Filmmaking / Directing : What Does a Director DO? by Karen "Kay" Ross

It seems “Institutionalised” as in blue print about who does what, which goes on in a lot of so called big gun studio settings. (I’m not saying its wrong its just norm to some) I work in Indie where there are no paint by numbers hats in any one scenario, ALL my role is is “Catalyst” between script and actor to create a fictional character and if their performance is no good they won’t call me again (which has never happened). Stay safe!

I had an experience in studio once (non Indie) where I had junior role, which I was proud to do even at my age but the paperwork went on for an inordinate amount of time. I clocked in at 9 and they were still waffling by 11 so I asked “Where is the script?” At 1Pm a West End actress said at tea break actors are begging to be directed.

Pretty much a summation of my What does a Film Director Do seminar scheduled for September. It's a required intro to my 8 week Director's class this Autumn - university level but taught in our studio...If the Governor let's us get together.

Another situation where Indie is different to studio mainstream is I take it for granted that part of my role is storyboarding, shot listing, blocking and to a smaller extent mood lighting. Yet anytime I’ve ever been in a mainstream studio my shot list with storyboard was overridden, not cos it was crap, they would not look at it in the first place. To myself creating a character is a birth process and as character is beginning to emerge the whole team should be able to “spontaneously suggest” throughout their growth. The pernickety rules about who can do what in studio job descriptions I feel to some extent “constrains” a project in embryo stage. I am NOT saying people should do other peoples jobs but sometimes there are grey areas on set, an overlapping of skillsets, where two minds would be better than one. Example, I was on one set where camera team had already mapped out fancy camera moves, which I felt did not “best serve” the emotions/dialogue of script but I was immediately humbled into silence. @Doug your director course sounds cool, hope it takes off soon.