better news is that it happens to all of us at some point. And hopefully you learn from it. More »
This is the third in a series of guest posts by filmmaker Raafi Rivero.
“Going again!” There are a million reasons why you do another take on a shot: bad camera move, bad sound, flubbed line, etc. But there are pitfalls to shooting too many takes just as there are shooting too few. Sometimes you go again without giving actors feedback (this is bad). Sometimes you don’t go again and walk away with a sub-par performance (this is worse). Let’s talk about the realities of shooting multiple takes on set. More »
This is the second in a series of guest posts by filmmaker Raafi Rivero.
“What’s my motivation?” This clichéd line that you hear from people making fun of actors has obfuscated its utility. In film school a professor of mine referred to every beat in the script as an action. There are physical actions (he picks up a sword) and verbal actions (“My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die”). Each action in a good script has a significance. In rehearsal and in prepping your actors, be sure to go over scenes beat-by-beat, if necessary, to make sure everyone understands the scene. Why a character does one thing and not another: their (yes) motivation is what will inform how the actor internalizes the action. More »
DIO: Marketing cost a lot Hollywood Betting Big on Massive Studio Expansions
mariano: I believe nobody from the "outside" ever gets a real insight into what stu… Hollywood Betting Big on Massive Studio Expansions
Hypoesis: Industrial robots such as these http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5cp7LVKRh… Hollywood Betting Big on Massive Studio Expansions
guto novo: . I challenge anyone to find a more beautifully paced film than Ordet. +1 Here's a Compilation of Movies That Can Help Teach You the Craft of Filmma…
Abersouth: I can only chuckle at Ozu as a master craftsman in all things cinema. The… Here's a Compilation of Movies That Can Help Teach You the Craft of Filmma…