Film Directing 114: The Director's Creative Partnerships

LEVEL 100 blogs are for film students and first-time directors taking on the directing role for a short film. The series is designed to help and guide new filmmakers through the director’s prep duties, pre-production activities, and principle photography dynamics.

Synergy is the goal

Bringing a film to life – and making it good – relies heavily on the script and the director. But the director is not working alone.

There are many creative partners who align with the director, and two are of critical importance in pre-production and principle photography – the director of photographer (aka cinematographer, DOP, or DP) and the production designer.

Working alongside the director, these two creative keys are responsible for crafting the visual images. They are department heads and they both do a thorough script analysis of their own.

Their understanding of the central themes, the story arc, the character development, the main conflict, and the genre, is vital in order to make their best contribution. Careers are built on it.

The director keeps the whole picture in mind, as do the creative partners. But the DP and designer focus on their respective specializations and how their choices complement the director’s vision.

Their passion and vision for the script can bring a mountain of ideas to the table. And a ton of questions.

This is how it usually goes: everyone reads the script and does an analysis, everyone gathers at a concept meeting which the director leads, great creativity ensues.

Scene-by-scene, the director lays out the ideas, the look, the lighting, the wardrobe, etc., that they envision for the show. The creative partners listen, offer comments and suggestions, and, most importantly, they ask questions and seek clarity.

Sometimes, they challenge your vision. It’s not wrong, if they do. Hopefully, they are improving it.

How cluttered do you see the bedroom in the opening scene? What’s the light source in the bedroom? Is it a King bed? Queen? Double?

If it’s not certain yet in your mind — be honest. “I’m not sure, but let’s come back to it in a separate meeting”. Saying something like that can be helpful because people like to know that they’ve been heard.

Throughout the concept meeting, and at every following stage of the filmmaking process, the team looks to the director for answers.

Everyone works with an understanding of collaboration.

Everyone has a contribution to make.

Everyone takes notes. You should, too.

*I’ve seen people struggle with taking notes on their laptops or tablets. I guess it can be done well by a select few, but I always recommend making handwritten notes on a paper script. If you get an idea for a composition, it’s so easy to quickly sketch it.

***

The creative partners have a clear understanding of the director’s intention for the shot, and how it fits into the director’s story.

The production designer and their team bring the colours, the textures, the shapes, and the narrative details to the director’s frame.

The director of photography and their team brings the image to life with light and shadows.

This is the synergy that the director wants to harness. Wonderfully creative things can happen.

The concept meeting is where the director sets the tone and shows their hand. It’s not about winning. It’s an exchange of ideas in the best interests of the story.

Some directors, designers, and cinematographers build a ‘look book’, a ‘vision board’, an ‘image file’, or a ‘pitch deck’ to show colours, tone, lighting, wardrobe – whatever’s important to them and can be clearly shown in a reference image.

References can help everyone get on the same page.

Remember: the concept meeting is the director’s meeting and the more in depth their understanding of the story and their pre-visualization of the characters and world, the better the meeting.

The unprepared are soon exposed.

***

Understanding the look that the director is going for helps the producer support the vision. At the end of the day, it all comes down to time and money.

The director of photography puts together an equipment list for the producer. They need to have the correct lenses and the right amount of gear on set to achieve the director’s vision.  

 Do we want a zoom lens for this scene? How many prime lenses will we need? What kind of dolly is best?

The production designer is also putting together a budget: the cost of building sets, making locations look right, wardrobe/hair/make-up expenses, set decorations, props — everything you see in the frame is a budget item.

Producers want a smooth-working partnership. The best management skills that a director can demonstrate are decisiveness and creative problem-solving. Having the patience of a saint can also be helpful.

It’s pretty well a guarantee that something will not go according to plan. Filmmaking does not happen without machines and technology. Things break. Things don’t work. Mistakes happen.

Expect the unexpected.

Be the glue that holds your creative partnerships together.