I am definitely a writer director, I feel that not writing a film is like having someone else paint a Monet in black and white and you adding colour, when your job is to make the art
I'm definitely a writer director. Very focused on plot and plot structure. However, I'm planning on taking some acting classes to get a feel for more of the actors' side.
Definitely. It's really amazing to see him talking about the technical aspects of filmmaking (the last one where he talks about using native IMAX 3D is really cool) and shows that, despite what you think of his films, the guy knows what he's talking about.
Scorcese is all of these bar the writer type imo. Hed be hard to include because I don't think that you could make a solid case one of these defines his style
Rebassed Yo bruder where the h are you? We couldnt find a decent way to communicate about the lessons that you would give me on the financial industry :))
Rebassed Bro message me cuz I cant figure out how this bitch ass g+ works! I cannot find the damn button where you can message someone... They try so hard to be complicated, unbelievable .
I have to say that by far you are my favourite filmmaking youtuber. You explain everything so well and I love your video styles. You put so much more helpful stuff than more popular RU-vid filmmaking people. Love your stuff
Thanks D! I literally just found out through this vid that I am a writer-director. My screenplay is so personal, I refuse to just sell it, I have decided to learn all i can about filming on a budget, just so i know it will come out right LOL
Felicsp Production's I think a director can be called an auteur when a he or she has developed a recognisable style in their execution of pretty much all the mentioned components of film in the video above.
Myles Chamaa Thank you Myles. It's starting to get very tough to reply because I'm getting more and more comments but I'll always try to stay on top of it as best I can lol.
I am definitely a combination of Visionary and Poet director completely. I love to chose scripts that can be "technically" and "artistically" unique in a way that will communicate to the audience a new idea. The dialogue is important, but if I feel like it doesn't fit with the aesthetic I will throw scenes out or completely get rid of lines depending on my "instinct." I believe that Poet Directors stem from extremely artistic backgrounds in the fine arts, people that have drawn and painted their whole life look at film making as a canvas instead of a job.
I'd fall into the visionary/poet area for sure. I have yet to do a personal project that wasn't based around a shot I figured out how to do or a random thing or situation that came to my attention.
I can totally relate to wanting to do a certain shot and building scenes / story around it lol. Sometimes it's tough justifying doing what you want to do visually but also making it work story-wise. Thanks for commenting James.
I feel like Christopher Nolan fits into all these.... He writes his own movies, works great with actors, has stunning images and makes confusing poetic films (and hires Hans Zimmer)
Today I made the realization that I'm interested in bringing crazy ideas I have to life through film. This video was extremely insightful for me! Subscribed.
Thank you for helping me focus my filming endeavors. I'm glad i found your channel. Transitioning from an actor to a director is a big step. thank you for helping me know where i stand.
Great categories, Darious. I consider myself to be a poet director. I hadn't heard that before until you created it. It fits me like a glove. Thank you.
Am I the only one who thinks that all these categories kind of fit to me? I'm a writer director at time but love it when someone else writes something that I would love to direct! On the other hand I love working with actors who can really dedicate themselves to the characters and do change lines and improvise to get them to give a better performance. But I love nothing more than the camera and how it can be used to change how everything is perceived! And what is the fun without being symbolic and metaphoric whenever possible, making the most of a single shot to say as much as possible! Great list though, got me thinking I will probably settle for visionary, as Cinematography is my first love! :D
+Harsh Doshi When you type exactly what I'm thinking. I don't mind directing other people's writing, but also am very protecting of my own script. I've done theater since I was young and love acting and would be comfortable with any improvements to my dialogue by the actors. I also love what you can do with a shot and always say "If a picture is worth 1000 words, a bunch of pictures moving super fast is worth a lot more". And I'm Mr. Metaphor as well lol.
ITS AMAZING THAT WEEK AFTER WEEK I SEE YOU TRY TO PERSONALLY ANSWER AND REPLY TO EVERYONE, THATS A LOT OF DEDICATION AND WORK, I HAVE THE UP MOST RESPECT FOR YOU RESPECT TO YOU BRA
Thanks Britt. I try. Part of the fun of making the videos is interacting with those who take the time to watch it. If someone takes the time to comment, I try my best to take the time and respond. Thanks for the support bra =)
younebi Thats not what actors director means. You think all actors hate visionaries, auteurs and poets ??! PTA makes amazing films, that's why actors like him. Every director requires great performances. also pretty sure Burt Reynolds complained about working with him on Boogie Nights. Obviously he gets on well with actors, but when I think of his films I dont think of classic human drama, with tonnes of improvisation etc. PTA tends to keep the audience from relating or getting close to his characters. So while he is interested in characters, his films don't strike me as the actor/director style.
