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54 VIDEOMAKER >>> JUNE 2019
Training day
As a director, you will be wearing
many hats during your production.
It’s important to not lose sight of your
main role as director. Your role as a di-
rector is to direct the actors and com-
municate your vision to your crew. So,
it is vital that your crew knows their
roles and responsibilities. Once you
have your crew gathered, you want
to familiarize your team with all the
equipment they will be using. Here
are some key thoughts to communi-
cate to your production team.Audio
Make sure the person who is running
audio knows what to listen out for
and how to communicate any takes
that were ruined because of ambient
sounds. You don’t want them to ruin a
take by yelling in the middle of a great
performance “HEY WE’VE GOTTA DO
THAT AGAIN!”.Camera
Your cameraman will be vital to
the visuals. In addition to teaching
them how to utilize the camera, be
sure that you communicate your
vision to them in great detail. Themore clearly you can communicate
beforehand, the less you’ll have to
do the day of. Though you may be in
close proximity to them during the
shoot, make sure they know how to
focus, move the camera and most
importantly HIT RECORD.Lighting
The lighting in your project is going
to be crucial. Make sure they know
about placement of lights, putting
down sandbags to make sure lights
do not topple over and break, as well
making sure they don’t blow a circuit
by plugging in too many plugs into the
same outlet.Expensive equipment
in inexperienced hands
Assuming you will be using your own
or borrowed equipment, it’s vital that
the people handling it know how to
not only use the equipment but take
care of it. Go through every aspect
from setup to take down to resting the
equipment.
Simple actions that will seem ob-
vious to you may not be so obvious
to someone who has never worked
with the equipment before. If you’reDirecting an inexperienced crew
When you’re first starting out as a
director, one of the biggest chal-
lenges you can face is assembling a
crew. How do you guide the people
who will support you and your vi-
sion — especially when they have
zero experience?
The good thing is you don’t have to
wait until you’re able to hire a team of
professionals to bring your vision to
life. You just need time, patience and a
lot of trust.Assembling your crew
The first thing you’ll need to do is
find your crew. A skeleton crew (aka
bare-bones crew) is a team of 5-7
people who will take on a variety
of roles. Though these roles vary
depending on your production, you
will need someone to run audio. It’s
important to make sure that every-
thing sounds clear. You’ll also need
someone to set up and be responsible
for lighting.
And you’ll of course need a Director
of Photography to operate the camera.
This person will also need to make
sure all of your shots look the way
they need to.
Lastly, you’ll also need a person to
oversee hair and makeup, and a pro-
duction assistant pick up any slack.Pro Tip: BE SELECTIVE
When selecting your crew, be sure you
select people who can take direction
well. Asking your friends for help is
great. However, if they won’t listen to
you or take their responsibilities seri-
ously, consider someone else.When you’re working on a tight bud-
get, you have to take the help that
you can get. Sometimes, that means
relying on an inexperienced cast and
crew to complete your project.
by Ricky Anderson II385 C11 Directing.indd 54 4/23/19 2:11 PMDIRECTING
DIRECTING JUNE 2019
VIDEOMAKER >>> JUNE 2019 55
more clearly you can communicate
beforehand, the less you’ll have to
do the day of. Though you may be in
close proximity to them during the
shoot, make sure they know how to
focus, move the camera and most
importantly HIT RECORD.Lighting
The lighting in your project is going
to be crucial. Make sure they know
about placement of lights, putting
down sandbags to make sure lights
do not topple over and break, as well
making sure they don’t blow a circuit
by plugging in too many plugs into the
same outlet.Expensive equipment
in inexperienced hands
Assuming you will be using your own
or borrowed equipment, it’s vital that
the people handling it know how to
not only use the equipment but take
care of it. Go through every aspect
from setup to take down to resting the
equipment.
Simple actions that will seem ob-
vious to you may not be so obvious
to someone who has never worked
with the equipment before. If you’reDirecting an inexperienced crew
by Ricky Anderson IIborrowing equipment, ask the person who
owns the equipment to train your crew mem-
ber on how to use it. Be sure to be patient and
thorough.Pro Tip: Work with a PRO
If you have access to more experienced people
to train and supervise others, USE THEM. Em-
power them to take the lead and be another set
of eyes and experience to help your production
run smoothly and so you can focus on your vi-
sion as a director.Directing your crew during production
Once you’ve laid the groundwork of educating
your crew on the equipment and their respon-
sibilities, now it’s time to work with them the
day of the shoot. As the director you are the
captain of this ship, so you need to make sure
that you clearly communicate what needs to be
done and when.You will have to reiterate information and re-
sponsibilities, but it’s important that you account
for those breakdowns in communication — they
will defi nitely happen.
A fi rst time crew may not know how long a
production day is or how tiring it can be. Be sure
you communicate these expectations up front by
having a call sheet with a layout of the day ready
for them. This will help manage expectations of
the day and reassure the crew that there is an
end in sight.Pro Tip: FEED YOUR CREW
If you can’t pay your crew, you can at least feed
them. A well-fed crew will work 10x harder for
you than a crew you’re not paying AND not feed-
ing. Have snacks and drinks available throughout
the day and don’t forget about lunch too. You can
never go wrong with pizza.Conclusion
Directing a crew takes a lot of work. Even when
working with professionals, it takes a lot of com-
munication, patience, and trust. The same goes
with a crew with little to no experience, only
more so. Working with an inexperienced crew is
a learning process and one that takes a director
who is willing to take the time to train, communi-
cate, and fi nd the right group of people to come
together to bring your vision to life.Ricky Anderson II is a Texas-based video producer and editor
with over 10 years of experience in creating engaging and
Know what gear you will be using for your shoot and entertaining videos online.
train your crew to use it in advance. This will make
shoot day considerably less stressful. You can comment on this article by going online:
http://www.videomaker.com/?p=72001412Directing an
inexperienced cast
and crew often
requires more time
and more patience,
but that doesn’t
mean the end result
needs to suffer.385 C11 Directing.indd 55 4/23/19 2:12 PM