As director, your obligation is not to get the shots you want.

The unpopular fact of the matter is that as the director, your film, your art… it’s not the be-all-end-all.

Your obligation is not to get the shots you want. Your highest obligation is to deliver on your promises.

Your obligation is to people first.

Of course there are exceptions. Sometimes, everyone understands you have to push a bit further, a bit harder than planned. But it should be reasonable and it should be the exception–not the rule.

As a director, your promises are many, and they are all important. Promises to your crew. Your cast. Your executive producer. Your team. The location owner. The list goes on.

I bring up the distinction between total loyalty to your film and ‘vision’ versus loyalty to those you work with for a reason.

Respecting those you work with requires that you wrap your shoot on time.

I may be saying it is simply the right thing to do, but finishing on schedule has many practical benefits.

Why you should finish on schedule

So what does finishing consistently on-time, as a director, do for you?

You gain the respect of those with whom you work. Finishing on time means showing the location owner, crew, cast, and everyone involved that you respect them, their time, and their value as a member of the production. You are not taking their time for granted, but are keenly aware that each hour they work for you could be spent elsewhere. When people are being paid, they are often obligated to you to an extent. However, they will still appreciate your care in using their time wisely. This is especially important for indie projects where people are being paid a flat rate or are volunteering. Then, every extra hour spent on set is an hour they aren’t sleeping or doing what they need to do.

You establish yourself as a credible professional. You set yourself above the competition by conducting yourself in a professional manner and running a tight ship. This will foster an environment of accountability where you meet your obligations and people understand they will be held to theirs. Word usually gets around about how people operate, and people of a higher stature may be more willing to work with you due to your reputation.

You build trust, as people can expect you to deliver on promises. People may be willing to go the extra mile for you. Why? Because people know that if you ask them to go above and beyond, its the exception and not the rule. They know you won’t take advantage of them. They know that if you are asking for them to commit to more during a shoot, then you must genuinely need them.

You foster good relationships. This is very similar to gaining people’s respect. Those involved in your production will be more likely to want to work with you in the future. Many filmmakers will not treat them like you do. You will stand apart if you end on time and deliver on promises. Over time, this will build good relationships with people and you will be able to better rely on them.

How to finish on schedule consistently: general tips

So, okay… finishing on time is important. But how do we do that? Often it’s not a simple matter to schedule a production and stick to that schedule. There are many fluctuating variables during both prep and production.

I know that many independent filmmakers have struggled with ending in a timely manner. Personally, I struggle to end on time with every production. With experience, I’ve learned how to end on schedule with some reliability.

I’ve also been on many projects that ran over their scheduled time–sometimes by a substantial amount. I know from a crew perspective (and from experience) how painful this can be. 4 hours past the original end-time, you start to wonder why you ever committed to the project in the first place.

Part of the issue is one of experience. Sometimes, you just don’t know (or have a crew member who knows) how long certain tasks or scenes take to execute. You may underestimate greatly. That comes with the territory and is part of the learning process.

I’ll provide some guidelines that will make up for that and help you to become a filmmaker known for being reliable and timely.

These are guidelines for staying on schedule in general. These aren’t specific to directors and are useful for any filmmaker to know.

Schedule every step of your shooting day. Don’t leave anything out or leave something to chance. ‘Oh, I’ll just figure that out on the day’. Bad idea. These small, unplanned things (meals, lighting changes, wardrobe changes, makeup, and much more) add up to a significant amount of time. If you don’t account for as much as possible, your entire day will be thrown off. It could add hours to your day.

Here’s an example of my recent shooting schedule. You don’t need to get fancy – if it works, it works.

Schedule more time for each scene than you think you’ll need. Never schedule exactly how long you think things will take. It will almost always take longer. Even if your estimate is perfect, there are many variables during a shoot and something is bound to go wrong (or not quite as planned). For example, if you think you need 4 hours for a scene, consider scheduling 5 hours.

Schedule even more time for things you’ve never done before. It’s better to be safe than sorry. You need to assume that things will turn out a bit different than you thought. You really have no way of knowing how a new technique or approach will work, so you need to account for trying a few times or having to modify your approach. These things take extra time.

For my recent shoot, we were using a rain rig, so I assumed we’d need an entire hour to reset the rig, change our lighting, and be ready to shoot. I hoped we could use less time and do extra shots, but worse case scenario, we’d be covered. (FYI, lots went wrong and we ended up needing that time!)

