Help!!!!!!

[Claire]

Hello:

I have to do a research project for my government class in which I have to discuss a problem in the career that I want to study, which is film direction.

Can anyone tell me what problems or issues do film directors have to face?

Any idea would be apprecitated :wink:

 

[Digigenic]

Hey Claire,
Welcome to the forums…

Different types of director's face different types of challenges.
But, in spite of their different methods and/or practices, they do eventually deal with the same devils.

Directors who remain dedicated to their craft are always at the center of the filmmaking infrastructure, essentially, to serve as the conductor. As a result, the director must be highly interactive with everyone involved in the production, and I’m not referring to the “let’s talk over a glass of Don in my trailer after we wrap” interaction. It’s imperative that the director consistently receive, process, and transmit all of the ideas that are coming to him from every direction in a respectable manner. Directors must know how to orchestrate the wants, the needs, and the excesses of those around them with precision and professionalism in order to achieve the best possible result.

With regard to the filmmaking hierarchy and the relationship of command...
Above the director is the producer, who stresses his or her concerns about the production based on financial interests, whereas the writer who can be either above or alongside the director stresses his or her concerns based on imaginative interests. And of course, the actors, who can be equal to, but are often beneath the director, dramatically stress their concerns with imaginative zest, but are more often prone to exaggerating demands to the extent of emotional burdening.
The director must take all of this into breath, and remain poised to deliver a product for everyone to enjoy, not to mention having some sense of personal gratification at the end of it all.

It is by all accounts, one of the toughest jobs to have in the business, but if done right, or hell, if done your way... :wink:...it can be one hell of a ride.

 

[Claire]

Digigenic:

Thanks for your help , but I need a more specific problem. One that can be backed up with info found in articles (at least 15 articles)


Do you know if film piracy affects film directors at all, and if it does in what ways?

:wink:

 

[Aparna]

I don't know about piracy, at least, not the specifics. It's a problem that affects anyone who stands to make money out of movies.

Here's another problem: distribution. It's one of the major reasons why it's difficult for independent directors to have their work shown to an international (sometimes even national) audience.

There are very few distribution networks available to the average independent director. Even if you do get a distribution deal, you're not likely to make money on it, and if you don't make money, you won't be able to rise above the "student film look" and the cycle repeats itself.

 

[Claire]

Thanks, that's a good idea!!!!!!!!

I was thinking about:
The film industry is said to be an "all male industry".... discrimination towards female film directors seems to be the reason for their scarse number, but your sugestion might be better.

:wink:

 

[Digigenic]

Distribution can be a cause for concern for directors, especially for indie directors. However, a producer and his investors are usually the individuals concerned with distribution. Rarely, in these circumstances does a director have any say on where the film goes, unless the director is the producer or is an investor, meaning they’re either indie or ultra high budget.

With regard to females in the filmmaking industry,
I never fully understood this generalization of the industry refusing the "female filmmaker”.

Would your research empower female filmmakers to seize the next opportunity in making an upcoming Hollywood blockbuster? Or would it simply reinforce the notion that the filmmaking industry was created by design for the male filmmaker to be recognized over the female filmmaker?

 

[MarkG]

discrimination towards female film directors seems to be the reason for their scarse number,

To an extent, I'm sure that's true. However, I think there are three much bigger reasons for the lack of female directors:

1. They tend to make 'womens' movies', which are generally not very commercially successful. When was the last time you saw a female director who wanted to make action movies, for example?

2. Movie directing is a very hard job, both physically and mentally, and most women don't have the dedication and drive to put up with the crap involved (e.g. the financial politics and going for weeks on limited sleep). Also, in my experience of working with a few aspiring female directors, they tend not to know well enough what they want, or to be dictatorial enough in ensuring they get it.

3. Movies by female directors tend to get praised even when they're not very good, just because they were made by women. As a result, even when female directors make movies that are really good, many people assume it's just hype.

If 'discrimination' was the only reason why women weren't directing movies, then we'd see a lot more low-budget independent features made by women than we do.

 

[MarkG]

I don't know about piracy, at least, not the specifics. It's a problem that affects anyone who stands to make money out of movies.

Which primarily means big studios. Lloyd Kaufmann from Troma, for example, has written articles on the benefits of 'piracy' for independents, many of whom would love it if their movie was popular enough to be being pirated.

Here's another problem: distribution.

Distribution is _the_ big problem for independent movies. There must be more than enough good independent movies out that to fill the cinemas that are so often showing lousy Hollywood movies that no-one wants to see, but Hollywood does everything it can to keep them out. Similarly on TV, the TV station may have to buy into a bulk deal where they get the latest Hollywood blockbuster but have to buy a dozen crappy movies too, and once they've paid for those movies they're going to show them rather than pay more to show an independent movie that's actually good.

