1st Edition

Directing for the Screen

Edited By Anna Weinstein Copyright 2017
    292 Pages
    by Routledge

    292 Pages
    by Routledge

    Directing for the Screen is a collection of essays and interviews exploring the business of directing. This highly accessible guide to working in film and television includes perspectives from industry insiders on topics such as breaking in; developing and nurturing business relationships; the director’s responsibilities on set and in the field; and more. Directing for the Screen is an ideal companion to filmmaking classes, demystifying the industry and the role of the director with real-world narratives and little-known truths about the business. With insight from working professionals, you’ll be armed with the information you need to pursue your career as a director.

    • Contains essays by and interviews with television directors, feature directors, documentary filmmakers, commercial directors, producers, and professors.
    • Offers expert opinions on how to get started, including landing and succeeding in an internship and getting your first gig.
    • Reveals details about working with actors, overseeing the work of often hundreds of crewmembers, writing last-minute on set, and developing a working relationship with producers and screenwriters.
    • Explores strategies for doing creative work under pressure, finding your directorial voice, financing shorts and independent films, breaking down barriers and overcoming discrimination, shooting in less-than-ideal situations, and recovering from bad reviews or box office results.
    • Illuminates the business of directing in the United States (New York and Los Angeles) as compared to other countries around the globe, including England, Ireland, Spain, Australia, Denmark, Pakistan, Belgium, and Canada.

    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

    INTRODUCTION

     

    CHAPTER 1: GETTING STARTED

    TAKING RISKS AND FINDING MENTORS

    Beginning With School

    An Interview With Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum

    SHORT ’N SWEET

    The Short Film as a Calling Card

    By Susan Liddy

    GETTING A SEAT AT THE TABLE

    Interning, Script Supervising, and Approaching a Producer With a Project

    An Interview With Chiemi Karasawa

    YOU AND YOUR DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY (DP)

    Finding and Working With Your DP

    By David Waldman and David Landau

    BREAKING IN TO FEATURES

    Working With Comedic Actors and Developing New Projects

    An Interview With Peter Segal

     

    CHAPTER 2: STICKING IT OUT

    WHAT’S AN ASSISTANT DIRECTOR ANYWAY?

    Roles and Responsibilities

    By Peter D. Marshall

    FILM FESTIVALS AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

    The Basics

    By Karen Dee Carpenter

    GETTING FISCAL SPONSORSHIP

    An Interview With Dianne Debicella

    DEVELOPING A BUSINESS ACUMEN

    An Interview With Quincy Newell

    DIRECTING FOR TELEVISION

    A Global Perspective

    By Phoebe Hart

    DIRECTING THE ONE-HOUR TELEVISION DRAMA

    How It Works in Los Angeles and New York

    An Interview With Jeremy Podeswa

     

    CHAPTER 3: FINDING SUCCESS

    PURSUING TRUTH IN STORYTELLING

    A Lifelong Career in Documentaries and Features

    An Interview With Michael Apted

    DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING IN PAKISTAN

    When Directing Can Be Dangerous

    An Interview With Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

    DIRECTING THE PERSONAL DOCUMENTARY

    An Intersex Adventure

    By Phoebe Hart

    DIRECTING FOR STUDIOS VS. INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING

    Reflections on Thirty Years the Film Industry

    An Interview With Boaz Yakin

    BECOMING INDEPENDENT

    Distribution After the Multiplex

    By Max Sexton and Dominic Lees

     

    CHAPTER 4: GETTING AHEAD

    INDEPENDENT FILM DISTRIBUTION

    An Interview With Orly Ravid

    INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING

    By Pieter Aquilia

    THE EVOLUTION OF A DIRECTING CAREER

    From Australia to Hollywood and Back Again

    An Interview With Gillian Armstrong

    ROLLING WITH THE PUNCHES AND DISCOVERIES

    Filmmaker David Gordon Green’s Journey

    By Chris Vognar

    DIRECTING TELEVISION COMMERCIALS

    Guidelines for a Fruitful Career

    By Bill Linsman

    DIRECTING DOCUMENTARIES

    Notes From the Field

    By Timothy A. Powell

     

    CHAPTER 5: STARTING AGAIN

    TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING

    The Next Step in Directing

    By Jean Desormeaux and Randall Kapuscinski

    NAVIGATING THE CREATIVE PROCESS

    Insights on Gender and the Business of Directing

    An Interview With Susanne Bier

    PROCESSNG BOX OFFICE RESULTS

    Building a Career in Unconventional Storytelling

    An Interview With Jaco Van Dormael

    BOUNCING BACK AFTER A SETBACK

    The Determination to Begin Again

    An Interview With Isabel Coixet

    DIRECTING SITCOMS AND THEATER

    From Stage to Screen

    An Interview With Sheldon Epps

     

    INDEX

    Biography

    Anna Weinstein is a screenwriter and educator based in Atlanta. She works as a writer-for-hire to develop features and television series, and she is on the screenwriting faculty in the English Department at Kennesaw State University, where she teaches and mentors undergraduate and graduate students. Anna is the Founding Editor of the PERFORM: Succeeding as a Creative Professional book series.  

    "This is not a 'how to' book, but an absorbing read which takes you on many different routes into directing. Full of insights, the range of interviewees is impressive. They all urge would-be directors to observe and learn, be persistent and find their voice."

    —Claire Barwell, Former Chair of NAHEMI, Course Leader of Film Production at the Farnham Film School, University for the Creative Arts

    "Directing for the Screen offers lively and astute advice from the insiders. Anna Weinstein has mixed with some of the best and probes them about their success—and learning from loss."

    —Matthew Sorrento, Lecturer, Film Studies at Rutgers University in Camden, NJ