Becoming a Movie Director – 9 Tips for Success

You dream of directing. You can see the lights, the camera… the action!

Whether it be directing commercials, short films, or one day, directing feature films, you have a big dream.

Your dream is attainable. As many before me have said, it is no easy path–but it is doable with consistency and hard work. However, even if you have the drive and energy to do what it takes,it’s hard to aim that energy if you aren’t sure where to get started.

I plan to point you in the right direction.These items are basically what I’ve done to get where I am today.

If you put time into growing and learning new skills, you can become an effective storyteller and leader; a movie director.

For now, I’ll assume that you’re really starting from zero and haven’t made a lot of progress toward your goal, but you’re ready to start.

1. Should I go to film school, or figure it out myself?

There’s not much that hasn’t been said on this topic, but it’s still a very popular question because it’s often where aspiring filmmakers get hung up (and it’s a big decision, so no surprise there).

Here’s the disappointing answer: It depends.

There are pros and cons both to film school and self-teaching.

Basically, they look like this:

Pros – Film School:

– Access to network with many passionate, creative, driven individuals (some, but not all of your classmates)
– Access to mentors right away in your instructors (with varying quality based on school)
– Use of school equipment for class projects (varies by school)
– A step-by-step walkthrough of filmmaking fundamentals
– Learning the ‘right’ way to do things (the Hollywood industry standard)
– Learn lots of theory and understand why things work how they do

Cons – Film School:

– Cost of school and debt (unless you get financial assistance or scholarships)
– Can get stuck in the Hollywood mindset of how to do things (‘they must be donethisway!’)
– Time is utilized as dictated by your courses
– If you aren’t mature yet, you may waste time in money in school if you aren’t focused
– If the school isn’t great, you may not do enough hands-on practice to apply the theory you learned

Thanks for the great overview, Aputure.

Pros – Self-Teaching:

– Flexibility to approach filming however you like
– Learn to think outside the box and use unusual solutions, not pre-taught answers
– Spend your money on your films and practice instead of school (or just save the money and shoot on the cheap)
– Avoid potential debt of school
– Forced to network more and increase people skills in order to meet collaborators
– You focus on and learn what works on screen

Cons – Self-Teaching:

– No classes, teachers, or structure to compel you to do the legwork for your learning
– No special guidance from people unless you go out of your way to find mentors
– Don’t necessarily learn the finer elements of technique due to less theory learning

What did I do?

I learned most of what I know through self-education and hands-on practice.

I did not go to film school. I wrote, shot, edited, and repeated for four years.

Then, I finally caved and went to film school for a full semester.

I also took a handful of random night classes in film over the next few months. I learned some additional skills and made a couple films, but then decided it would be better for me to continue on my own.

The fact is that your circumstances will vary. However, there are so many wonderful (and often free) online resources out there, and more all the time.

It’s worth checking them out before you make a decision. If you’d like to read people’s thoughts on film school, here’s the Reddit thread you need.

2.  Get on any film set you can, in any role

What does this do for you? Immersion.

Student. Professional. Intern. Actor. Background actor. Whatever.

By getting on a ton of sets and experiencing different things, you will be immersing yourself into the practices of filmmakers.

As with those learning a second language and living within a foreign country, you too will learn more quickly if you live in the filmmaking environment.

You’ll pick up on their lingo, language, methods of communication, learn the function of equipment, see good and bad practices, and much more. Even if you are an unpaid Production Assistant and you don’t do a whole lot, soak it all in.

Observe your surroundings and take note.

I remember the very first set I was on. I volunteered to be an extra for a film student’s final project, a WWII short drama following a Soldier on his way home from war. I couldn’t have known that this was a student film by what I experienced.

It was so out of my league that I was starstruck. I thought it was amazing. I got a feel for the environment, how crew went back and forth, constantly communicating, each handling their own specific tasks.

It was very much worthwhile.

3.  Get experience in different crew roles

Experiment!

On my first set, I was an extra. Then, a script supervisor (‘sure, I can do that!’, I said, having never done it before) for a 4 day student film shoot. After that, I was a grip. I distinctly remember carrying, by hand, a 50+ pound box of camera jib weights, about half a mile through sand. That was a multiple day shoot for a student film.

Then I was a gaffer, assistant camera, and so on.

This is highly valuable for a director for several reasons.

