things i've learned as a moviemaker
by mark romanek

be flexible

you must have a clear vision of the film—every frame, every rhythm, every nuance, every sound. however, you must also remain "open." you must be ready to embrace surprising opportunities, [the] happy (or unhappy) accidents and be extremely collaborative. if that sounds like a bit of a contradiction, it is. sometimes, you must "bend like a reed in the wind" or you’ll snap. sometimes when something appears to be going "wrong," it’s actually going "right" and you don’t know it. have a strong vision, but be sensitive to the flow of events. it may be pointing you in the right direction.

rehearsal = experimentation

rehearsing is vital. in many ways, it’s a craft unto itself. some actors may not like it, but the set is no place to mull things over and experiment. it’s too costly and there’s often no time. you can’t rehearse under pressure. rehearsal needs to be a period of freedom, discussion, fun and exploration. you’ll generate some great new ideas here, and—hopefully—have time to incorporate them intelligently into the film. also, do a table reading. it’s the last time you’ll see the film in continuity.

don’t forget your inspiration

keep things around that remind you of the idea or feeling that originally sparked your excitement about making the film: a photo, a sentence, an object, etc. as the difficulties and near constant crisis management of production wear on, often these original sparks of inspiration can become lost in a miasma of compromise and fatigue. it’s easy to forget why you wanted to subject yourself to this nightmare in the first place.

wear comfortable shoes

i think steven spielberg suggested to sam mendes that he "wear comfortable shoes." guess what? he’s right. if you find a type of shoe that works for you, buy three pairs. you’ll be on your feet for about six months straight.

require people to take notes

have tons of pens and pads of paper available for the crew at all times, especially in pre-production. make people write down your notes, requests, suggestions and decisions. weeks later, people might have subjective recollections of these conversations. if someone asks you whether you want 19 or 90 extras for a scene, and you want 90, make sure they write down "90".

listen to your intuition

always listen to your intuition—that inner voice that’s telling you what to do. sometimes you have to be the "enemy of the people" and do what you know in your heart is right, even when all those around you are telling you you’re mistaken. that said, never act rashly.

don’t take the easy way out

filmmaking is hard. sometimes things seem so difficult that you want to take the easy way out. don’t. often the labor-intensive way is the best way. it’s nice to be nice, but you’re not there to make friends and be social. you’re there to try and do something original and interesting. you can sleep when you’re dead.

the road to hackville

this one won’t be popular amongst producers, but here goes: it’s not the director’s job to make the line producer’s job easier. it’s the other way around. if the answers to all of his or her questions is, "yes, i can do that faster, cheaper, with fewer extras, a smaller set, etc." then you’ve made their job easier, but you’ve become a hack.

assuage your conscience

if you get an idea in the editing room, no matter how weird or odd, try it. the avid makes it very quick and easy to make these ideas real. even if it doesn’t work, it may a) lead to something you hadn’t thought of, or b) assuage your conscience that you’ve explored every possible variation.

ask for advice

seek the advice of those who know more than you.

say enough

i think it was mike nichols who said something to the effect that "if it’s not saying something about what it means to be a human being, then it’s not saying enough." this is a good thing to keep in mind if you start feeling that nagging sense that what you’re doing might be utter crap.

preview people are a different species

previews are sort of good for getting a general sense of when you might be boring people—a sense of the group’s connection to the story—but don’t pay attention to cards and numbers. people like to write mean, inflammatory, erroneous (and often creatively spelled) things on those cards. people that agree to go to movie previews are a different species from you and me. follow the energy of the crowd, but ignore their rants, both positive and negative. (one hour photo previewed horribly, but when it was released in its final version, did marvelously well with most critics and audiences.)

breathe

don’t forget to breathe. meditate during your lunch break. tell people to leave you alone for at least 10 uninterrupted minutes a day.

be even tempered

work for the work’s sake only. do not work for the fruits of your labor. be even-tempered in success and failure, for this evenness of temper is what is known as yoga. - bhagavad gita

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