C'mon now, He's no Alfred Hitchcock, who leaves no room to actors for creativity. He always takes actors' opinions on their roles before filming.They discuss characters for days even for minor roles.He also approves method acting in his films. See "There will be blood" or "The Master". Burt Reynolds' problem was to regret being in a film related to porn. And yet he got nominated for an oscar with that film.
Yoo D4 i am going to teach you something, you tend to mix : special effects & visual effects. Special effects = physical effects Visual effects = GGI/Computer generated effects/imagery :)
I really appreciate you making videos like this because you actually are giving useful information and are clearly explaining it straight forward. Keep it up! I'll keep watching.
Love your videos D4Darious, always learning and taking notes. I agree with the observation but one more I'd like to add from my perspective is the Director's Director. Someone who is proficient in all aspects of the film and detailed, from the focal length of the lens, the interaction with the actors all the way down to the type of sound or prop they want. Every part of the film is important in their vision. The ones who fall into this category are Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg, Alfred Hitchcock and Martin Scorcese. They love the acting side as much as the technical side and everything else in between. I suppose every Director has been or has to be just that at some point. But I feel the very best Directors have this aspect to them.
"...to make sure they don't screw it up."....you hit the nail on the head there. i tend to cling to exact dialogue and don't want anyone to change it. I just heard you say that and i was like, "yup, i'm a writer director."
TargonTheDragon Hahaha. I see it all the time. It's okay, as long as you understand how you work best as a creative. It doesn't matter how you get there as long as you get there. Thanks for commenting Bruh!
My ideal director self will transit from Auteur to Visionary to the one who works well with actors. Auteur at the writing stage - Visionary at pre-production stage and finally on set I would want to tap into actors' creativity. I saw Inherent Vice yesterday on 70 mm and I feel that he is definitely the Actor's director and Poet. I need to see it again to learn the shot designs he had and to understand the film. Thanks for your insight, I just subscribed :)
I am definitely a writer first and foremost and I want to direct what I write. I came from graphic novels, where I had several properties debut at Comic Con in San Diego and had some projects optioned.. When I got into filmmaking, I definitely wanted to control what I wrote, so it was a natural progression.
I'm going back to get a degree to Direct Film. I went to get my degree first in Script Writing. Now I realize more I want to Direct partly to get some of my scripts out there, but to truly learn the art of what makes an amazing Film. Thank you for this video so I can identify my route more clearly. Thank you! I look forward to more videos.
I'm a mixture of the Actor/Director and the Writer/Director. I love acting just as much as I love writing and directing my own material, but I'm not glued to the dialogue if the actors have trouble with it. At the end of the day it's about making the best picture possible and you can't do that if you're not willing to come to a middle-ground compromise with your actors.
Actor's director. As an actor, I enjoy the freedom to explore the character with improv. It's a great way to build personality and instinct for your character.
I love your page man. I'm definitely a writer director. I cringe whenever I've written something and the director decides to take it in another direction, and then I mumble "I need to do it myself" lol! You nailed it. But it definitely shows me that I need to be more open, and definitely study the "Actor Director" because they seem to be our opposites.
Each style has their strengths and weaknesses. Being an actor director requires you to have a lot of trust in your actors and the experimental process of acting. For many people that's terrifying. It's definitely not for everyone. Thanks for commenting JJ.
I've learned to really embrace the collaborative nature of filmmaking. In my real early beginning days, I would be a little too married to the written word or the picture in my head. I've become a little more loose with it as I work now. I have a better understanding of which dialogue pieces are essential and which can be tightened and modified. I almost always write all the scripts I direct but on the day, I find myself becoming removed from that and dealing with what is in front of me and what will get the best results. A lot of it is a self-preservation thing. On low DIY budgets, it's tricky to get the environment, actors, schedule, weather, and other circumstances to line about precisely how you want so sometimes, the key is to find the most exciting idea I can with what is in front of me. The opening scene of my current feature was one where nothing was going well on the day and about two takes into the first shot, I stumbled upon a way to insert that particular energy into the scene and something amazing happened - without specifically blocking it, the cast and crew all managed to somehow be on the same wave-length and create this really memorable moment that would have been impossible to plan yet somehow expressed everything that the scene needed to.
