Directing for the Screen - Directing for the Screen

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.

List 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

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.

Summary

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.

Additional text

"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

Report

"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

Product details

• Authors: Anna Weinstein, Anna (Auburn University Weinstein, Anna (Kennesaw State University Weinstein
• Assisted by: Anna Weinstein (Editor), Weinstein Anna (Editor)
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.01.2017
• EAN: 9781138945005
• ISBN: 978-1-138-94500-5
• No. of pages: 274
• Series: PERFORM; PERFORM
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Art > Theatre, ballet; Non-fiction book > Music, film, theatre; PERFORMING ARTS / Film / Direction & Production, Film production: technical & background skills, Filmmaking and production: technical and background skills