Schedule more time for the entire shoot than you think you will need (if possible). This is especially important for short days, like half-day pickup shoots and other times when you think it will ‘only take 2 or 3 hours’. It’s always better to underpromise and underdeliver. If you think your shoot will only take 2 hours, assume 3 hours for some flexibility in case something goes wrong, and then tell your cast and crew it will take 4 hours. If you end up taking 4 hours for some reason, people will be more okay with it. They will be mentally prepared for 4 hours since that is what they committed to. You aren’t asking them to extend their commitment. If you manage to finish in 2 hours… great! Everyone is happy they wrapped early and you will look good.

There are many factors to consider when creating a solid schedule and accounting for the unknown. The above wasn’t an exhaustive list of how to schedule your film. If you would like more tips on scheduling, feel free to reach out to me. I’m happy to share what I know.

How to finish on schedule consistently: for directors

Like the above general scheduling tips, this list is by no means extensive. There are many facets to finishing on time, but here are a few.

Be willing to drop shots from the plan that you don’t absolutely need. As a director, you need to know what you need in order to ‘make the day’. Sometimes the pressures of time or practicality will call for you to drop shots from your list. You have to understand what you can afford to go without and be willing to not get it. Sometimes it is possible to combine 2 shots into 1. This is another good way to save time. If you are unwilling to drop shots from your plan and time is running short, you will inevitably run over-schedule in an effort to get the shots you don’t have time for, but decided to get anyway.

Discipline yourself into doing the important shots first. Whenever possible, get the key building blocks of your scene out of the way first. If you get the fun, cool, or interesting shots you want first, you could put yourself in a bind. What if you find that you didn’t schedule enough time for a scene? Now you have all the ancillary shots, since you did them first. But you don’t have the meat of the scene. Unfortunately, you can’t make the scene come together without the most important shots – which you scheduled last. You now have to go over-time in order to get those shots, or the shoot will be a failure.

Discipline yourself to not do shots you really ‘want’ but don’t ‘need’ (unless you really have extra time). In line with scheduling important shots first, you must discipline yourself to focus on what’s important above all else. Until you’ve finished the shots you know you need, don’t fall into the temptation of grabbing shots that you are itching to get. Finish the important stuff! Then, you will know with certainty how much time you have available. You can get whatever you want with the time left, then move on.

Be decisive and know what you want before you step on set. You will save a lot of time by knowing what you want. If you make a decision, your crew will begin to act on that decision. If you then backtrack or change your mind, your crew will have to undo that work. This will incur frustration from the crew if this happens over and over. However, it will also waste a lot of time. Sure, sometimes an adjustment or change (or two) is required, but if it’s because you have almost no idea what you want, then that’s a good sign you need to spend more time in prep.

Communicate effectively. Communicating ineffectively causes problems similar to being indecisive. If you ask your crew to do something, but your intent isn’t understood, your crew will act on what they thought you meant. When you have to try and communicate the same thing again, they will have to backtrack and adjust any work they’ve already completed. Miscommunication can happen for many reasons. Sometimes people aren’t listening very well, but if the cause is that your communication wasn’t very clear, consider working on your verbal communication skills.

Facilitate effective communication within your team. As important as your direct communication with your team is the communication between crew members. On my recent shoot, I noticed that my camera team had adjusted position and lenses to be ready for the next shot, but my cinematographer had not communicated with my gaffer the exact extent of the new setup. The gaffer didn’t understand exactly what we were doing – he thought our frame was different. This affected how he lit the scene (which wasn’t what we needed). I noticed the miscommunication and pointed out to my cinematographer what was happening. He understood right away and made sure to communicate with the gaffer going forward. It wasn’t anything personal and I have good relationships with my teammates, so they understood I was just watching their back (not stepping on their toes or micro-managing).

Finishing your shoot on schedule

Why you should finish on schedule:

1. You gain the respect of those with whom you work.
2. You establish yourself as a credible professional.
3. You build trust, as people can expect you to deliver on promises.
4. You foster good relationships.

How to finish on schedule consistently – general tips

1. Schedule every step of your shooting day.
2. Schedule more time for each scene than you think you’ll need.
3. Schedule even more time for things you’ve never done before.
4. Schedule more time for the entire shoot than you think you will need (if possible).

