Zak Wilkins: DIRECTIONS: Notes from Steve Finn's Workshop [16/01]

Homework and prep is essential to any project
Directing is about being able to see the entire production/scene in your head as it will be shown on screen. (Usually looking for potential issues etc.)
Need to listen to others ideas. They're the experts in their fields and they will have ideas and input you don't - they're still creatives.
Directors are like composers, ensuring everybody is playing together and doing the right thing at the right time.
Your 1st AD is the most important person to a Director.
You rarely have the final say. You're always answering to the person(s) with the money.
You learn as much from bad directors as you do good directors.
If you're going to be a director, DIRECT!! Make sure everybody knows who's in charge when they walk onto the floor.
The best scripts have the story in the action.
If you don't know how to make a scene work, act it out and visualise it.
Think about a character's journey in a scene.
Good master shots develop. Less shots and coverage are needed by this.
Different shots allows you to vary pace when editing
Silent movies are visual storytelling gold
ROBERT BRESSON: Didn't hire proper actors instead people with interesting facial expressions. Told actors not to act or be emotive, only to follow the script and he would do the rest.
Style should come from the script, not be imposed.

Zak Wilkins