First, when you get started, you won’t always have all the crew you need.

It’s going to help you a lot to know how to jump in and, with some competence, light an actor, set up a piece of equipment, break down a script, and so on. What’s the alternative, to give up? That’s obviously not an option, so the next best thing is to give it your best shot–and it helps to be well-rounded.

Second, as you grow and work with more crew, you will be a better director.

No one expects the director to be an expert at everything.

However, if you understand the basics of what each of your crew does, you will be able to speak their language. You will have an easier time knowing what to ask from them, what they need, how to make their experience pleasant, and much more.

Ultimately, this leads to better teamwork, a more streamlined shoot, and a higher quality film.

4.  Self-educate with books, videos, articles, and courses

This is pretty straightforward. If you want to become good at anything, you have to dedicate some time to learning.

Absorb the knowledge and wisdom of filmmakers past by consuming their content. There’s decades of valuable knowledge out there. Personally, I love to read, and some of the greatest knowledge I’ve gained as a director was from these books.

Just remember: Practice without learning from others experience leads to making mistakes you can avoid. However, book-learning and theory without hands-on, real application and practice leads nowhere.

Don’t let reading articles and watching videos become a method of procrastination. Get out there and make films! That leads me to my next point…

5.  Write, shoot, edit, collaborate, repeat

This is where things get real! In the end, a director is a storyteller.

Yes, a good director is many things – a leader, a manager, a diplomat, an organizer, a motivator… But while that is all important, it happens behind the scenes.

What people see is the story that unfolds before them. Ultimately, the only way for you to become a good storyteller – and director – is to practice telling stories in your medium.

You must write, shoot, edit, and repeat. With each iteration, though you will make painful mistakes and criticize yourself harshly, you will be growing in leaps and bounds with each project. Whether you write, shoot, and edit a scenario, a short scene, a skit, or an entire short film, you need to practice.

Here’s my last note. While I stole the mantra ‘write, shoot, edit, repeat’ from Film Riot (because it’s a great catchphrase), the ‘collaborate’ bit is my own addition.

Here’s why I say ‘write, shoot, edit, collaborate, repeat’.

Practice is great. Even practice all by yourself is helpful. However, you will learn even faster if you make an effort to collaborate on projects with other crews. Other teams. Work with other directors. Don’t stay within your little bubble.

Other teams will do things differently than you do, and you will learn from them.

Chances are, they will learn something from you as well. In the process, you are networking and making strong connections for future projects and possibly even partnerships. Win-win.

6.  Find a mentor

A common piece of advice for any aspiring professional is to find someone who is 2 steps ahead of you and reach out to them.

Why only 2 steps?

If you look too far ‘above your station’, your chances of getting a response are much lower. Steven Spielberg isn’t going to reply to your Facebook message. But a local production company owner or director who has a couple of feature films under his belt just might.

The reason you should look for a mentor is the same reason you should take advantage of books, articles, courses, and other knowledge that experienced pros have shared.

What makes a mentor different is they can actually help you get hands-on experience, specialized knowledge, and help you with unusual problems or questions.

How do you find a mentor? Good question. You can find mentors on sets where you are helping out, networking events, or you can reach out to production companies.

But how do you ask someone to be your mentor?

Well, you don’t really just come out and ask them. Don’t be so blunt and say, “will you be my mentor?” It comes across as a request for a large commitment, which can be a turn off for someone who’s very busy. It’s a bit unnatural as well.

Let the relationship develop naturally.

Make it seem like a small commitment for them in order to make it a more attractive request.

Ask them for a limited, defined piece of their time. “Can I reach out to you once in a while with a quick question? I would really appreciate any information you could provide.” Or, simply ask if you can have their contact info in case you have a question and could really use their expertise.

People love to feel important and valued, so the chances they will say no to that request are very low. Another thing you could ask is, “would you mind if I came into your studio/on set some time to see how you do things? I really want to learn and I’m happy to help out. Alternatively, I can just observe if you’d prefer that.”

Just make sure that you are more of a help than a hindrance. If that means being a silent ‘fly-on-the-wall’, so be it. Make sure they will want to have you around again and talk with you.

7.  Hone your people skills

As a director or freelancer of any kind, your people skills are incredibly important to your success. A lot of this industry is about networking, communication, diplomacy, and managing or leading people.

On set directing a client project.

