Directing

One word comes to mind when I think about directing: coaching. A movie, like any sports team, cannot function properly without their coach. Directors bring the story to life with their visions and interpretations. They direct every part of the shoot from the scheduling to the best camera angle used to get the full feel of a shot. This might be the most important part of a film for even a bad story can be told in an interesting manner, a sad story can give you hope or a happy story can make you cry. Each director also has their own personal style. For instance, Guillermo Del Torro is known for his visually stunning characters in films which can be seen in his movies such as Hellboy 2: The Golden Army and Pan’s Labyrinth.

He has been called the greatest story teller of our time, the most influential director ever and possibly a genius. Who is he? If you guessed Stephen Spielberg you are correct. His name itself is synonymous with great movies like Indiana Jones, E.T., Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan the list goes on and on. His ability to find a balance of styles between big budget blockbusters and critically acclaimed award winners is uncanny in his profession. George Lucas once said, “If you do something well enough there will be people who try and duplicate.” This quote is what Spielberg is to the industry. Like Edward Cullen says in the new movie Twilight, “It’s like eating tofu; it tastes like real meat and fills you up, but it will never completely satisfy you.” Think of other copycat directors like tofu; their fun to watch, but they never leave you with a sense of amazement.

There are others who are on top of their game when it comes to directing like the Cohen brothers Joel and Ethan. Their dry and innovative directing has led to classic movies like O Brother Where Art Thou?, No Country for Old Men, and The Big Lebowski. O Brother, Where art Thou? is a very interesting film adaptation that is based on the story of The Odyssey by Homer. Another director that has become famous over the past 8 years or so is Christopher Nolan. With the help of his writing partner, and brother, Jonathan Nolan these two have been primed to become the next big thing in movies. They already hold the claim to the 2nd highest grossing film of all-time The Dark Knight (predicted to be #1 all time with DVD sales). Other films they can claim fame to are Batman Begins, Memento and The Prestige.

In conclusion a director needs to be creative, creative, creative. They need to be able to control every aspect of the filming, and need to be able to think of every detail of the movie. It is the little things that make something great, and in this sense knowing any and everything about the story you are making come to life will help make a movie as good as it can be.