What A Director Does On Set: Crew Breakdown

INTRODUCTION

In this series I go behind the scenes and look at some of the different crew positions on movie sets and what each of these jobs entails.

If ever there’s one crew position that everyone has heard of it is the director. They are the person to whom the entire creation of a film is accredited to. You may know a bunch of famous ones, but do you know what their day to day job actually entails? 

In this Crew Breakdown video I’ll go over the role of the director, break down what they do, what their average day on set looks like and some tips from some of the best directors out there.

ROLE

Unlike some of the other crew positions that I’ve previously gone over that are more technical, the director’s role is largely a conceptual one.

As the name suggests, they are responsible for ‘directing’ how the overall film is made by taking a script, visualising it and creating an overarching cinematic tone for the project. In doing so they guide the actors and the various crew heads of departments to realise the vision which they have.

Unlike most other crew members, who fulfil a particular niche in the film production process, directors are present throughout the entire making of the film - from pre production to post production and usually even after it has been completed - from distribution to promotion. As such they are responsible for a great many duties along the way and require a diverse skill set. Like with other big picture management positions, there isn’t a definite list of duties or ways of going about things. 

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates had very different ways of doing things but both produced tech products - which were different, yet reflective of their individual philosophies.

A director’s level of involvement in these various duties will change from case to case, and usually includes - but is not limited to: casting actors, deciding on locations, production design and costumes, forming a visual style for how the film will be shot and edited, communicating and delegating that vision for crew members to execute, and overseeing the post production process - including the edit, colour grade, sound mix, selection of music and any visual effects. 

Directors also need to be cognisant of the budget of the project and visualise and craft a film which takes that into account. 

Some directors like to write their own screenplays, but this isn’t a prerequisite. Many others prefer directing scripts which are written by screenwriters.

The process of visualising a screenplay requires directors to make technical decisions to sculpt the visual language or vocabulary which ends up on screen. 

“There are certain tools that you use and those tools become part of a vocabulary. That’s just as valid as the vocabulary that is used in literature…There was an intelligence, enough kind of intelligence, that was trying to tell a story through where the director, the writer, the cinematographer, where they were focusing your eyes.” - Martin Scorsese

AVERAGE DAY ON SET

Usually in these videos I start with how a crew begins their day on set. However in the case of the director their involvement in the projects happens long before this moment. Unless they are a ‘hired gun’ -  employed to direct a project with the screenplay and many of the elements already in place - directors usually have to create their own work to some extent. 

For example, in the world of commercials, directors will receive a brief from a creative agency which the client has picked. They will then use that brief to come up with a treatment or vision of how they imagine the commercial and then pitch that in order to win the job. 

There are many ways a feature film can be made - but in most cases it will require the director to pitch their vision at some stage, whether for funding or studio approval. Unless it’s a totally self funded independent film, which is rare.

Once funding has been won and pre production begins, a director will start the process of casting actors, deciding on shooting locations and outlining their creative vision - through storyboards, a shot list or just conversations with key crew members.

Once everything is in place principal photography will begin. 

A director’s day may start early by viewing some of the rushes (or dailies) - raw footage from the previous day of shooting. This informs future creative decisions which they must make, is a way of checking that they are on the right path and helps them to determine if they need to make any changes or do any reshoots.

Rushes could also be viewed at other times - when shooting on a digital camera - such as at night after the day's shooting, at lunch or at the end of a week.

Director's will arrive on set with a pre-planned schedule for the day detailing the scenes and shots that need to be covered. On arrival they’ll be presented with art direction-related decisions which need to be made such as confirming the costume of the on screen talent, adding or removing props or production design items from the set and sometimes commenting on the makeup required. 

Most of this would usually have been dealt with in pre-production but sometimes these choices are narrowed down or finessed on the day of shooting.

The actors will arrive on set and do a blocking with the director. This is where they quickly run through the scene, determine how they will move in the space and their actions. The director will work with them here, giving their feedback or direction for how they see it playing out. The actors will leave the set and the director will then collaborate with the cinematographer and other crew members to decide on how best to cover the scene.

Some directors may be very technical and specific here and others less so.

Once the lights, camera and everything else has been set up, the actors will return to the set and do a take. Some directors like to call action themselves but more often than not that’s left up to the 1st AD.

In between takes the director will give feedback in an attempt to get the shot as perfectly as they can in the way in which they imagine it. It’s their job to know what they are looking for and to find it. They will sculpt a bunch of elements like they’re molding clay, making subtle changes to things like the performances, the camera movement, framing, or the blocking, until everything comes together to their liking.

Once they’ve got a take they are happy with, they will then move onto a new shot or scene and repeat the process.

TIPS

“It’s really hard to make a movie. It's like a two or three year process. You’re really married to it. I call these films my children...This is what I’ll leave behind. This is what my name is on...I put a lot of time, a lot of focus into it. So why do that for something that you don’t care about?” - Ava DuVernay

Unlike other crew who bounce around between projects with a greater frequency - directors are in it for the long haul. So pick the projects that you want to work on carefully - especially for directors who work in long form. 

As I mentioned, there are many different styles of working. But having a broad skillset as a director is usually helpful. The more that you understand about the process - from casting down to the sound mix - the more you will be able to shape each facet of the process into the tone that you imagine.

The director’s job is all about making decisions. On set they may be faced with hundreds of little choices that need to be made every day. Cultivating the ability to quickly analyse a situation and make a firm decision is a crucial skill for anyone entering this position.

When making subjective decisions in the creative space there’s never one right answer. So perhaps the best approach is to make those choices by bringing yourself and your own background into the equation. 

“Some of this movie comes from me, sure. But I’m never going to be able to make a movie that doesn’t. You know, even if I’m making a movie about the turn of the century I think it’s always going to be personal. It’s just in the ‘details stuff’.When I grew up in the valley I was really embarrassed for the longest time. That’s where I lived and that’s where I grew up. Cause I knew I wanted to make movies. I looked back to my favourite directors and said ‘Ok, there’s Howard Hawks and, boy, he served in the war and there’s Ernst Lubitsch and who escaped Germany...But I didn’t have s---- to bring. I’m from the f------- valley. And I was really embarrassed about that for a long time until one day I just woke up and said I guess that’s what I have to make movies about.” -  Paul Thomas Anderson

While telling stories from your own point of view is valuable, it’s equally as important to use each scene and every creative decision to serve the thematic ideas in the story that you want to unpack. 

Ask yourself why certain scenes are in the script and try to translate that why to the screen.

“Films are experiential and emotional. We all know that with storytelling in narrative fiction we can’t be married to factual accuracy. It’s all about what best serves the story. And so, I really started thinking about, you know, why I had all of these meal scenes. Aside from the fact that it's realistic. But what does that mean? What does it mean to this experience? How did it make me feel while I was there?” - Lulu Wang

CONCLUSION

Every director is different. Some rehearse. Some don’t. Some prepare everything. Some improvise. Some edit or shoot themselves. Some delegate and collaborate. Some are more technical. Some focus more on performance. 

There is no general advice that can be given in this regard. Directors need to find their own voice and then use that as a guide in determining a way of working which is best for them.

After all, these different voices, visions and working styles are what makes film the artistically diverse medium that we all enjoy.