So, it stands to reason you need to constantly work on those skills if you want to be a director.

In particular, you should be putting regular time into networking. Connect with new people, reconnect with people you thought were good to know, and maintain relationships.

Business is about people working together, in the end, so stay at the forefront of people’s minds and make sure they like being around you.

As a director, I find it especially important to learn and apply principles of a servant leader. People love to work with someone who genuinely appreciates their input, cares for their team, and is a strong decision-maker.

Learning these qualities can help you put together a terrific crew.

8.  Stay outside your comfort zone

The place where you will make the most progress is always somewhere between comfortable and stressed. There is a place where a moderate amount of stress and new experience will help you grow.

Most people just call that ‘getting outside of your comfort zone’, but science backs me up on this. Good stress is a real thing. On one extreme side of that good stress is laziness and backtracking, and on the other side is a panic attack.

How do you stay in the middle of that spectrum? Here’s the warning sign: If you feel complacent or like things are too easy, take on a new challenge. That’s what I do.

If I feel like I’m slipping into laziness and not being productive, I first recognize what’s happening. Then, I find some kind of project that I can work on to keep my skills up to speed and learn something.

Whether that’s tackling a writing project, shooting a practice scene for a technique you haven’t tried, or making a film, do something. On the other hand, you can fend off overwhelming stress by instituting good daily habits that will stabilize your life: good diet, adequate sleep, stress outlets (friends, family support, exercise), a regular schedule and rituals, etc.

9.  Make your first movie

This is really a suggestion. But… if your goal is to make a feature film someday, you need to do it at some point, right?

Here’s my biggest tip for you: Don’t wait until everything is ‘just right’. It will never happen!

If you’re a perfectionist or a planner like me, this is especially difficult. You want things to be set up and planned out just-so, so your film can be the perfect masterpiece you want it to be. A great saying is that ‘perfect is the enemy of good’.

In other words, if you don’t take the leap at some point and simply do it, your goal of perfection will keep you from creating anything, much less anything good.

This also holds true for any large project, including short films, writing a feature film screenplay, or shooting a full feature film.

Take it from someone who has been there, done that. When I made my first film, I had a great partner, and though I hadn’t learned this lesson yet, he had. He knew that if we didn’t just start, even though we didn’t feel ready, our film would never happen.

(By the way, that’s why having a good partner for your first movie is a great idea!)

How to become a movie director (one step at a time!)

1. Should I go to film school, or figure it out myself? Film school and self-teaching have their own pros and cons, but I strongly suggest checking out all the resources out there before you take the leap and spend money on film school.

2. Get on any film set you can, in any role. By immersing yourself in the world of filmmaking, you will soak up all sorts of knowledge. This is especially great for those not getting a formal education, as it will help fill in any knowledge gaps.

3. Get experience in different crew roles. By being well-rounded, you can pitch in when you need to for your films. Your knowledge will also make you better at communicating and working with different crew types.

4. Self-educate with books, videos, articles, and courses. Take the time to educate yourself as much as possible – but don’t forget to get out there and apply it.

5. Write, shoot, edit, collaborate, repeat. The only way you get better at filmmaking, storytelling, and directing is by making films. (Whoa, no way!) Go make some films, then find people to collaborate in different capacities so you can learn what other people are doing.

6. Find a mentor. A mentor is great at sharing very detailed, in-depth knowledge that you might not find online, where a majority of content is directed at beginners. They can also answer specific questions when problems arise and you can’t find the answer any other way.

7. Hone your people skills. Filmmaking involves working with people. Lots of them. So naturally, you need to make sure you can communicate effectively, are enjoyable to work with, and can network.

8. Stay outside your comfort zone. You don’t want to end up having a panic attack from stress overload… but you also don’t want to become so comfortable that you are complacent. Keep growing by challenging yourself periodically.

9. Make your first movie. You want to be a director, right? Remember that there will never be a perfect time, nor will you ever have everything you think you need to make a film. Eventually, you have to make the leap.

Well, this was an enjoyable article to write. I had to think back to when I got started – and what I wish I knew (and applied).

I sincerely hope that if you are an aspiring director or filmmaker of any kind reading this, that you found something valuable for you. If you did, you can get more stuff like this every week by subscribing below.

I hope you will join our Storyteller community! I answer questions for my subscribers who reply to my emails.

Best of luck to you – get to work on that dream of yours!