How To Find The Right Film Director?

The right director will have humility, be always eager to help and is an overall great leader.

The success of any independent film production starts with the director. A filmmaker must have a director who is dedicated to the film’s story and familiar with the process of producing a quality film. I thought I’d found that in my original director and his assistant cameraman (AC).

I’d worked with both of them on my very first film gig and I saw how hardworking, dedicated, and knowledgeable they both were. So, naturally, it was a no-brainer to bring them onto my project. But as things progressed, I began to realize that they weren’t a good fit after all.

So, what happened? 

I didn’t set “clear boundaries” in the beginning. Now remember, this is the first film (my film) that I’m producing. So of course, I don’t know what I’m doing. But things were moving so fast. They were so eager to get the trailer complete and out there into the world. So, they must’ve had my film’s best interest at heart. Right?

Well, the truth is, the film community is very tight knit. You really have to prove yourself and your dedication to the craft. If people haven’t worked with you in the past – it’s really just business.

Real acceptance is going to take time.

Mistake # 1 – I let the first director create the film’s IMDB page. That meant that the director had ful control. In the end, we all agreed that it was best to part ways. Luckily, I had the copyright to the poster image, so IMDB was able to take the image down immediately.

I’m not going to lie. The very next day, when it really sunk in that they were officially gone, I was scared. I was really going to have to start at square one again! Then, another thought hit me. I had a community full of veteran filmmakers who I could turn to at any moment to answer any question that I had. (The Power of Networking). 

Luckily, I had also put up a director’s bulletin on the Virginia Film Office Hotline a month or so earlier and remembered I had an inbox full of submissions to look through. I was going to be extra strict this time around. As I was going through the submissions only 2 caught my interest.

The first interview was with a talented director who placed and won in multiple competitions such as Cannes and the London Shorts Film Festival. When I interviewed her, it was like a breath of fresh air. I asked if she was comfortable with taking on a “dark” film. When she said, “yes” I sent her my film’s synopsis after our interview. 

Two days later, I was disappointed when I received an email back from her saying, “unfortunately, my story was a bit too dark” for her to take on.

Mistake # 2 – I didn’t send the film’s synopsis to the interviewee before the interview to see if they were first comfortable with potentially taking on the project.

At this point, I wanted to cancel the next interview because the second prospect had almost the same resume as the previous. However, after talking it over with a few mentors I was encouraged to still move forward with the next interview to respect their time.

Two days before the interview I send the potential director the film’s synopsis and waited for her response. I was in complete shock when she responded with her deep compassion and sincere connection with the story as she also passed through similar traumatic events in her own life. Whew!

After a 48-minute interview, I decided to bring her on board as the director.

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Disclaimer: 

The author is not liable for any losses or damages related to actions of failure to act related to the content in this article. If you need specific legal advice, consult with an attorney who specializes in your subject matter and jurisdiction.