I'm not sure if directing is for me but I'll try it. So what do I need to kown? Waht equipment? And what skills wuold help me direct? And how should I going about strating?

get a camera and start shooting, literally, that's all u need, trust me its that damn simple (unless u want to make it more complicated, but that isnt necessary IMO)

Directing isn't hard to do. The only hard part may be that it doesn't really or exactly turns out as you might want it to be.

Gotan

oh man, if directing isn't hard then you're not doing it right.

And there's no one way to direct, that's the weird part of being a director, no one knows exactly what you need to get the job, but they can tell whether you can do it or not pretty quickly in a conversation.

Think about it like this: what does it take to be President of the United States? We've had a peanut farmer, an actor, military generals, senators, ambassadors, governors. I mean, out of all those jobs, why do they all have something in common that made for a good president? They don't have anything in common. What makes a good president is the person, not the job/skills they had.

Same for a director. Some directors know EVERY detail of a movie and how to do every job, other directors barely show up and when they do they change everything people did. Some directors have a plan and shoot quickly, some directors take years to shoot a movie and shoot only whenever they feel like it. But they all make movies.

Jsut start shooting sounds simple but I dont think my frinds would hlep I dont think there in to stuff like this,And should I do some planing?
But frist ill go and dust off the camera lol.
I'm make complicated for my self. I do that lol.

man, i dont think being president and a director have anything to do with each other. Reagan didn't even know he was the president for his last few years in office. Bush was only elected because of his daddy (if JFK Jr. were alive I guarantee you he would be president today, I mean hes the son of a popular slain president, what more do the american ppl want?). I just feel that if ur gunna draw a comparison to what directing is like there are alot of better possibilities than being president, which today has been reduced to reading jokes off of a teleprompter.

He wasnt directly relating being President to being a Director. He was just making the point that there are many different ways to get a job done right. I agree with him. Every director has their own unique style of getting the job done.

a director needs to inspire people, to be a good leader, to be good at organizing, to be visual and creative. thats it. the other things will follow.

Siberia, when I started making movies, a lot of the time, my friend's didn't want to be in them. So I just made movies by myself. I mean, they weren't great, but at least I was practicing. Even the other day I went into my basement and in my back yard and just shot random shots (some of nature, some with me in them, etc.). Then I edited it down to about 1:30. It was just for practice. It was completely plotless and had no point. But I wanted to practice my editing. I edited it in the Tony Scott/Man On Fire/Spy Game style, just to see if I could do it. And I found out that I could. But if I hadn't just practiced, I would have never known.

So, it doesn't matter what you do. Just do something. Any practice you get will make you better.

kane, have you seen people who are directing nowadays? atleast Bush was a governor before they gave him the job.

The guy that directed catwoman, he was a special effects supervisor which has nothing to do with working with actors or fixing/complimenting a script, since all you worry about is the shots.

anyway, from your point of view, i think the presidency and directing are even more similar. lots of people in the film business get jobs just because they know someone or they're related to someone, or because their name sells. it has nothing to do with what they can do or what skills they have.

Durden is absolutely correct. If noone wants to help you then work around that problem. Do it all by yourself. The important thing is that you are out there getting practice/ experience (probably what I should be doing, rather than messing about on my computer.)

OK I'll start shooting things.

Once you want to start shooting other people and not have yourself play three different parts, think: What motivates people?

Food. money. A good time. And Food. (Yes I said it twice).

If you can get your friends to show up even once, make it memorable, they will be more inclined to come back. I have never paid anybody my whole life (Except to pay back what I borrowed of course). When you shoot, make sure you got a bag of chips or something like that laying around they can munch on. Then, if they do something funny, or mess up during the shot, DON'T GET MAD AT THEM! You are not paying them, so they can walk away when they want. Laugh with them for a second are two, and say something to the effect of: "All right, that was good. We'll get it perfect this time."

You have to be a people person. Even if they are being a jerk, you be agreeable.
Until you have the power and the resources to say "your fired" this is the way things have to be.

quote:

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kane, have you seen people who are directing nowadays? atleast Bush was a governor before they gave him the job.

The guy that directed catwoman, he was a special effects supervisor which has nothing to do with working with actors or fixing/complimenting a script, since all you worry about is the shots.

anyway, from your point of view, i think the presidency and directing are even more similar. lots of people in the film business get jobs just because they know someone or they're related to someone, or because their name sells. it has nothing to do with what they can do or what skills they have.

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I was referring more to "directing", not being a "director" (sorry, should have been more clear), I just felt that being president or a world leader is more related to being a producer as far as the filmmaking process go, was just my observation

"anyway, from your point of view, i think the presidency and directing are even more similar. lots of people in the film business get jobs just because they know someone or they're related to someone, or because their name sells. it has nothing to do with what they can do or what skills they have."-RFranco


This is why we need to start our own filmmaking nation!!!!

and there can be different divisions throughout the world, like what the Trekkies have

There needs to be alot of creative thinking in filming, however, if someone wants to start off in directing a student film, I would do what I did. watch alot of freakin movies!

you will begin to develop ideas, there not your ideas, but they will get you to where you need to go.

If you have A dvd player, buy alot of dvds, especially those with director commentary tracks and featurettes.

Tip: buy equilibrium. The director commentary is magnificient, its from a first time director who points out many of his mistakes and power points.

thats all I have right now. more to come later.

I've heard the advice, "Just start directing" before, and I will go one stop further and offer you some practical advice for how to do that.
This may sound pretty redundant to everyone else on this forum, and I apologize for it, but here goes.
Start by training yourself and becoming an expert in all the rules of composition that would be utilized in movie making. Rules of thirds, cut-offs, proper tilting and panning techniques, etc. That will give you a start, and will train your eye to see and think visually through the camera.
Next, make up little simple stories, make them up in storyboards, and start constructing story sequences, using combinations of MS, CU's, ELS, etc. Don't worry about sound at this early stage, merely hone your skills to tell a story visually. Try something really simple, like...someone brushing their teeth, or someone making spaghetti. Just learn how to tell something visually, letting it stand on its own.
If you have editing ability, then, edit. If you don't, plan ahead and shoot the thing sequentially, using 'in-camera' editing. It's just for you, not for anyone else. It's just for you to learn the very basics,and expand on that.
Keep practicing all those skills, make the stories longer, more creative, but always make sure that you have embraced and understood the basics.
As for equipment, well, I've read many postings here, and I think others are far more qualified to offer technological advice than I am.
The important thing is to learn, and continue to hone those skills. Start simply, become an expert, and then grow.

Try to get some time on an edit suite, even if it's only something like iMovies. You learn more about filmmaking in the edit suite than anywhere else. You'll learn which shots work, and which don't. Try to work out why they don't work and improve it in the next film.
It's also a good idea to learn the basic 'rules' of filmmaking like the rule of thirds and crossing the line. Do a search on google. And remember, your first film will suck so don't be downhearted. Just learn from your mistakes and your next film will be better.