How to Make the Transition from Cinematographer to Director
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Webinar hosted by: Ryan Little
Director/Cinematographer (Spirit Awards Best First Feature & Cinematography Nominee)
Ryan Little is a director, producer, and cinematographer with over 20 years of experience in the industry. His first feature SAINTS AND SOLDIERS, for which he took on the dual roles of DP and director, won 16 “Best Picture” awards and two nominations at the Independent Spirit Awards including Best First Feature and Best Cinematography. Since then, Ryan has served as cinematographer and director on a slew of projects and has directed actors like Danny Glover, Vinnie Jones, Sean Astin, Neal McDonagh, Gary Cole, Dolph Lundgren, and Mickey Rourke. Most recently Ryan has worked with Producer Dean Devlin on the TNT pilot BLANK SLATE and has directed TV episodes of shows like GRANITE FLATS and EXTINCT. Ryan has built a storied background and deep well of knowledge in both cinematography and directing, and is ready to share what he knows with the Stage 32 community. Full Bio »
Webinar Summary
Getting ahead is hard in Hollywood, and taking the next step in your career can be difficult when it feels like the expectation is for you to stay in your own lane. Being a cinematographer is such an exciting, rewarding, and important role on any project, but that doesn’t mean it’s where your journey has to stop. If you have aspirations to move into directing and make your own film, that path is more possible than you might think. In fact, your background as a cinematographer might even catapult you to this position, since, in an effort to save film funds, it’s becoming more common for producers to hire cinematographers who can also direct.
Many people believe that the roles of the director and cinematographer are separate, but actually they are partners in the storytelling process. This means that making the leap from cinematographer to director is not as hard as you might think. However, whether you want to exclusively direct or be a DP / director combo, you have to adhere to a certain mode of operation, master the art of collaboration, and hone your ability to speak clearly to your cast and crew in order to maximize your time on set. So how do you get that first directing job? Can you effectively direct and shoot at the same time, and if so, how do you divide your precious time between your cast and crew? With careful planning and a solid understanding of how to manage your responsibilities on set you can become the perfect “double threat” that producers love, while putting extra cash in your pocket and achieving more of your creative goals.
Using his own experience as well as his deep understanding of the industry today, Ryan will teach you how you can make the transition from cinematographer to director and use your photography background to your advantage. He will begin by broadly discussing the prospect of switching from cinematographer to director and explaining why it’s possible. He will go over how he made the transition himself as well how other notable directors made a similar shift. He will demonstrate why your background as a DP will actually make you a better director yourself. Ryan will then delve more deeply into how best to land your first job as a director, including “planting seeds” for future opportunities, playing to your strengths as a practiced cinematographer, using the connections you’ve already built, and how to create sample work to help show your value. He will also discuss the possibility of serving as a Director/DP combo on set as a way to break in, what that looks like, and how to do both roles effectively at the same time. Next, Ryan will give you the rundown of how to best tackle your first directing gig. He’ll go over the aspects of directing you can expect to come naturally and the aspects that might be more of a challenge because of your background, as well as how to let the DP role go when directing. Ryan will teach you how to best prep for your first directing gig before going on set. He’ll talk about how to create your “style guide” for the project, finding your story moments ahead of time, making a useful shot list, and how best to use storyboards. He will then talk about how to spend your time on set as a director, including how to manage your time and break up your day and how to tell the story in your coverage. He will reveal three mistakes commonly made by directors during rehearsal and will discuss when the right and wrong times to operate the camera yourself are. He will also go over finding the balance between assertive and collaborative on set and how to set the right tone. Finally Ryan will focus on working with actors from the mindset of a cinematographer, including how to speak the actor’s language, how to hold the essential one-on-one actor preproduction meeting, and what you can do to become an “Actor’s Director”. Through all of this, Ryan will give you the tools and confidence to make the switch you might have been contemplating for a while and take the next important steps on your journey to become a bona fide film director.
"I attribute a lot of my success to my background as a cinematographer. It's given me so many great opportunities and the skills to advance in my career in exciting ways. I want other cinematographers to better understand their value and potential as filmmakers, and am so excited to share what I know to empower the current DPs and future directors that are part of the Stage 32 community."
-Ryan Little
What You'll Learn
- Contemplating the Switch
- Is it possible for cinematographers to make the switch to director? (Spoiler: Yes)
- How Ryan became a director
- Other notable examples of cinematographers who are also directors
- Why shooting for other directors makes you a better director
- Landing Your First Directing Job
- “Planting the Seeds” for directing opportunities
- Playing to your strength (AKA Staying in your lane)
- Using the connections you’ve already built as a cinematographer
- How to create sample work to help you get that first directing job
- Breaking in by Being a Director / DP Combo on Set
- Are you more hire-able if you can do both jobs?
- How to convince producers to let you direct and shoot at the same time
- What does tackling both roles on set physically look like day-to-day?
- Tips on how to do both roles effectively at the same time
- Tackling Your First Directing Gig
- What aspects of directing come naturally to cinematographers
- What aspects of directing are the most challenging for cinematographers
- Letting go of the DP role when directing (and allowing the new DP to do their job)
- Prepping For Your First Directing Job
- Creating your “Style Guide”
- Finding your story moments
- Making a shot list that is actually useful
- The best time to use storyboards
- Managing Your Time on Set as a Director
- How time management can make or break your day
- Telling the story in your coverage
- 3 mistakes commonly made by directors during rehearsal
- When is the wrong time to operate the camera?
- The fine balance of being assertive and collaborative
- Setting the right tone on set
- Working with Actors from the Mindset of a Cinematographer
- How actors really feel about the DP / director combo
- How to speak the actor’s language
- The essential one on one actor preproduction meeting
- How to become an “Actor’s Director”
- Q&A with Ryan
About Your Instructor
Ryan Little
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