It's nice when magical moments like that happen. They can never be planed but when the happen it reminds you of why you love making movies. Thanks for sharing Jim.
I'd say I'm a mix of all four... I write scripts with the intention of directing them, I am an actor before director so can work well with them, I'm obsessed with cinematography and composition, and I love to throw in the ambiguous, experimental moments here and there
Where would you put Darren Aronofsky? He writes and directs but seems like he might be more of the poet variety. I was profoundly touched by *_The Fountain_* and had to watch it several times to really get the yin-yang of it. The crux of that move for me was when Izzi said, _Death is an act of creation_. Later Tommy said, _Death is a disease and I'm going to cure it_. It really sums up the rules of our universe at the largest and the smallest scale.
He's definitely a writer director. I'd say films like 'The Fountain' and 'Requiem for a Dream' are some of his more poetic works, but he also makes very straight forward commercially viable films like 'The wrestler' and 'Black Swan.'
I'd say I'm an actor's-director, although, I've only ever done projects where I'm either directing my two daughters, or friends.... but I believe that I approach projects from the actor's-director perspective, as I'm much more excited about honing a performance than any other aspect of film-making.
Those characteristics definitely put you in the actor's director category. It sounds like you really enjoy the working with actors side of it. If you didn't, you'd definitely know it lol. Thanks for commenting Jarrod!
I think I'm a mix of an writer's and an actor's director. I absolutely love writing a screenplay because you get to come up with all these lines and setups that you have control of, but I'm also really open to what actors want to bring in and love to see what they do with the script. However, I would say that the most honorable director is the visionary, simply because the process and all that jazz is so much to take on and there's a lot of time spent planning what will happen and how it's going to look and how to talk to the audience through showing and not telling.
If I had a larger body of work as a Director, I would probably best fall in to the Writer/Actor Director-type. I have much more experience as an Actor but now expanding my creative skill set into writing and directing.
Hey Darious, director from Toronto Ontario here- I have a very similar grouping system, but they're just a bit different from yours. 1. Writer/Director: A very rarely successful filmmaker in my experience. Rarely pulling compelling performances from their actors. Tarantino and Woody being exceptions, but when you see the films they make that miss the mark, they miss quite badly. 2. Actor/Director. Spot on. 3. Producer/Director- my take on why Michael Bay, Snyder, Spielberg, James Cameron and Peter Jackson tend to be so box-office oriented, and also so successful there. Two words: Production value. Granted it's criminal to put Spielberg with the others... maybe we just say he's the best of the bunch and the rest are just less artistic versions of him. 4. Rebel Directors- These are directors who take cinema at face value. They take their work very seriously, tend to be highly intelligent, find ways to synthesize for maximum memorability. Some call them daring, shocking, artsy, needlessly provocative. But they're generally rebels. Whether they're rebelling against the new wave ala Alejandro and Chris Nolan, attempting to stop time so as to extract more value from a forgotten time, or they're rebelling against the norm, pushing it ahead. Your Stanley Kubricks, your Goddards.. But if I'm being honest, I think anyone who has been very successful has had to be one of these things, while becoming exceptionally brilliant at faking being another as well. Hitch was as much a rebel as he was guarding that rebellion with the rigidity of his scripts.. and as much as Ben Affleck's a fun guy who actors love to work with, he has very strong abilities as a writer, as well as a producer. So it's good to be one very well, but if you want to get anywhere, you're gonna have to figure out how to straddle the line a bit too.
Darius, I'd love to work with you. Your channel is a must view for aspiring filmmakers. It's great to receive information identifying the type of director I am. Definitely a poet. I never heard such a thing until watching your channel. You just made me cry.
I would say I'm a visionary director. I'm about to start film school in college but when I was making films in high school the visuals were always something I leaned toward when I would direct, probably due to make animated films before anything else. These videos are great! I love how straight forward you are about the industry, and the helpful tips you give. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
I'm in between the Visionary Director & Actors Director because as much as I love working with actors I love to show my own visual style with the camera
I feel like I sit somewhere between the Writer Director, and Visionary Director. I love the technical side of film making and really into more spectacle driven things (as long as they have a practical purpose for advancing the story), but I'm really in to writing my own stuff because I love crafting the story from beginning to end.
