Chapter 1

THE DIRECTOR AND ARTISTIC IDENTITY

Pengarah dan identiti seni

Introduction
A director job is to oversee all parts needed in making a
film.
The director is responsible for translating a script
(words) into visual (shots) that will be turned over to an
editor to pull together into a film. (Dancyger, 2006)
A good director must understand the nature of every
elements that make up the film screenwriting,
cinematography, editing, etc. and how these elements
interrelated in the service of telling a cinematic story. A
good film invite the audience to dream, to exercise our
judgments, and to draw the audiences feelings and
intuitions.

Director
The task of film directing is formidable and doing it well takes
determination, resourcefulness, creativity and tenacity. A
director must have a strong ideas about the human condition, a
passion to express these ideas and a mountaineering capacity for
filmmaking grueling process.
A good director requires an ability to collaborate and an
understanding of how to get the best out of a creative team. A
film team cast and crew is made up of a number of creative
energy into producing a single stylistically unified and coherent
cinematic story.
A director answers to the producer and studio that funded the
film.

TASK OF A DIRECTOR
During pre-production:
Writing/working with the writer
Finding appropriate locations
Auditioning/casting actors
Assembling crew
Developing the cast and script through rehearsal
Developing technical and stylistic approach with the
carious department heads (camera, sound and art
departments)

TASK OF A DIRECTOR
During production:
Stage the scene for the camera and assure that the
performances are strong, consistent and appropriate
Directing the crew and actors

TASK OF A DIRECTOR
During post-production:
Oversees the creative aspects of the editing and
finalization of the film
Promoting the film

DIRECTOR AS LEADER
A film director is a leader, and as a leader must exude authority,
build trust, communicate abstract ideas clearly, and inspire good
work.
He must have confidence to see a strong vision for a project.
As the overseer of all the creative activity in a film project, the
director maintains the birds view of the film and ensures all the
components parts image, sound, performance and editing- work
together to achieve an integrated, cohesive, and expressive
motion picture.
There will be a time when a director faces depression, manic
energy, low flash point, panic, irresolution. Sometimes, this
situation will push crew and actors patience to the limit.

DIRECTOR AS LEADER
To avoid this, a director will have to develop the self-knowledge, humility,
humor and self- discipline that command respect.
Usually it takes years of experience and lots of film project to gain this
knowledge.
A director not need to take every suggestion offered, but the acct of
inviting and considering ideas from creative personnel generates more
possibilities for success and makes everyone feel personally invested in
the project.
This will inspire people to give their very best and every director should
strive for it.
All film philosophy and theory are matter because it will determine
whether the director are understand every aspects and elements of the
film, especially from the visual perspectives.

Identifying Themes
A film is not only about the technical aspects handling
camera, sound, editing, etc. but it is more about the
expressing ideas and values.
No matter how well a director handling the tools and the
medium, the storytelling will be meaningless and
colorless if theres nothing to give to the audience.
Technology is not a solution to the directing challenge.
Technology is just technology, whereas the camera
lifeblood, where it all begins and what it all means,
comes from human feeling, experience and intelligent.

Identifying Themes
So how a director does finds his own theme?
Look around and see subjects that can make you
feel comfortable. Usually, it is something that
can be attached to yourself, such as the
surrounding live and grown, the significant issues
that you face in your life, and a subject that
concerns you a lot.
For example; Yasmin Ahmad admiration to
village scenery and socio-culture in Malaysia
makes her films attached to the audience in

Identifying Themes
So how a director does finds his own theme?
David Seidler wrote Tom Hoopers The Kings Speech
(2010), a film based on the true story of King George VI,
the stammering king, because he himself developed a
stutter in childhood and always viewed King George as
a role model and hero.
Temperament, personal history and cultural factors
influence how a filmmaker sees the world.
Temperament will determine the stories a director wants
to tell, the world he wants to create, and the scale of
conflicts and themes.

Short Films or Features?

Short film is defined as those between two and 30
minutes and features are those with a running time of
80 minutes or more. (Michael Rabiger, 2013, pp. 20-21)

Short Films or Features?

SHORT FILMS
Short films can easily be as profound, moving and memorable because
it can show the quality of production, authorship and stylistic skills in a
short amount of time.
Short films can offer great opportunities to sharpen a new directors
craft, develop ability to work with a creative team, and to explore
artistic direction because he must establish characters, time, place and
dramatic situation in a very tight limitations of budget, time, space and
crew.
The director has a lot of freedom to create a film that tell a story in the
way he wanted because he has the freedom to explore without the
limitation or intervention from the producer. But of course, there will be
limitation such as money, time, equipment and personnel.

Short Films or Features?

SHORT FILMS
A lots of director are recognized through their short films such as Abbas
Kiarostami, Lynne Ramsays and Neill Blomkamp. A good short films from an
unknown director is more likely to gain audiences attention rather than a
single feature films. More than just an inexpensive way to cut your teeth as a
director, the short form is in and of itself a viable and expressive art form.
Through short films, a director has ample opportunity to display their artistic
ideas and abilities if craft and storytelling essentials.
Abbas Kiarostami is an Iranian film director, known for Where is the Friends
Home (1987).
Lynne Ramsay is a Scottish director and writer, known for We Need to Talk
About Kevin (2011).
Neill Blomkamp is a South African-Canadian film director, known for District 9
(2009).

Short Films or Features?

FEATURE FILMS
Feature film requires about 50 to 100 specialists to carry forward
their particular part of the communal task. Thats why feature
films, especially from Hollywood, are usually big budget film
because they require a lot of manpower.
Film is a business. A director in the high-budget world is under
pressure to shoot safe, all-purpose camera coverage that can be
sorted out in the cutting room. The producer or the studio that
funded high budget film will expect to have their investment
return with such a high profit. Thus, producer prefer big name
director than unknown or new director which confirm can sell the
film only by his or her name.

Remember
Explore something that truly interests you the people,
places, events and cultures that make up your stories.
Director must be a good leader in a filmmaking project.
Idea and story is everything. Technical aspects come
second.
Short film provides freedom to a director BUT in a lot of
limitation.

References
Dancyger, K. (2006). The Director's Idea: The Path to
Great Directing. Oxford: Focal Press.
Michael Rabiger, M. H.-C. (2013). Directing: Film
techniques and Aesthetics. United Kingdom: Focal Press.
Vachon, C. (2007). A Killer Life: How an Independent
Film Producer Survives Deals and Disasters in Hollywood
and Beyond. Minnesota: Hal Leonard Corporation.