How to finish on schedule consistently – for directors

1. Be willing to drop shots from the plan that you don’t absolutely need.
2. Discipline yourself into doing the important shots first.
3. Discipline yourself to not do shots you really ‘want’ but don’t ‘need.
4. Be decisive and know what you want before you step on set.
5. Communicate effectively.
6. Facilitate effective communication within your team.

We all struggle with staying on schedule. It’s tough – production is tough. There are many moving parts.

All you can do is give it your best effort – so get out there and make something great (and in a timely manner).

Directing, Visual Storytelling

How to Make a Film Look Book & 7 Big Reasons You Need One

By Nick LaRovere on

April 21, 2018

- Directing, Visual Storytelling

Creating a director’s look book for your film is a very important step.

It will help your team be more effective and improve your storytelling.

Part of knowing what you want is taking the time to deeply explore all facets of your film. Creating a look book will help you with that, in addition to being a crucial reference.

As the decision-maker of the film, you must take the time to know what you want. By being ready to make definitive decisions, your set will run smoother, your team will execute your vision more seamlessly, and you will finish the project with a result closer to what you originally envisioned.

How a look book helps you in pre-production

I’ll start by covering how the visual reference helps you as you are planning for your shoot, as a director.

Firstly, when you break down your film into categories, you will have to consider each of them. If one of your folders is empty, it makes you think, ‘why haven’t I considered any of this? Do I not care about these elements? How do they matter and how might I use them?’.

With new awareness of what you’re missing, you can now begin filling that creative gap and be more intentional as you go through your prep.

1. Making a look book makes you consider the atmosphere and tone of your film.

A great way to do this is to look through Google images and pick out things that stand out to you. You can also do this with film and television show clips, taking screenshots of things that stand out to you as possibly fitting your film’s message.

I usually start by looking at sections of my film that have similar tones.

(I do not own the copyright to the photos in the above screenshot)

As you can see, there’s a pattern emerging in the tone of these photos I’ve gathered. I had a general sense of what I was looking for, but in my search, I was able to narrow the vague vision into my head into concrete examples of what I liked and discard ideas in my head that didn’t work or no longer fit the vision.

2. Making a look book causes you to consider options you hadn’t thought of before.

It is very easy to get stuck on one particular train of thought. For me, once I’ve gone down a mental path and I think I like where it’s going, I can have a hard time thinking in a different direction. Sometimes, the options you haven’t thought of can be the best ones.

It is worthwhile an exercise to force yourself to refresh your mind and return to planning at another time. That way, you can look at your film from a different perspective.

A way to do that is searching for images and inspiration for your visual reference.

I’ll bet you will stumble on something out there in the vast internet that will make you go ‘Aha!’. After all, I know I certainly can’t think of every possible option when I’m working. It’s just too much to consider at once.

Along those lines…

3. Making a look book gives you a chance to consider techniques used by others.

This is similar to the things ‘you didn’t think of’, but I’ll touch on it anyway.

When you are going through the web or any other resource looking for inspiration, you are likely to stumble upon techniques and methods employed by both great and obscure directors and filmmakers.

Learning from those who came before is a good strategy. You don’t always have to reinvent the wheel, since someone else may have already found a great way to communicate to the audience. Use the past 100 years of visual storytelling tradition to your advantage and don’t be afraid to try out the techniques of other filmmakers.

For example, I pulled this screenshot from Mad Max: Fury Road because I thought the lighting fit the mood I was looking for.

4. Making a look book will help you explain specific creative choices to your team.

Going through this process will not only give you the opportunity to discover what tone and atmosphere you desire for the film, but you will inevitably find specific elements and examples from your references.

These are specific elements you can point out to your team, such as ‘I want practical lighting on the floor like this during the emergency mine scene because it will give a sci-fi touch to a mine location in the film which would otherwise seem to be in the same world in which we live now’.

All you need to do then is point to the reference photo you’ve provided. It’s as easy as that.

How a look book helps you on set

Once you are on set, the time you spent in pre-production will make all the difference. I’ve said it before – the visual planning process a director uses (doesn’t use) will make or break it. If you don’t invest in pre-production, you’ll regret it.

Your look book now does several things for you when you are on set.

1. Your look book helps your team understand your vision.

Your look book and your explanation of your vision are practical and actionable information for your team.

During the shoot, they can take this info and run with it, finding a solution and path to execute your vision. It also brings them closer to your mental wavelength and they will better understand your intent. Not only that, but your teammates may make great suggestions that are better than your original idea because they understand your vision.