I love all these different categories. But through my experience I'm a bit of all of these kinds of directors. I think a good balance of all these is a good thing. I can find a bit of all of these in my directing. Thanks for making the video!!!!
I'm part Visionary, Actors Director, and Poet. I have written things I've directed in the past but I am absolutely comfortable directing someone else s work. I'm not a writer foremost. Background as a cameraman so the Visionary is definitely there with blocking a scene. I love working with actors and helping them and letting them get a handle on their characters and just letting them run with it. Big fan of Improv. And I love metaphors and abstract, philosophical films and making them. My first short was a metaphor.
Im probably all of the first three pretty equally but find myself leaning towards the visionary just a tiny bit more. I just adore the beauty that can be made in film and never overlook a film's visual potential. But without a good script or characters, a film might as well not be worth watching no matter how well shot. Thanks for posting this as well! Learned alot!
This is the first video I have come across in my research that I actually related with. Even though I have just started writing my screenplays I would definitely have to say I'm in the poet category. Most of everything I write comes from a poem I have written. My only struggle is always wanting to kill somebody or have a dramatic death. I have to get out of the way of thinking. But thanks for the videos they are awesome.
Definitely a poet. Symbolism and unconventional ways of narrative totally resonate with me. More often than not, I get my ideas for films just by observing scenarios around me and questioning the meaning behind them. (cheap plug: if you'd be so generous, you can watch two shorts I've crafted this way on my channel, BREATHE & SCENES FROM A PARK)
I'm definitely a mix of visionary and poet! Cinematography has been my passion for a while now, but I still enjoy the more poetic side of arthouse and similar genres.
I just discovered your channel, as I’m getting into filmmaking and with a photography background, I’m definitely a visionary. Your content is awesome and I’m learning a ton by watching your videos! I know this video is 5 years old but it’s definitely a timeless piece! Thank you! 🙏🏼😎
I'm a combination of the Auteur and Actor's director. I write, but I also like to see actors make their lines (or scenes) better, by appealing to their strengths. I also shoot most of my stuff and love special effects, so I guess you can add the Visionary category to those.
Visionary Writer Director. I steer towards deeper scripts, but love visual effects. Complicated, and time consuming, but they help to create the worlds that I imagine. I suppose production design has a hand in that too.
That sounds like a visionary, writer, director lol. You make quite a bit of work for yourself I'll bet (if you writer, direct and do all the effects in your own movies) Doing visual effects can take so much time. Thanks for commenting!
This is pretty good food for thought. I'm the new president of the college's film club and I can see examples of each of these categories from this past year. Our founder/former president was definitely a visionary while I tend to be more of an actor's director. That further explains the shift in leadership for the club. Looking forward to see where it goes this fall.
I tell you what, I'm all 4 and enjoy all four. I had this film I made. Most of the actors would mess up lines here and there, but there was this one actor, he stayed messing up and improving. I rolled with it because I realized he had a language barrier and even took advice from some of my actors. I wrote the script and reworked it to adapt to them. I have scenes that get deep, scene that bring out an emotion with the camera play. Just a whole lot going on.
Pretty interesting categories. Tend to agree, despite obvious overlap. Could definitely be helpful in future writing/directing roles. Would prefer visionary, but probably am an actor's director because of current monetary constraints...
The great part is if you know being a visionary is your weak point then you can always work on that. You're not limited to what you feel your naturally good at. Thanks for commenting.
I would definitely say I'm a mix of all of them except for Actor's director. I really love to make philosophical stories, and I don't want it to be screwed up once it is finished and in production, while also wanting to have a very good set up for certain scenes.
I'm smack in the middle of the writer-director and the Visionary. I'm not super obsessed about my actors using the exact dialogue or scene plotting I wrote though; I like the actors to play around a bit because then they get into the character more and their portrayl is much more organic. Sometimes they even add new insights to the character that make the story better! I also loooooovvee cinematography. I feel the main benefit of film is that you can impart feelings, tone, story, etc through a visual medium. Mad Max:Fury Road is one of my fav movies because it is so beautifully shot and says so much without actually using dialogue. Also early Steven Spielberg is goals 👌👌👌
Christopher Nolan is a poetic film maker. Big examples of his work that show this are "Following," "Memento," "The Prestige" (my favorite movie), "Inception," and "The Dark Knight Rises."
