Transition from
AD to Director
Part Three
“Do you want to work in high-profile studios? Do you want to helm franchise films? Do you have a distinct voice and believe in telling your own brand of unique stories?”
Do you know who you want to be?
In all the turbulence as you transition from an AD to Director it is a lot easier, if you know who you are and what kind of stories you want to direct. On the surface this seems like an easy question but as you begin to write and pitch your projects, you will find yourself coming back to this question over and over again. In fact, this will guide almost all the decisions you make, whether you are aware of it or not. So if you can bring these answers to the forefront of your mind, it will save you a lot of agony.
I know this was the most difficult one for me: Do I want to work in high-profile studios? Who doesn’t’? But what level of creative flexibility would I have? What am I comfortable with? Do I want to helm franchise films? Do I have a distinct voice and believe in telling my own brand of unique stories? Do I want to do both? Neither is mutually exclusive, you can have a small, humble indie beginnings and helm big tent-pole films eventually. These questions below are meant to help you assess where you lean creatively and what kind of a producer may be a natural fit for you. Remember, you may fit in between these two boxes, In which case your story will decide where it lands up.
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF:
1. Are you okay shooting someone else’s script and backing the studio’s vision?
2. Would you shoot a film if the script, actors, locations and costumes were already decided before you were hired?
3. Would you shoot a remake of a film?
4. Are you okay with the studio having the final say over most things in the film including final cut?
5. Are you someone who loves what you have written and want to tell your own unique brand of stories?
6. Do you want complete control over your product?
7. Do you want a producer who collaborates and respects the Director’s vision v/s dictates the vision?
8. Would you like to have control over the final cut (ideally, because it is
rarely given)
