Directors Journal Jaspreet Hanspal

What role does the Director play in the production of the product? A Director must direct the actors and film crew in the film making process. They control the films artistic and dramatic aspects whilst guiding the technical crew and consistently giving input to shape the product into their vision. It is the Directors responsibility to select and collect the cast, arrange for the set and props, including costume, and to give suggestions in the post production process i.e. sound effects, shot types, editing. The Director must also turn the script into a sequence of shots that are visually coherent when being merged together via editing. Furthermore, it is vital that the director works closely with the actors and is in charge of screenplay, as it is their vision that is translated through the acting of the cast, and in order to have their intentions communicated, the acting must reflect the vision of the Director. Why did I decide to take on this role? Taking on this role seemed fit for me, as being a Director allows you to learn every aspect of the filmmaking process, from filming, to acting, to editing and sound. I have partaken in every stage and find it very helpful toward developing and expanding my skills. I also felt as if I had to step out of my comfort zone and adapt to using technology such as SoundTrack Pro, SLR Cameras, Final Cut Pro, Photoshop, and many others. However, I was the Director in my AS Media Studies assignment, and willingly took on the role again at A2 as our previous project was a success, and I wanted another chance to improve even more and produce an original and complex piece. I also feel as if I am a candidate who is liable to be organised and able to communicate with both the Editor and Cameraperson comfortably and maintain a good relationship to collectively produce an excellent product. I have always believed in aiming for the best and have strived to do so with my role as Director. What did the role involve? The role involvedProducing an idea and plot for the film, and later creating the script Producing a Pitch for other entities to help sponsor our film and invest in our idea to display it on a larger platform Gaining an understanding of our target audience Coming up with the name for our film Organising the cast, makeup, costume, props and location Arriving on set, directing the actors and cameraperson Watching the footage over, and working with the editor to weave the shots together to create the intended narrative Collectively adding sounds with the other members of the group, e.g. music, diagetic/non diagetic/synchronous/score music

Creating social network pages to raise awareness

All in all I would definitely say that being a Director is a demanding but rewarding role. Having responsibility over the many aspects of a film allows for more control and therefore produces a good quality product. This role also involves knowledge of our potential market and target audience, as it is crucial to know who the film is being aimed at, and what they would enjoy to see. Furthermore, it is essential to be clear about what your intentions are for the film/actors/editing. Being decisive and direct with the people involved is important as it is down to the Director to lead the whole process. The director should also have knowledge about shot types and the impact they have on the audience; the sounds that are suitable for the film, and the types of cast that would best suit the characters created. Lastly, I strongly believe being a Director requires creativity to produce an original storyline which is innovative and different. Did I encounter any problems whilst fulfilling the role of Director? Being Director has definitely had its difficulties. I would say that it can be a struggle to be completely organised, as there are scenarios where the Director cannot control everything. For example: The actor is late. We have had occasions where our time frame has been tight and our actors may not have arrived on the day or were late. Furthermore, finding suitable sounds has also been challenging as it has been very hard to find good quality sounds that fit into our production, and syncing that sound with the action on screen. It is problematic having a heavy schedule and a small time to produce the film, but I overcame these problems by becoming extremely organised; scheduling the actors, using unfamiliar technology to look for sounds, and becoming more confident with the editing process to sync the sound to the actions. What has taking on this role taught me? I gained a greater understanding of the filmmaking process and became more familiar with the complex technologies behind the process. I have learned to get out of my comfort zone and use software I havent used before to create a better piece of work i.e. Photoshop. I have also gained new skills, such as being able to incorporate Epic Theatre with the acting to create a comic film, and learning that I can apply my acting knowledge to this assignment by advising the actor in the filming process. I have also found that being a Director for the second time has allowed me to improve on my previous work and reflect on my flaws to therefore produce an even better film. Lastly, I have greatly learned the importance of communication and have expanded my communication skills by communicating with the Editor and Cameraperson to capture my vision.