Directing for the Screen / Edition 1

by Anna Weinstein

Overview

Directing for the Screen is a collection of essays and interviews exploring the business of directing. This highly accessible guide to working in film and television includes perspectives from industry insiders on topics such as breaking in; developing and nurturing business relationships; the director's responsibilities on set and in the field; and more. Directing for the Screen is an ideal companion to filmmaking classes, demystifying the industry and the role of the director with real-world narratives and little-known truths about the business. With insight from working professionals, you'll be armed with the information you need to pursue your career as a director.

• Contains essays by and interviews with television directors, feature directors, documentary filmmakers, commercial directors, producers, and professors.
• Offers expert opinions on how to get started, including landing and succeeding in an internship and getting your first gig.
• Reveals details about working with actors, overseeing the work of often hundreds of crewmembers, writing last-minute on set, and developing a working relationship with producers and screenwriters.
• Explores strategies for doing creative work under pressure, finding your directorial voice, financing shorts and independent films, breaking down barriers and overcoming discrimination, shooting in less-than-ideal situations, and recovering from bad reviews or box office results.
• Illuminates the business of directing in the United States (New York and Los Angeles) as compared to other countries around the globe, including England, Ireland, Spain, Australia, Denmark, Pakistan, Belgium, and Canada.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138945005
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	02/15/2017
Series:	PERFORM
Pages:	292
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Anna Weinstein is a screenwriter and educator based in Atlanta. She works as a writer-for-hire to develop features and television series, and she is on the screenwriting faculty in the English Department at Kennesaw State University, where she teaches and mentors undergraduate and graduate students. Anna is the Founding Editor of the PERFORM: Succeeding as a Creative Professional book series.

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1: GETTING STARTED

TAKING RISKS AND FINDING MENTORS

Beginning With School

An Interview With Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum

SHORT ’N SWEET

The Short Film as a Calling Card

By Susan Liddy

GETTING A SEAT AT THE TABLE

Interning, Script Supervising, and Approaching a Producer With a Project

An Interview With Chiemi Karasawa

YOU AND YOUR DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY (DP)

Finding and Working With Your DP

By David Waldman and David Landau

BREAKING IN TO FEATURES

Working With Comedic Actors and Developing New Projects

An Interview With Peter Segal

CHAPTER 2: STICKING IT OUT

WHAT’S AN ASSISTANT DIRECTOR ANYWAY?

Roles and Responsibilities

By Peter D. Marshall

FILM FESTIVALS AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

The Basics

By Karen Dee Carpenter

GETTING FISCAL SPONSORSHIP

An Interview With Dianne Debicella

DEVELOPING A BUSINESS ACUMEN

An Interview With Quincy Newell

DIRECTING FOR TELEVISION

A Global Perspective

By Phoebe Hart

DIRECTING THE ONE-HOUR TELEVISION DRAMA

How It Works in Los Angeles and New York

An Interview With Jeremy Podeswa

CHAPTER 3: FINDING SUCCESS

PURSUING TRUTH IN STORYTELLING

A Lifelong Career in Documentaries and Features

An Interview With Michael Apted

DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING IN PAKISTAN

When Directing Can Be Dangerous

An Interview With Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

DIRECTING THE PERSONAL DOCUMENTARY

An Intersex Adventure

By Phoebe Hart

DIRECTING FOR STUDIOS VS. INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING

Reflections on Thirty Years the Film Industry

An Interview With Boaz Yakin

BECOMING INDEPENDENT

Distribution After the Multiplex

By Max Sexton and Dominic Lees

CHAPTER 4: GETTING AHEAD

INDEPENDENT FILM DISTRIBUTION

An Interview With Orly Ravid

INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING

By Pieter Aquilia

THE EVOLUTION OF A DIRECTING CAREER

From Australia to Hollywood and Back Again

An Interview With Gillian Armstrong

ROLLING WITH THE PUNCHES AND DISCOVERIES

Filmmaker David Gordon Green’s Journey

By Chris Vognar

DIRECTING TELEVISION COMMERCIALS

Guidelines for a Fruitful Career

By Bill Linsman

DIRECTING DOCUMENTARIES

Notes From the Field

By Timothy A. Powell

CHAPTER 5: STARTING AGAIN

TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING

The Next Step in Directing

By Jean Desormeaux and Randall Kapuscinski

NAVIGATING THE CREATIVE PROCESS

Insights on Gender and the Business of Directing

An Interview With Susanne Bier

PROCESSNG BOX OFFICE RESULTS

Building a Career in Unconventional Storytelling

An Interview With Jaco Van Dormael

BOUNCING BACK AFTER A SETBACK

The Determination to Begin Again

An Interview With Isabel Coixet

DIRECTING SITCOMS AND THEATER

From Stage to Screen

An Interview With Sheldon Epps

INDEX

Editorial Reviews

"This is not a 'how to' book, but an absorbing read which takes you on many different routes into directing. Full of insights, the range of interviewees is impressive. They all urge would-be directors to observe and learn, be persistent and find their voice."

—Claire Barwell, Former Chair of NAHEMI, Course Leader of Film Production at the Farnham Film School, University for the Creative Arts

"Directing for the Screen offers lively and astute advice from the insiders. Anna Weinstein has mixed with some of the best and probes them about their success—and learning from loss."

—Matthew Sorrento, Lecturer, Film Studies at Rutgers University in Camden, NJ

From the Publisher