Director's Tips

I visited the Motion Picture Association of America web site today. That association is responsible for rating movies shown to the public.  According to the website the movie ratings is a way for the film industry to self-regulate the rating system. It is an agreement between the films, movie theaters and productions to more freely express what the movie is about without censorship while also giving a guideline to whether individuals of a certain age should watch it. You can learn more about it by visiting their website.

On the website there is a section that talks about a public awareness camping they did in New York to get people to stop watching bootlegged DVDs. In some of the ads they show an iconic movie as it would be shown on a bootlegged DVD with bad picture quality, audiences noises and peoples heads in the way. At the end of the commercial there would be a screen that looks similar to the movie rating but it says something like Ripped Off, Stupid Purchase or something of that nature created just for this camping.  The article says that in addition to the TV ads there are print ads placed on bus stops, movie theaters and taxis to name a few. With increased use of the Internet for these purposes as well the film industry does have a serious concern with gaining illegal access to films.

            I am not really sure if this awareness camping helped or hurt the situation. It may have persuaded those who get illegal movie copies to stop but it may have also introduced some to the world of bootlegged movies. However, I think this campaign is one way to approach this problem facing the film industry. In addition to the MPAA there are other associations and companies trying to find ways to alleviate this problem. 

I saw a speech with writer, director and producer J.J. Abrams about his show lost on Ted.com. He was taking about his mystery box that he bought as a kid. This mystery box is a metaphor for him of mystery in stories the basis for television and movies. He says that withholding information from the audience is much more compelling and goes on to use Jaws and The Graduate as examples. I think this is very true when creating a story. It helps make it entertaining for the audience. As with mystery in life the fear of the unknown can be very surprising.

This speech inspires me to try to be even more creative with the things I create and to look for in stories. Abrams uses a box he bought for 15 dollars almost as his form of inspiration. I think some of the things he creates is also used as inspiration  for others.

I watched another speech on Ted.com, in a section called best of the web, it is not specify related to directing but I think it is one to help everyone’s self confidence in believing in them selves and others because in order to make anything a success you need to believe in it. The speaker’s name is Viktor Frankl. He begins by bringing up an example of a destination for a pilot which is directly east of the pilot but he then says that there is a cross wind so in order to compensate for that you have to head slightly north of your destination. Frankl applies this to people as well by saying that if you see them as they are they will be less than what they could be and if you look at them more than what they are they will perform to their potential. This inspires me to be self-confident in the things I do and who I am. This idea applies to everyone not just directors and aspiring filmmakers.

You can see their speeches here:

I went to here a presentation by Avid specifically, the editor Christopher Nelson talking about editing on AVID Media Composer. Chris has edited shows such as Six Feet Under, Lost and most recently Mad Men (click here to see his work).  During the presentation he was talking about some of the scenes he has done for the show Lost. Someone asked how as a director would it be best to communicate an idea of a scene to an editor. In response Nelson said to start with the emotion you are trying to covey out of the scene you are cutting. If that doesn’t work than get more technical in describing what exactly you want. I think in the film postproduction business that could be considered execution because the editor is executing that part of postproduction.

            In most projects the director discusses the editing with the editor. Some editors may transcribe the dialogue and order out the scene based on how the words are in a scene as a guide while some may find an out of the box way to cut a scene. In film decisions are made more with instincts and what feels right rather than protocol. Execution could happen many different ways in this case. I think good editors are this way because their main goal is to express emotion of the characters in the scene the best way they can. Editing is a good example of how planning plays an important but not always used role. When planning a scene in a movie or a show it could change so many times or be cut out entirely.  They usually do this to help the story or cut it down for time. That could be applied to other areas of work. You could plan down to every little minute detail but if it doesn’t work you do not use it or you start over again. In conclusion editing can apply to both planning and execution.

During the process of making a film a director cannot make a film by them selves usually it is always a collaborative effort. The story is created by the writer then interpreted by the director and turned into a film by the entire team. A team is important with in the film industry because there would be no film without it. Part of the team includes those who fund the project as well. You have probably heard of projects that have fallen through or have been delayed because of funding. Financially speaking it is very important that you have investors on your tame.

            If you ever did want to put together an independent project of your own, which isn’t really independent, you would need to put your team together once you have your script and funding in hand you would want to ask around to the people you know in the film area. Start by getting the head positions in every department then see if they know people to fill the positions below them. You don’t need every position filled in pre-production some positions are strictly during production however it is good to have that person identified before hand to help things move smoother.

            As a producer or the driving force behind the project you would need to communicate with your team. Depending on which person or position in the team determines your method of communication. With financial backers and investors you would want to communicate through phone calls, emails, and meetings. You would also want to keep them updated on the process of the project so that they have an idea where their investment is going. As a director, communicating with the crew in all three stages of production is a little different. During pre-production they have a lot of meetings to plan things and send things back and forth through e-mail. During production it is usually about guiding the actor and talking to other departments about the project. There may be some meetings during this time however. During post-production the communication mainly consists of the editors, director and producer.

            Like stated previously, a team is very important when it comes to making a film in some ways that is the only way a film gets made. Putting together a good team and maintaining good communication definitely helps make a production a success.

In the process of film making the writer originally writes the story, the director re-writes it by deciding the visual details of the story and giving life to the characters, but the editor puts it together to make it flow and in a way is the final re-write of the story. The way a film is edited in some cases can make or break the film. The Director should have an understanding of editing to better help get their vision across in the editing room.

There is a website that is called “The Joy of Film Editing.” There are several parts of the website that you can use to your advantage. The blog section has information and experience from independent editors through news, posts and comments. Some of the posts are about the influence of certain movies in editing.  The next section is recourses which have plenty of links to help answer a wide variety of editing questions you might have some things include technical things like DVD authoring. The cut of the month section is interesting because it takes a part of a movie, tells you the type of cut, definition and description. It changes every month so there are many to look at. Under the free tab there are forms and charts available to you to use or help you learn more about editing. The Film-glossary section is self-explanatory and has a lot of good terms you may or may not know. The books section has a few books they recommend and the buzz section has reviews on the books to see if you really want to invest in those books.

For those who don’t know much about editing but would like to know more, would be a good place to start. For those who know a great deal about editing this would also be a great website to check out because you can learn about other people’s projects and things they may have done. Check it out.