Taking a chance on directing something

[Michele Coser]

Yesterday i was with my friend for shooting a short he's directing.  It is something with youngsters and post-school changes; but the point is that we were talking about the fact that there are various shorts/works to do.  He probably can't handle all of them, so he said me that if i wont, i can take a couple of them and fully work on it (direct, shoot, edit them...).

To be honest... i don't like this idea.   He has already directed a number of shorts, some only with friends as actors, some for coo-operative companies, and a feature lenght (but is not finished for various reason) with middle known actors.  Plus various other things.

Well, i don't like directing. I don't see myself as a director, i see myself as an operator. But, at the same time i don't feel (and sure i don't call myseld) a pro operator: i mean; until a month ago i only used consumer cameras, and i got only few chanches to take my hands on prosumer camera.  I have an XL2 from two weeks, it has a lot of features that i still forgot to tweak something when i use it. 
I was thinking that working toghether (when shooting) can help him concentrating on directing actors, leaving me the camera work (and eventually the DP work - i'm nowhere near a DP, just tryng to do the better shot).

Should i accept the full work on those shorts?  I consider myself inexperienced.  I have only half-directed the shorts with down-syndrome people.     He was talking about money; each work should provide a certain amount of money to him; if he'd have to pay me for camera work, i can gain 1/6 of the total amount. In that way (me doing the full work) i can gain the full amount (i hope i explained well)

Yes, i have in mind some stories wont to shoot; we are trying to get the how it works shooting run-and-gun things those days; but that's my own project, which i might direct, but that's my project; not other's project...

[Brad Jefferson]

Michele,

Tough question to answer.  Here's my take with a long-winded response (which may not be the answer you are looking for):

Directing is not for everyone.  You may have already answered your own question based on your previous message.

If a client is paying you to direct a short, then you probably need to know what you are doing.  Time is money:  You might end up taking a lot longer, not getting the quality that is needed, and the video product may not be what the client wants/likes, because of your inexperience as a director.

If everyone involved is working for free and the people involved are inexperienced actors (friends, family) and there is an inexperienced videographer, and you are basically doing this for fun, or any other factors like this, then go for it and direct --- and have fun.

But, if there are people involved who are paid actors (even partially), videographer, audio person, and other crew, then you really want to know as much about directing as you can before seriously venturing into this.

You said that you eventually see yourself doing some directing (next year or a couple of years from now).  If the video short is not that complex, and you can risk taking longer time with the actors, crews, etc., then go ahead and try it out.  The experience would be great for you to learn from.  Your friend knows that you are not totally comfortable with directing, but that you will try something small and will hopefully help him out.  Ask him for advice to help you stay/keep on track.

Some guidance:  be as prepared as you can possibly be.  Know what work needs to be done each day (or hour).  But, delegate it to your crew.  Be detail oriented and plan, plan, plan.  Make sure the talent (actors) know their lines, but be as kind as you can be, and be sincere.  You don't want to piss off anyone, although that may undoubtedly happen.  You are probably a nice guy, but as a director you need to fulfill the client's vision (if you have a true client; which may be yourself or your friend).  Don't worry about multiple takes.  The talent and crew are looking for you to give them direction.  Don't work them to death.  Make sure you take breaks, as needed.  Look confident, calm, and sure, even though your nerves will be running amok.

A fun way I think of Directing is:  You are in a convoy of cars going from point A to point B.  You are not driving, but are telling multiple drivers (actors) to turn left, stop, turn right, etc.  Along the way, you might need better tires, a change in oil, etc.  Tell your crew (who are along for the ride) what the road conditions are and have them be prepared to change the vehicle, as needed.  The map in your hands tells you something about point B (the vision).  Relaying that map and directions to your drivers is your goal. (Hey, you control the traffic.  This is your world that they are driving in.)  Sometimes, the driver knows a little bit about where to go, so don't constantly bug them if they are basically doing okay in getting you to point B.  Remember, you don't want your drivers to panic and forget the directions you gave them.  When you get to point B, you'll know that things are right if the cars are not too damaged or falling apart, the drivers are not frazzled out, and you still have not gone totally bald.  (Note:  If you want some practice, have your girlfriend or wife or a good friend drive your car with you in the passenger side.  Now, give them directions to go some place.  You can begin to gauge how much to direct them and when to lay off.  You are the backseat driver.)

A lot of the time, not having enough experience is the cause for someone's nervousness and reluctance.  The more you direct, the more comfortable you should get.  Take small steps.  Watch your friend when he directs and pick up on some of the techniques/methods/approaches he uses to work with the actors and crew.  See how his directing results in the client's vision becoming real.

By directing just a small portion of the video, you may find that directing is not that bad.  With more experience, you might end up directing more of those short videos and being really happy that you had a part in making the video.

Or, you may find out that directing is not for you and that you really want to focus on DP.

Best wishes.
Brad

[Michele Coser]

Well, one of the main factor is that we don't have really a crew.  He has made a number of shorts by himself alone, working on the script, shooting/directing and finally editing.

Things are now changing because i got an XL2, so we finally have at least the "quality look".  Previously both we worked with single chip consumer cameras.  Poor video quality (that was the major things that bother to me)
In fact, in those days we're shooting two shorts.    In particular, the one we start shooting yesterday night, went out well.  He admitted that it was way more easy than the previous time, having me doing the camera work; so this might be the way we tray to keep now. 

Plus, the fact is that those shorts happens those months (we have to do 4 shorts until middle year).