Marshallneilan1920-125x69With The Artist up for an Oscar this weekend, I found this little item to be apropos.  If we were to travel 100 years back we'd be avidly reading articles like the following interview with silent film director Marshall Neilan - "How To be a Motion Picture Director."  There's a lot we can learn from watching silent films in terms of pure visual story telling, but it's not often you hear advice about the business side.  Mr. Neilan delivers in a big way, showing that as much as things change, some things stay the same:


A couple of choice quotes:

Q.  What are the essential qualifications of a director?

A. The ability to convince producers that you are a better director than your pictures show you to be.

Q. How can this be done?

A. Easily. It is being done every day. Read a book on self-confidence and salesmanship.

Check out the full interview:

Marshall-neilan-how-to-be-a-motion-picture-director

Do you think you could hack it in early Hollywood?

Link: Spectacular Attractions - How To Be A Motion Picture Director

[via Go Into The Story]