Prep
During the week to ten days of prep, the director does critical work to prepare for the upcoming shoot. You intensely dissect the script, you discuss the tone of the show with the writer or showrunner, and you make creative decisions about how the story you’re telling should be translated to the screen, selecting every element that will appear in the frame. You also interact and share your vision with the team that you are now leading.
Before you can do anything else, you break down the script for story and character. This is where your good reading skills come into play so that you can understand the structure, beginning with the inciting action and following the plot complications that propel you to the climax and wrap up in the dénouement. You identify the plot and subplots as well as the protagonist and antagonist of the story. You figure out how all these things fit together.
You break down each character based on what the writer tells you, what the characters say about themselves, and what other characters say about the character. Then you examine what each character wants in each scene and what are the obstacles to that character achieving his intention. By the time you’ve done this, you are ready to cast the guest actors for your episode.
Casting goes on throughout your prep or even until the very day an actor works. Not only does the actor have to be right for the role, but the casting director must also be able to close the deal. It is a time for you to select and sometimes fight for whom you want in the part. You get the opportunity in a casting session to evaluate talent and expand your knowledge of the character by critically watching the choices that every actor makes.
Prep is when you work with the three key elements of the production design: style, color, and impact. You meet with your department heads for a concept meeting, which allows them to get the ball rolling in their individual areas of expertise. Most important, you interact with the production designer to create the overall look for the show. You give the costume designer an idea of how the characters are to be dressed, and the prop master starts finding or creating the things those characters will handle. You also discuss with the transportation coordinator any vehicles that you need for an episode, so he can find them. Prep is a time of answering questions and making decisions.
It is also a time for creating a bond with your assistant director (AD) because this relationship is key when you are shooting. During prep, your 1st AD will walk you through the sets, board the script, and create a shooting schedule. He will also arrange all your meetings, including your location and technical scout (at which you will be determining what will happen when you come back to shoot, which you later communicate to the crew).
The single most important thing you do during prep is block and shot list or storyboard. You visualize each scene and create motivated movement for the actors. Then you decide how you will shoot the script, paying specific attention to the beginning and ending of scenes and acts. This preparation work is fundamental to the next part of your directing job: the shoot.