Being a Director
Directors come in all shapes and sizes, all ethnicities, all educational backgrounds, and both genders. What they have all in common is a passion for storytelling and the ability to be a leader.
If you are a director, you are born with the need to tell stories. You want to make sense of the world and to entertain yourself and an audience by framing real-life experiences and eternal questions.
You need perspective and a point of view. You need to judge what is good from what is bad. It boils down to having good taste.
It a huge job to interpret the script, shape the actors’ performance, choose every element within the frame, and then use the medium knowledgably and efficiently. You need great leadership qualities such as determination, enthusiasm, and the abilities to communicate and command gently.
Even with talent and great leadership qualities, the job is by its nature stressful because of the immensity of the position and the intense scrutiny that happens every day. We have found four ways of coping with that stress: do the work in prep; enlist the support of your team; be in good health; and believe in yourself.
Directing an episode of television is a big responsibility. The producer, who gives you a job, must know that you will deliver a great show and put the money up on the screen.
There are no set rules for getting your first job. Some people have found success shadowing a director, or finding a mentor. You must think out of the box and do it your way. Once you’ve completed that first episode, an agent might be willing to represent you. It’s just another problem waiting to be solved.
We want to end our book by reviewing some simple rules for success. They’re good advice not just for being a director, but for life in general:
Never lose your temper.
Don’t rush to judgment.
Listen before you talk.
Get your ego out of the way.
Be kind.
Trust your instincts!
And we’ll add one more: Go after your dream!
Mary Lou can be reached through her website:
http://www.sitcomsuccess.com.
Bethany can be reached through her website:
http://www.bethanyrooney.com.