I believe I am actually three: writer, actor, and visionary. I would direct a film someone else wrote but I'd prefer to direct a film I wrote and I really focus on the story. On the other hand i enjoy acting and like working with actors and even though i wrote the dialog or movement, sometimes something you wrote on paper isn't as strong on screen so i allow my actors to improv the dialog a bit as long as the don't skew off the main topic and it makes sense to the story. Lastly, I love camera movement and believe that the way the camera moves is a very important part of the process and like using the camera in crazy and interesting ways, which also makes me a poet director a bit because I like getting off the beat and path because it makes you stand out.
I have the combo of being both the actor director & visionary to really carry out the plot of my story to work on both terms of the outcome for my short films.
im both a Auteur and a Visionary director. I absolutely love writing, but I also love drawing, and set design and lighting and camera techniques to me are like moving paintings. i want my films to have a cool picture you wanna screenshot every time you pause the film. I know it seems impossible, but I'll work something out. Thanks, D
I love Lars von trier after watching his film zentropa or europa. I became intrigued in his type of film making, such a touching and visually different way of things. Loved your list!
I like trying to get as strong of a performance from the actors as possible, try to capture something that looks or feels greater than that I had imagined or written, and I also like leaving symbolisms and poetic storytelling simply to avoid the typical film making techniques.
Great video! I feel closer to the writer - director category as I always direct the scripts I write putting more effort into the scripts than the actual directing, but I'm part of a category you didn't mention which is the editor's director, where I can pace my scenes envisioning the editing later on. George Romero's work on 'Dawn of the dead' is an example of this but I'm not saying I'm anywhere close to his talents in his hay day.
I'm glad you could identify with what I was talking about.I feel like knowing your process and how you work best is very important. Thanks for commenting =)
So that explain why I am a David Fincher junkie! I felt like I would fit two types! Poet and Visionary but more Poet if I had to pick one even though I am torn between the two. I don't want to act but I would give my actors more freedom depending on who is acting.
I'im a visionary. I love big shots using everything to get an amazing shot. I also love great locations and big scenes. Some people say that the movie San Andreas featuring Dwayne Johnson was not great story-wise but I loved the Visuals and effects, it was amazing.
I'm like half Writing-half Visionary with a splash of Poet. I love strong plots but I also love when it is told with imagery and not just words. I will follow judge a film by its plot but I love some good camera work.
It was really true.... I Know it's not something academic, but it was nice to see someone has almost the same idea as I do. You can really divide Directors into those categories.
Based on these 4 types I'd say I am a mix of a visionary and poet director, but I am aiming towards adding more of a Writer director style to my future short films.
Intriguing. I would say I'm more of the writer's director, although on my first film I gave certain actors leeway with lines as long it stayed true to the character and didn't alter the story or plot.
Im a visionary with leanings towards actors...my strongest suit is practical visusl effects, but I'm definately a gear head and love using the camera as an additional character to move the story visually. I like working with actors tho and do act a bit myself, and I'm always willing to change things to get the best performance from my cast
2 years later but, I am a actors director. Simple fact that when I imagine my movies I think strong acting makes up for a lot of things that might potentially lack. I think the more comfortable the actors are wirh you as a director. The better the performance and the less drama or prevented drama. The actors will get wirh you on a personal level so our able to get things out of them they might have a hard time getting out. Being an actors director I think is a gift personally
I think I like to balance all four of these. I like to write myself, but when we're on the set I'll throw the script to the sharks and expect everyone else do that too. The actors got a lot of liberty as long as they understand where their character's at. The same is with visual style. I have a strong vision, but when the art director understands that they can do what they want. Usually we end up 90% into same conclusion. In The Night-Guardian we experimented a lot with the story, and the end result was very different from the script, but still kept the same themes and point. And I'm still learning :) Thanks for the video!
I'm more of a visionary-director, because I absolutely LOVE special effects. My really close second is writer-director, because I also like writing stories.
I am definitely a writer/director. I always have a story to tell. I'm also kind of an actor's director. The very first thing I do after I yell "cut" is I talk to my actors. I tell them what they did good first, then tell them what we could try differently.