 

[Aparna]

Actually, men more chick flicks than women do. Off the top of my head, "I-Spy" was directed by a woman.

The second point that MarkG cites sounds like blatant sexism to me...

I don't think that you should focus the discrimination issue. It has already been done, and there are far bigger problems facing directors today. Bottom line is, if a woman wants to direct, she will.

Another thing you could look at is interference from the producer. Sometimes a director is chosen after all the planning has been done (a "prosthetic" director) and he pretty much has to defer to everything the producers wish. You know, director has brilliant idea; producer says, "Naw... You know, I think we should have dancing girls." It's the problem of how much (or how little) creative control directors have over their work.

 

[MarkG]

The second point that MarkG cites sounds like blatant sexism to me...

It may sound like that to you, but it's a simple fact of reality. You're free to believe whatever you like, of course, you don't have to deal with the real world if you don't want to.

Any aspiring female director can grab a DV camera, get a few friends together and make a movie: so why is it that the vast majority of successful low-budget independent movies are made by men?

 

[Aparna]

If you think that what you said was "fact" you are sorely mistaken. It was a sweeping generalisation.

Maybe there aren't that many female directors because they prefer to do other things.

Personally, I don't believe that there is a bias in the industry. I believe that any woman who wants to direct a movie can and will. The fact that there aren't that many women is a reflection of personal taste.

But, like you said, you are free to believe what you want. If you believe that women are not capable of putting in the work required to direct movies, you'll continue to believe that. It's sad, but there's nothing that can be done about it.

 

[Digigenic]

One of my all-time favorite movies was directed by a female, Real Genius, directed by Martha Coolidge. Martha Coolidge was also the first female President of the Director's Guild of America.
Another female director, Kathryn Bigelow directed Point Break, an awesome action movie.

 

[laurent.a]

Digigenic:

Do you know if film piracy affects film directors at all, and if it does in what ways?

:wink:

I'm not sure they really give a shit or would, because it affects basically "major" films, and it becomes a production/distributor problem, not a director one, as they get money on the tickets, ie good money on this products.

I'm sure some directors, like musicians for music, of films that are not so very much seen are happy people watch their films, no matter how, since piracy on "normal" films is absolutly minor and marginal. Did you have a look on the number of sources for such films compared to major ones.

A lot of pirated films are old ones, that you can't see or easily by, however...

 

[gwyddion]

More problems

More problems

I remember reading a while ago about some small-ish video company editing all of the "Objectionable" scenes out of movies and then selling them as the originals (cleaned up) it opened a huge can of worms wth copyrights and I'm sure it hit the courts...every now and again it'll crop up when something new develops...

 

[deathxcold]

Thanks, that's a good idea!!!!!!!!

I was thinking about:
The film industry is said to be an "all male industry".... discrimination towards female film directors seems to be the reason for their scarse number, but your sugestion might be better.

:wink:

I'd have to agree with you, Claire, that the majority of the industry does have a very masculinist bias (even if it's not intentionally that way). But I wouldn't lose hope, given that I've studied cinema and many female film directors pop up among the exceptional. Deren, Arzner, Varda, Coppola, etc...

 

[deathxcold]

Re: Help!!!!!!

Hello:

I have to do a research project for my government class in which I have to discuss a problem in the career that I want to study, which is film direction.

Can anyone tell me what problems or issues do film directors have to face?

Any idea would be apprecitated :wink:

One thing to always keep in mind is that a film director does not "just" direct the film. Even though it's not a necessary requirement, film directors are generally multi talented people ranging everything from writers, studio artists, musicians, choreographers, dancers, chess players, essayists, etc... because the way a shot is composed is determined by more than just pastiche rip offs of other film directors. Though, again, different directors have different styles and being well versed in the arts is what separates good directors from mediocre ones.

Another thing you might want to look into is taking special attention of different directorial styles. What makes Deren's films uniquely her? Or what makes Lynch's films different from, say, Kubrick's?

And don't forget about dedication, because direction really takes a lot of energy out of you.

 

[laurent.a]

It's not easy to talk about a director's career, just like it's not easy to speak of a painter or of any artistic job's career...

 

[temerson]

The biggest problem directors put up with? Too many to name. Directors and filmmakers have to be like Marines, ready to go and improvise at a moment's notice, sometimes going in blind on a hunch that something will work, playing with millions of dollars of other people's money, casting, getting a shot in poor conditions, tryng to get a performance out of an actor. These are just a few.