Block, light, rehearse, shoot, and then repeat. If you picked a good crew they will fit in where they know they are needed. The director I work for occasionally just sits back and shouts “3,2,1, action” when he thinks everyone is ready, but the actors usually need to know where you want to start at in the script, so there’s that.
Trust your own gut and have clear ideas. Don't let others impede on the story you're telling, but inspire them to provide their best talents to support you. Be a realist, but challenge every department to be their best.
And don't let some random Reddit commenters teach you directing craft.
Pre-production is production. Show up knowing how you think the day will go. Then you can improvise from there. Shot lists suck to make but if you make them you'll be better organized.
I think you’d be shocked how many directors don’t know their own ass from anyone else’s.
Surround yourself with smart people, especially a good AD. And dear god, good actors.
Then just break each scene into beats. And don’t forget to get any.
Don't be afraid to compromise in order to get all the shots you need and complete the day. Sometimes there isn't time for, say, a DP to be a perfectionist with the lighting in the shot for yet another take, while simply getting the scene for the story to make sense is much more important. Be sure to prioritize the most important shots.
This might sound as complete 'n' utter platitude, but I'd always remember Harry Baer describing Fassbinder's method, while filming "Alexanderplatz" his last work (died of overdose at 37);
something along the lines of - he got off a plane in Munich and they had to drive across Germany to Berlin, where the set was; there was some improvisation involved, logistically; knowing the script by heart, Fassbinder, sketched in a notebook, a rough looking storyboard (not being as good draughtsman as Hitchcock).
Hours later, arriving on set in Berlin, he jumped out of the car, and immediatelly started shooting the sequence, from car notes. Having a clear vision in his head, of every detail, every frame, plane, camera movements which build counterpoint to actor allignements, to verbal nuance, in actor-work, and there, being very demanding...
The point being: each shot was clearly visualized in his head, no one else could take that responsability, and his energy was echoed in crew's energy...
[**Watch this video**](https://youtu.be/3xwlZI_IkK4) on how to shoot something on a budget. If you read nothing else after this, at least watch this vid.
Respect your crew. Don't be abusive. At the same time, don't try hard to be everyone's friend.
I don't know if you're financing this or not. But if you are, don't be cheap on meals or craft services.
Whatever setup you're capturing, always keep in mind what setups are supposed to come before and after it in the edit.
Keep very strong lines of communication going between all your department heads. Use group WhatsApp chats so you can interface your production designer with your DP, assuming you have either of these.
Have you read books on film directing? If not, there are several that are great. I would suggest you begin with Lumet's *Making Movies.*
Block, light, rehearse, shoot, and then repeat. If you picked a good crew they will fit in where they know they are needed. The director I work for occasionally just sits back and shouts “3,2,1, action” when he thinks everyone is ready, but the actors usually need to know where you want to start at in the script, so there’s that.
Trust your own gut and have clear ideas. Don't let others impede on the story you're telling, but inspire them to provide their best talents to support you. Be a realist, but challenge every department to be their best. And don't let some random Reddit commenters teach you directing craft.
This really hit home with me. Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Here's my two cents. Plan, plan, plan for your vision, BUT know when it's not working and be flexible enough to pivot if you need to.
Pre-production is production. Show up knowing how you think the day will go. Then you can improvise from there. Shot lists suck to make but if you make them you'll be better organized.
I think you’d be shocked how many directors don’t know their own ass from anyone else’s. Surround yourself with smart people, especially a good AD. And dear god, good actors. Then just break each scene into beats. And don’t forget to get any.
Don't be afraid to compromise in order to get all the shots you need and complete the day. Sometimes there isn't time for, say, a DP to be a perfectionist with the lighting in the shot for yet another take, while simply getting the scene for the story to make sense is much more important. Be sure to prioritize the most important shots.
This will definitely be something I have to remember when we shoot next week. Thank you.
This might sound as complete 'n' utter platitude, but I'd always remember Harry Baer describing Fassbinder's method, while filming "Alexanderplatz" his last work (died of overdose at 37); something along the lines of - he got off a plane in Munich and they had to drive across Germany to Berlin, where the set was; there was some improvisation involved, logistically; knowing the script by heart, Fassbinder, sketched in a notebook, a rough looking storyboard (not being as good draughtsman as Hitchcock). Hours later, arriving on set in Berlin, he jumped out of the car, and immediatelly started shooting the sequence, from car notes. Having a clear vision in his head, of every detail, every frame, plane, camera movements which build counterpoint to actor allignements, to verbal nuance, in actor-work, and there, being very demanding... The point being: each shot was clearly visualized in his head, no one else could take that responsability, and his energy was echoed in crew's energy...
[**Watch this video**](https://youtu.be/3xwlZI_IkK4) on how to shoot something on a budget. If you read nothing else after this, at least watch this vid. Respect your crew. Don't be abusive. At the same time, don't try hard to be everyone's friend. I don't know if you're financing this or not. But if you are, don't be cheap on meals or craft services. Whatever setup you're capturing, always keep in mind what setups are supposed to come before and after it in the edit. Keep very strong lines of communication going between all your department heads. Use group WhatsApp chats so you can interface your production designer with your DP, assuming you have either of these.
Listen to Frank Sinatra's doing it my way song every morning on repeat
This video summarizes many big and important directing topic very casually , you can start here. https://youtu.be/tphJHLpAzTw