Basically, the look book is another opportunity to communicate to your team what it is you are trying to do, and effective communication is the key to a team’s success.

2. Your reference gives your team freedom to act.

Your reference gives your team a sense of what tone you are looking for. Assuming they have the necessary skills, they will have the freedom to try techniques you didn’t think of – or may not even know exist.

At this point, since they know what you want, it doesn’t matter much how they achieve it. What matters is the end result.

They can reference your look book to answer their questions. Your team can act autonomously since they know the big picture and don’t need to consult you for every little decision.

If things are going smoothly, all they will have to do is ask if you like the end result. If yes, you move on. If not, you provide feedback and move forward from there.

3. Your reference allows your team to identify possible problems and solutions.

As a director, there will be many times where you will not know whether your vision is possible, practically speaking.

As a director, there will be gaps in your knowledge. You may have a camera move or lighting style you are looking to achieve that actually isn’t possible as you envision. Or, it’s possible, but the practical constraints of the budget just won’t allow it.

This is another great thing your look book will help with. It allows your team – in discussion with you and while looking at the reference – to identify where those gaps in your vision may exist.

Your team can let you know where problems may arise and how to deal with them. This is an important step to go through with your team and one you always want to deal with before you get on set whenever possible. The more problems you knock out before you get on set, the smoother your shoot will be.

Above all, the more your team is coordinated and working seamlessly, the better your film will be.

The US military knows this well and often puts on shows of efficiency and coordination. The military culture applauds this togetherness as a virtue, and as filmmakers, we should have this same mindset.

How to create your director’s look book

First, I created a folder for my project. I already have a folder for my project on Google Drive. This is where I organize many of my files and how I collaborate with my team. You may have another way, but I think the principles still apply.

1. Create a visual design folder.

Within that folder, I create one specifically for all of my visual brainstorming. I exclude anything about sound design, music, or other topics. I create another set of folders for those.

2. Break down the visual design by category.

You can break down your folders however you like. I suggest organizing it however it makes the most sense to you. What is logical and easy to navigate for me might be a headache for you; that’s fine.

The key is to give your visual design folder enough organization so that you and your team can make easy sense of it.

Some logical organization might be, for example:

Breaking set design ideas into folders for your major locations.

Breaking costume ideas into folders for major factions or primary characters.

Breaking the film into its key locations for your lighting and moods.

Whatever works for you – go for it.

3. Start putting inspiration into the folders.

Find stuff from just about anywhere you like and put it in your folders. Movies. TV shows. Google images. Links to clips on YouTube. Whatever will help you and your team.

Your references will help your team greatly. For example, all these references gave my concept artist plenty to work with. He was able to create some great concepts for our futuristic slave miners’ outfits for our post-apocalyptic / sci-fi film “Broken”.

Because of my references for the long-escaped brethren of these miners, he was able to create more art for our production. Having the references and a clear vision made the experience much more pleasant overall.

4. Notate what you like about the items in your folder.

You don’t necessarily have to make a written note, but you should have a sense of why you put an image in your folder. You should be able to specify what about that image you see is important for your film. Without this information, your team will find it more difficult to translate the image into anything helpful for you in executing your vision.

Whether it’s one tiny element of the image that inspired you, or you like the overall mood of the image, you should be able to articulate this to your team.

A summary of lookbooks and their benefits:

1. The lookbook helps you in pre-production by: making you think about your film’s general tone and atmosphere, consider options you hadn’t thought of before, allowing you to consider techniques used by others, and helps in identifying specific inspirations.

2. The lookbook helps you in production by: giving your team the freedom and information to act independent of you and allowing your team to identify possible problems before they occur.

3. How to put the visual reference together: create a folder for your project, create a visual design folder, break down the folder by category, put inspirational images into the folders, and make note of what you like about the image.

It’s just a tool.

Don’t allow the process of making this reference to bog you down, slow you down, or keep you from getting things done. Don’t allow it to become a distraction. It is just a tool, so use it until it is no longer helpful, then move on.

If it doesn’t work for you like it does for me, modify the tool and apply it according to your needs.

As always, I hope that you find this information helpful. Break a leg.

Directing

8 Directing Books Every Filmmaker Should Read

By Nick LaRovere on

April 11, 2018

- Directing

Don’t read? You should start reading directing books to become a great filmmaker.

After all, top performers in various industries read for self-improvement.

Evidence suggests there is a strong link between success and reading.

