So you wanna be the next Steven Spielberg?

What’s the job?
Oh come on, everyone knows what a director does! They move people around like chess pieces, and shout at them when they don’t do what they’re told. Don’t they?

Reality check
The director is the creative fulcrum of any production. That means that artistically the director is the head of a creative team who put together every single element of a television programme or film. On set, everybody is answerable to the director, whilst off the set the director is responsible to nobody other than the producer – the person with the money! See P is for Producer.

But what does the Director actually do?
Once the director has got their hands on the script, and before a single shot has been filmed, they will then liaise with every other department - from lighting to location - and communicate their vision to them. Once they’re on the set, and filming begins, it is the director’s responsibility to bring all of these elements together in line with his original vision.

So they are just mini-dictators?
During the early days of Hollywood, it is true that directors like D.W. Griffith and Cecil B. De Mille were viewed by many as autocratic control freaks. Modern directing is completely different, not least because new technical advances and demands make it almost impossible for the director to master and oversee every facet of film-making. These days, the director tends to be part-visionary, part-conduit: taking in the suggestions of others, but ultimately making the final decision on which path to take.

The buck stops here
Of course, all of the above considerations make directing an incredibly demanding and exacting job. In the final event, the buck stops with the director: if the programme or film is a great success, they’ll get the bulk of the credit, and hopefully go on to bigger and better stuff. On the other hand, look through any movie guide and note the number of directors whose names appear just once: that’s because they boobed first time around, and were never invited to the table again!

You don’t scare me!
If that thought doesn’t put you off, and if you’re determined that directing is what you want to do, then you’ll need to get yourself a good education, and some good training.

Where do I start?
These days academic qualifications do have a bearing on where and how you start out as a director, particularly in television. But practical experience is of far greater value than any number of certificates. It is perfectly feasible to get yourself kitted out with a camera and a computer editing package for well under £1,000. Teach yourself the rudimentaries of telling a story on video: of how to create shots and how to edit them. Whilst you’re doing that, get yourself some qualifications.

Qualifications
Getting on board is generally a two-step process: a) get a degree, and b) get onto an industry-training course.

Degrees
Whilst a degree in film, television, or media studies will give you a better insight into the industry, it’s more than acceptable to take a degree in an unrelated subject, providing you can demonstrate your knowledge and love of film and television.

Training
All of the major television stations run training courses for graduates. See Links and Y? for further details and links.

Glamour rating
Nobody’s going to deny that picking up your Oscar in Hollywood is a glamorous thing to do. However, the reality is that 99.9% of directors only ever get to do it in their dreams. For the rest of the time, any glamour or ego-tripping is more than wiped out by the stress.

Future prospects
Every programme needs a director. It’s just a long haul getting there and staying there. Of course, you can always try short-cutting the whole process by setting-up your own production company, coming up with some great programme ideas, getting a television commissioning editor to commission you, and then going off and doing it all by yourself. Now why didn’t you think of that in the first place?