Chapter 11 Film Director: From Beginner to Master in 10 Minutes

Roger took Ronald to the large room next to the director's office, with "Detention" written on the door. This is where the public school director exercises his power and can detain some mischievous students after school to punish them.

The two sat at the corner of the conference table. Roger Coleman took a sip of coffee and said slowly:

"Most of the directors who work for me are newcomers to the industry. So I will talk to each new director before they direct for the first time. I will share my experience as a director and let them get started quickly."

"Although you are a temporary director who only directs for a day, I will treat you the same and talk to you once."

"In the next 10 minutes, I will tell you about my experience as a director. I have made over 50 movies as a director, and many directors haven't made as many films as I have in their lifetime."

"The most expensive part of making a movie is the shooting phase. Preparation and post-production don't cost much. In the middle phase of shooting, money is spent every day. So, in my opinion, there's only one way to shoot a movie, and that is to shoot quickly."

"Do you mind if I take some notes?" Ronald asked. After getting Roger's approval, he took out a small notebook and a pen from his pocket and quickly noted: "Photos are expensive, save ahead and behind, and shoot fast."

"You should sit down when you have the chance on set because the director needs to stand for a long time and walk a lot. You must rest when you have the opportunity; otherwise, you will be very tired, and it will affect the shooting next time. That's why the director's chair has a name to prevent anyone else from sitting."

"Find a chair to sit down..." Ronald noted in his notebook.

"The most important part of the movie is the first reel at the beginning (about 11 minutes). The audience wants to know what happened. The second most important thing is the last reel. The audience wants to know how it ends. The things in the middle are irrelevant; just shoot."

"A reel is the heaviest..." Ronald recalled again.

"When writing a script, you must pay attention to focusing on some main scenes. You can shoot many scenes in each scene, which saves money and time. If the scene can use natural light or there is free light, write more scenes. This can save money and time in setting up lights."

"Focus the scene, save light, use less lighting..." Ronald looked up after memorizing, waiting for the next point.

"Do you know shorthand?" Roger inquired.

"Yes, I took a correspondence course in shorthand when I was in tenth grade." Ronald replied, "I had health issues at that time and had difficulty speaking. My aunt was afraid I wouldn't be able to find a job in the future, so she asked me to take a shorthand course. Fortunately, I recovered later."

Roger Corman observed his shorthand with interest...

"Don't rush when rehearsing. Take all the time you need. All the time you spend rehearsing will pay off during filming. If you don't go back to work, it will be faster."

"Just rehearse..."

"Have confidence on set. The crew will always pay attention to what the director is doing, especially at the beginning of filming. Give them clear and specific instructions. Tell them what the shot will be as soon as you enter so that they can recognize you and provide you with the best support."

"In reality, the technical details of making a movie are not difficult. As a new director, you can master several techniques in about a week, and the smartest can do it faster. But the performance of the actors is always a big issue, and you need to learn as much as possible and gain experience."

Roger said, "How to inspire and encourage the actors to unleash their acting skills while keeping them within the overall framework of the film is the gold standard that distinguishes good directors from bad directors."

"In addition to spending time rehearsing, it is also necessary to communicate with the actors as much as possible. Many mistakes are due to a lack of mutual understanding between the director and the actors."

"If it's a method actor, you can talk to him about the most important mission: what does this character want? What is their motivation?"

"Give the actors the script for tomorrow's shoot in advance. Don't give them the script on the same day, as this won't give them time to digest it."

"If the actors have the ability to improvise, you can also let them improvise. Not all actors can improvise, and comedians are more likely to improvise. But this is also a matter of the director's style. I mainly follow the script."

"Let the camera move. The camera is the eyes of the audience. The human eye does not like static things. If something stays still on the screen for more than 5 seconds, the human eye begins to get bored, so let the camera keep moving or let the camera move. There is something new and exciting in the image."

"The plot of a low-budget movie is not important. People don't come to see the story; they come to see a woman in a bikini shooting terrorists with a machine gun, or a group of high school girls singing and dancing in cool clothes."

"Always trust your cinematographer if you have a good one. If he says he got it, he got the shot you wanted because you can't see it yourself. If your cinematographer isn't good, then get another one or get it yourself."

"The most suitable light for outdoor photography is around sunrise and sunset, which is called magical light. But the magical ray lasts for a short time. Make the most of your time. If you want to take longer shots, you can look for a hillside and take the main shot at the foot of the mountain first. After sunset, climb the hillside to chase the light. The sun has not yet set in the higher places, so you can take close-ups from the hillside. Just bring a photographer, a reflector, and go up the mountain with the actors. Since the background can't be seen in the close-up, it won't be misleading..."

Roger started talking about his various tips for saving money on low-budget films, and Ronald quickly recorded them.

"You already know the Hollywood method. One master shot, two over-the-shoulder shots, then a close-up..."

"Always have a sense of humor. The film industry is a very tortuous industry. There are all kinds of accidents and emergencies. It is necessary to have a good sense of humor to find flexible ways to handle these things that are not part of the shooting schedule. Internal problems."

Ronald's shorthand was very fast, and he often finished his shorthand just as Roger finished speaking, then looked at him with eager eyes for knowledge.

Roger Corman felt a bit proud. This was probably the happiest moment for him as a teacher. When he was happy, he couldn't help but talk more about other things besides directing experience.

"If you want to express a certain theme through a film, put it in the background story. Never jump directly into the film and let the character speak to promote a certain value. Put it in the subtext, and the audience will understand it unconsciously. Accept it and say it directly, and the audience will resent your preaching."

"To this day, I have directed and produced no less than 200 films, and only one lost money, which was 'Invaders' in 1962. As I wanted to promote equality and progressive values so much, I made the protagonist speak directly about racial equality issues; this is the only film I lost money on, even though it received good reviews."

"The last thing is that if you want to be a filmmaker, you have to persist, persist, and persist. If you want to get rich, go into real estate."

"Well," Ronald complained mentally, "you've made so many profitable movies, why haven't you made a fortune? I heard you are a millionaire. But I don't expect to make money in the film industry; first, let's get some ratings, and then we'll talk about it..."

After closing the small book and putting it in his pockets, the two stood up and left, with Ronald behind and turning off the fluorescent light switch. Roger Corman nodded in satisfaction.

It is rare to find such a stingy millionaire.

End of chapter