I get it, we are filmmakers. We are visual people. We’d rather just watch something – reading can be boring and time-consuming. I would argue that reading is a key factor to success. Those who are successful in their industry intake valuable new knowledge wherever and whenever possible, and internalize it.

Written works are a wonderful source of knowledge because writing is a condensed form of thinking. A person puts all their thoughts and considerations onto paper and is forced to make these thoughts concise, throwing away bad ideas and leaving only those that are good.

With this in mind, here are some of the directing books I have read that I highly recommend any aspiring director read.

Visual Storytelling Skills

1. Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics

This directing book is a long one, filled with plenty of references, photos, and diagrams. It is up-to-date with modern techniques and technology and provides a great overview of directing, diving into both the artistic and technical aspects in depth.

“Directing covers the methods, technologies, thought processes, and judgments that a director must use throughout the fascinating process of making a film. The core of the book is the human, psychological, and technical knowledge that every director needs, the enduring elements of the craft that remain vital.

Directing also provides an unusually clear view of the artistic process, particularly in working with actors and principle crew to achieve personally expressive storytelling and professionalism on any budget.” (Source)

Bottom line: This directing book provides a solid overview for the filmmaker looking to up their game.

2. Film Directing Shot by Shot

This directing book is highly technical, covering a painfully exhaustive number of camera movements, framings, and analyzing different shots’ usage in conjunction with one another. It uses a plethora of visual references, such as photographs taken from films and photos shot specifically for the book, to demonstrate these techniques.

“A complete catalog of motion picture techniques for filmmakers. It concentrates on the ‘storytelling’ school of filmmaking, utilizing the work of the great stylists who established the versatile vocabulary of technique that has dominated the movies since 1915. This graphic approach includes comparisons of style by interpreting a ‘model script’, created for the book, in storyboard form.” (Source)

I must admit that it is a tough read, and may be best used as a reference. However, if you spend the time to think hard about the effect of using the shots it presents, it can be very useful.

Mostly, this book challenges you to consider every possible directorial option you have available when it comes to camera movement, framing, and focal length, as well as each of these elements’ effects on your viewer.

Bottom line: This directing book will help you internalize and better understand all the shot techniques available to you as a director.

Working with Actors

3. Directing Actors

This directing book is great for one primary reason: it’s highly actionable.

“Internationally-renowned directing coach Weston demonstrates what constitutes a good performance, what actors want from a director, what directors do wrong, script analysis and preparation, how actors work, and shares insights into the director/actor relationship.” (Source)

Often people will suggest David Mamet’s book “On Directing Film”. While there’s no doubt Mamet is a master of his craft and his knowledge immense, I found that “On Directing Film” was less than helpful. Why? It wasn’t easily actionable. At least for me, I found it to be far too vague to put easily into effect in my directing habits, so I moved on.

However, “Directing Actors” represents the opposite. It is highly actionable. Each section is broken down into practical themes – what you, the director, should and must do (or at least suggestions) to get particular results. I may not remember everything I read in this book (perhaps it makes a better reference after reading once), but I remember key points it made that I was able to put into effect in my directing.

One thing that stood out to me as I read is how many sections seemed like revelations. What I mean is that some of the points made in the book, once you read them, seem so straightforward and logical. You might ask yourself, ‘how did I not think of this, or just know it, before?’.

Bottom line: This directing book contains a heap of great, practical knowledge for working with actors.

Marketing and Publicity

4. Complete Independent Movie Marketing Handbook

I’ll be honest on this one. I haven’t had the chance (yet) to apply specific principles I learned through this book. However, I’ll tell you where I think the value lies in this book.

This book does two things:

First, it helps you to better understand the principles of selling and marketing generally, and specifically within the entertainment industry. I think that knowledge is very helpful because as you accrue more understanding about the subject of making films, you will be able to work more effectively and plan for the future when making films.

Secondly, this book doesn’t assume you’re a trust fund baby, retired millionaire, or already have achieved some level of success in the film industry. It approaches the marketing and sale of feature films from the lowest level.

“This book gives street-level instruction and real-world examples on how to promote, distribute, and sell your production.” (Source)

This book asks you, ‘well, I don’t have a lot of resources… what can I do? What works?’ Then, it tells you, providing many examples of approaches to marketing and selling, and case studies from filmmakers that have found success with those exact methods.

Bottom line: this directing book helps you get a boost in general marketing understanding and ‘street-level’ tactics, and it’s aimed at indie filmmakers planning to get their film in front of audiences.

