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I want to be a film director when I grow up…
Can you imagine a world without films and television shows? Well, I sure cannot and do not ever want to try. Movies and television shows have always been a large part of my life. I did not have a childhood that looked like most others and the television set provided a constant that I did not receive in a broken home. The characters of Barney were my best friends that I could visit no matter which home I was in. As I grew older, my choice of shows evolved and my fascination grew. I spent every Sunday reading the classifieds hoping and searching for casting calls, as I prayed for someone to bring the film industry to South Mississippi. When that never happened, I settled for forcing cousins and siblings to take place in whatever theatrical production I cooked up. As an adult, the desire to make films remained constant. I worked as often as I could as an extra on set in New Orleans, just to be a part of the creative atmosphere. As an extra on set, I was able to watch first-hand how movies were made and the magic that goes into them. To say that my passion grew more in those moments would be an understatement. On the set of the movie Trumbo, I was fortunate enough to witness the greats Brian Cranston, Diane Lane, and Hellen Mirren in action. I internally squealed with delight, when the queen herself, asked how my day was. For me, it was witnessing the characters come to life and the dedication to the art that solidified to me that film production was a true passion and not just a childhood dream. Now that my daughter is almost grown and I have the time and resources, I fully intend to see this passion through as I pursue a degree in film and become a film director. I want to create characters that feel like family, write stories that captivate the imagination, and make films that inspire positive change.
A film director whose work I admire immensely is Ava DuVernay. She has effortlessly combined her love of film with her passion for activism. Like myself, she also started her film career later in life. In CNBC’s article, “How a Career Change at 32 led Ava DuVernay to Become the First Black Women to Direct a $100 Million Dollar Film”, Courtney Connely states, “It was not until 2010 when she created her first feature film, “I Will Follow,” that she realized she had stories that needed to be told.” There are an unlimited number of social issues that we fight today and I believe that sometimes the easiest way to get a point across or inspire change is through bringing life to stories in film. Through film, we are allowed an intimate glance into other’s lives and situations, which creates a space that cultivates empathy for one another. Instead of others’ situations being “their problem”, it becomes a human problem. When that happens, we learn how to rally together and fight for the changes that need to be made. These are the types of movies that I hope to create as a film director.
When most people hear the word film director, they can usually list a handful of blockbuster creators such as Steven Spielberg, Wes Anderson, or Quentin Tarantino, however, few actually know what the job of a film director is. To put it simply, film directors are in charge of every artistic aspect of creating a movie and seeing it through to completion. The film reference encyclopedia website (www.filmreference.com) breaks a director’s duties down into three categories, pre-production, production, and post-production. During pre-production a director must first decide how they want to interpret the screenplay, they often do this while working closely with the writers. Once a vision has been established, they then work with producers to decide on a budget and with casting directors, so that they may choose the casts that best fits their vision. Set locations, costumes, and timelines are also chosen during this time. While the film is in the production stage, the film director works to ensure that decisions made during pre-production are held up. The ability to multitask during this stage is essential because not only do they have to give direction to actors, but they must also work closely with every other department of the set, such as but not limited to the lighting and sound department, set design, and sometimes stunt coordinators. This stage for most full-length films last around a month and a half. Once all scenes have been filmed the movie then goes into post-production. Post-production is then where the film director oversees the visual and sound editing of the movie. As you can see, becoming a film director is more than just yelling action or cutting. It is up to the film director to decide and execute the look, sound, and overall emotion of a movie
There are many characteristics and skills that are essential for becoming a successful film director. According to The Los Angeles Film School Blog (lafilm.edu), Hope Swedeen states that “the five most important skills needed to become a successful film director are technological expertise, flexible creativity, written and visual storytelling, and communication…” Technological expertise is crucial to creating and seeing through the vision of the movie. By understanding lighting and scene framing, a film director can decide how scenes are set up and filmed and what equipment is needed. It is also important for a film director to have flexible creativity. Creativity is a given because without it, a director cannot create the executable artistic vision needed to drive the production of a film. Anyone that has ever worked on a movie set can attest that flexibility is also a must. During production, many things can go wrong and most likely will. When a director can be flexible, disruptions and problems can be solved more efficiently. Movies themselves are visual stories, so I believe the obvious and most important skill is the ability to bring stories to life, without that ability, movies become dull and uninspired. The last skill Swedeen list is communication. Excelling in communication is another vital skill needed for film directors because not only must they be able to collaborate with all departments, but they must also be able to clearly dictate their vision to actors and various departments.
Unlike most careers, the path to becoming a film director is not a set straight line. Aspiring film directors can either choose to work their way up through other various jobs on set or they can start by completing a bachelor’s degree in a related subject. Both options have led to extremely successful careers. Brian Fairbanks wrote the enlightening article, “Before They Were Famous,” for cinenmathread.com, in which he reports on the early careers of famous film directors. Quentin Tarantino and Alfred Hitchcock are two very successful directors that have never stepped foot in film school, so you can see without a doubt that school is not necessarily needed in order to have a prosperous career as a film director. George Lucus and Tim Burton, however, expanded their existing talents in film school, and judging by their success, that was the right call for them. As you can see no one path is greater than the other. For those who do choose to go to film school, once a film degree has been achieved, in order to obtain employment, most film directors still need to show the ability to direct and can do so by directing student films or by working underneath a more established director. I have decided to get a Bachelor’s degree in film, so that I may expand upon my knowledge and skill set before seeking employment. For myself, my success generally revolves around my confidence, therefore it is imperative that I take classes so that I can be confident in my skills. I also believe that I would benefit from the added perk of networking, while in school. My hope is to take classes in all areas of the film so that I will have a well-rounded understanding of all things pertaining to my career.
Similar to there not being a set way to become a film director, there is no set salary. The amount of money a film director is paid is reflective of many things such as experience, success, and project budgets. Another large factor that dictates the salary of a first-year film director is the state that one works. For example, according to payscale.com, the starting salary for a film director in Mississippi is a little above $41,000.00; whereas in the state of New York the salary jumps up to $96,0000.00. Luckily for me, my family and I have already started planning our move to New York City following my graduation. As far as taxes go, if I were to file as a single individual 24% of my income would go towards taxes, which would be around $23,000, leaving my take-home income close to $73,000. This income combined with my significant others would be sufficient to comfortably live. The starting salary and job outlook of 5% growth (bls.gov) give me the confidence I need to pursue my career as a film director.
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