Overview of Roles in the Business

5. Make Your Movie

This book is a bomb – it is exploding with insight. (I’ve read this book from cover to cover twice if that says anything.)

Each section is dedicated to a role and area of the film industry, and though it definitely comes from the perspective of people who are at high levels in the industry, the type of valuable perspective they provide is highly revealing.

“This book is for anyone interested in the business of breaking into the movies. Learn who the key players are when it comes to getting a movie made and how to navigate the politics of filmmaking from start to finish, from first pitch to filling movie seats.” (Source)

The coolest thing about this book is that each section consists of a person successful in their area of the industry giving the bare-bones essence of their wisdom; what they think is most important for people to know, and they follow it up with a fascinating anecdote demonstrating their points.

Bottom line: This book is a great way to get up to speed or get a refresher on how the industry works and intake some wisdom from industry experts.

Legal and Contracts

6. Clearance and Copyright

This book is a hidden gem. How is this not the most popular book for directors and indie filmmakers?

This book extensively covers the subjects of copyright and contracts in the film industry. If you want to better understand how deals are made between crew, cast, producers, studios, etc., want to better protect yourself, the people you work with, and your productions, as well as make better deals, you should read this book.

“Clearance and Copyright is the industry-standard guide to almost every conceivable rights issue that filmmakers, videomakers, television producers, and Internet content creators might encounter.

From the initial acquisition of material through the rights issues that arise during preproduction, production, postproduction, and release, this legalese-free guide–now extensively revised, updated, and expanded–will help you protect yourself and your work from disastrous legal actions.” (Source)

By the way, this book includes a ton of free sample contracts for different things an indie filmmaker might need. Oh, and the book breaks down each and every paragraph in those contracts to explain what they are for, what they do, and what to look out for.

Bottom line: if you want a solid overview of what all ‘that legal stuff’ means, and how to protect yourself as a filmmaker, this is a must-read.

7. The Movie Business

This book for directors is similar to Clearance and Copyright in terms of content, but with a broader view. It focuses less on contracts and copyright (though that is a large portion of its content) and more on the relationships between the people you hire or work with, the financial implications of those relationships, and what the legal issues are for that topic.

The book is broken down by the steps in the filmmaking process, from pre-production to distribution, and further breaks those down into the actions and relationships formed during that phase.

“Making a movie may be part art and part science, but it’s 100 percent business. In this comprehensive and accessible guide, Kelly Charles Crabb shares the information necessary to understand the legal and financial challenges involved in getting a film from story to the silver screen and beyond.” (Source)

This filmmaking book also covers a good bit of financial specifics, and the portion regarding dealing with distributors I find to be particularly insightful for the independent director. I know that when I was looking to distribute my first film, there seemed to be a mysterious and dark fog over the whole distribution process as if everything was a secret shared only within a small club; a club I wasn’t part of.

Bottom line: If you are looking to amplify further your understanding of the legal, relational, and financial aspects of making films, read this book.

Understanding Story

8. Save the Cat

Save the Cat. If you haven’t already heard about Blake Snyder’s iconic and widely-loved book on the structure of feature films (and story generally), then you’ve probably read it.

“…Blake Snyder tells all in this fast, funny and candid look inside the movie business. ‘Save the Cat’ is just one of many ironclad rules for making your ideas more marketable and your script more satisfying…” (Source)

There’s little more that needs to be said about this book. It’s a great directing book because it will improve your understanding of standard film and story structure and vastly improve your storytelling skills as a director.

I can’t recommend enough that you dedicate time to studying and practicing its principles.

If you haven’t started, this book is a good place to do so. While I don’t think reading it is a substitute for a continued and deep dive into story structure, this book has undoubtedly opened my mind and helped me work through various story problems.

Bottom line: The quintessential directing book to learning the key aspects of story and film structure.

Start reading… like right now.

Where you start will depend on where you’re at in skill and learning in your journey, but here’s a recap:

1. Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics

2. Film Directing Shot by Shot

3. Directing Actors

4. Complete Independent Movie Marketing Handbook

5. Make Your Movie

6. Clearance and Copyright

7. The Movie Business

8. Save the Cat

I strongly encourage you to take a few minutes each week to read a bit, even if it isn’t your strongest skill. You’ll be better off for it.

Read on!

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Directing, Filmmaking

How to ‘Make the Day’ – Staying on Schedule as a Director