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Courtney Turman

Lisa Cook

English 1201-508

6 March 2021

What led me to want to become a director and why is this such a big dream of mine?

Having a director for a movie is crucial for success. Being a director has its ups and

downs, but why become one? When you watch a movie and the credits role at the end, the

director is most likely a man. What factors draw people in to want to become a director, even

with the knowledge that most of them are male, with young females, like myself, aspiring to be

one.

There are many websites regarding film and the successes behind each one. Seeing this

long list of “useful websites” regarding the different resources for films can lead to inspiration.

The role of a director has of course changed over time, as there are much more available sources

today. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, British Film Institute, All Movie Guide -

Film Finder, BBC-Film, Best of the Web: Film Festivals (Freeman) (“Library Guides: Film

Studies: Useful Websites”) are all resources we are fortunate enough to have. With time comes

more accessible studies, including these sources. The key points that really stuck out to me

within this website was how much available resources this profession has. One being - Simply

Scripts: Links to several hundred free, downloadable, movie scripts, how-to resources for

writers, as well as practical information, and a message board where users can discuss and
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critique others work (Freeman) (“Library Guides: Film Studies: Useful Websites”). This leads

me back to the question “What led me to want to become a director and why is this such a big

dream of mine?” as having helpful resources will lead one to success. With reading comes

learning, as one could definitely pick up on after evaluating this website. I learned from this key

point that there are people out there willing to help you. It is almost refreshing to see as starting

up something new is often tough for others. As Filmmaking.net provides a database of more than

500 film schools, as well as answers to more than 200 frequently asked filmmaking questions

(Freeman) ( “Library Guides: Film Studies: Useful Websites”). There are different ways you

could use this information, hopefully being to your advantage. The discussion of purpose this

website brings to the table is phenomenal. The purpose being to help others make their dreams

come true. The context included relates to the audience of aspiring directors, or people who just

need a little extra help. The reliability is extremely legit, as these are newer articles within the

website with credible authors.

No one says being a director is easy, as this article focuses on how success can be

difficult, but achievable. This profession has indeed changed over time, as many young people

are wanting to become directors now. Before, you would see older directors in films, or even

middle-aged. But now, you see people being as young as twenty, involved in the film industry.

Being young also has its ups and downs, including time as well. With time, comes success, and

filmmaking is not one you can just do in one night. Ditch the idea of “overnight success” and

invest in small daily actions. So instead of counting on overnight success, invest in small,

manageable bits of progress every single day, or at least every single week (Hardy) (“The

Roadmap to A Successful Filmmaking Career”). The film industry world is changing as we

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know it, and in order to earn the money, you have to put in the time. Luckily, in 2017 and

beyond, pretty much any filmmaker can start up a profitable side hustle, whether it’s shocking

stock footage or doing something completely unrelated to film (Hardy) (“The Roadmap to A

Successful Filmmaking Career”). The key points that really stuck out to me within this website

included how much hard work goes into film-making. When watching a movie, you really don’t

sit down and think about how long each scene would take to film. But, after reading this article,

this is not something you can wing. That’s what I did for many years. And if I’m being honest

with you, it didn’t turn out so well. In fact, it was kind of a disaster (Hardy) (“The Roadmap to A

Successful Filmmaking Career”). I picked up that this profession requires someone serious who

is passionate about what they are doing. I mean we all know it’s easier to accomplish difficult

things when we follow a set of guidelines that have been proven to work (Hardy) (“The

Roadmap to A Successful Filmmaking Career”). Some disagreements could agree “winging” it

works for them, but this is not always true. The purpose of this article is to give aspiring

filmmakers an insight on what they are getting themselves into. The audience being the same for

each source, as these are all for the same profession. This source will have to be the most reliable

out of them all, as this is someone who actually went through the process, not just another author

writing an article.

Seeing a woman director is not the most common thing ever. With normally a man being

behind the screen, it can sometimes be a shock to see a woman's name for “director”. Annabelle

Attanasio Brings Her Movie To France, as her ‘Mickey and the Bear’ is one of a number of films

at the Deauville festival directed by women (Miller) (“Annabelle Attanasio Brings Her Movie To

France”). This is another incredibly huge thing that has changed over time, as before you would
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never see a women directed festival. Fortunately, this is still changing in the world today. Six of

the 14 films in competition were directed by women (Miller) (“Annabelle Attanasio Brings Her

Movie To France”). The key point of this article being women can do anything men can do, even

direct or write a movie. It is about time that women rise up and come together in this profession.

Young female directors, producers, financiers, distributors, actresses take on a bit more of a

sisterhood mentality than ‘It has to be me or you’ (Miller) (“Annabelle Attanasio Brings Her

Movie To France”). Many can learn from this as women are now able to do more jobs. It’s not a

rebellion, but women, especially young women, are more open to hiring women. I’m thrilled to

be in the company of women (Miller) (“Annabelle Attanasio Brings Her Movie To France”). Of

course, there are always going to be major disagreements with women taking on the “director”

job. But, it’s better to let people hate then not do what you love to do. This context being from a

reliable author that has been in her own “women’s” shoes before. This article has the best

purpose that there is, that any woman can do whatever they please. The young women reading

the article can understand this is a job for them, no matter how many men are in it already.

Collecting all of your videos and photos when becoming an aspiring director can often be

a hassle. Keeping things organized could be another issue if one is new to the film industry

world. The website “studiobinder.com” provides customizable solutions for photo and video

production companies to better manage their productions, all in one place (Studio Binder)

(“Studio Binder: Project Management for Video Professionals”). This website that includes all of

this information has evolved overtime, as I’m sure the website will grow in the future. The key

point being this is one of the best softwares out there for people in film. Produce Content Better.

Smarter. Together. The world’s leading video, photo, TV & film production management
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software (Studio Binder) (“Studio Binder: Project Management for Video Professionals”).

Learning evaluations from this website could include people knowing how to use their software

better. Under the section “Meet our Solutions” many resources are provided for aspiring

directors / filmmakers. Call sheets - create and send personalized call sheets and track RSVPs.

Script Breakdown - Import scripts and tag elements like props and wardrobe (Studio Binder)

(“Studio Binder: Project Management for Video Professionals”). This website has context that is

extremely reliable. As it is “Trusted by the Best” including CBS Interactive, Buzzfeed,

Lionsgate, ESPN, Awesomenesstv, Defy Media, Legendary, NBC Universal, Comedy Central,

Jupiter Entertainment, S Shopify, and Cartoon Network to back them up. The purpose of this

article being film-making can seem tough, but with the correct supplies the aspiring film-makers

can organize their work.

“So You Want My Job” the website reads. It’s tough. There’s an adage, ‘it’s hard until

it’s easy.’ I think that’s pretty much it. It’s extremely difficult to get anyone to pay you anything,

but once anyone does, someone else will probably pay you too (Mckay) (“So You Want My Job:

Film Director”). This indicates again, film-making is a lot tougher than it initially looks. Being a

director with time and the key points of this article have been extremely similar, as all of these

sources are connected. The main point of this article being you have to work hard for what you

want to achieve, similar to Hardy’s website. This information can be a learning view for some, or

a reality check. You can’t sit and expect things to be handed to you, you have to work for them.

My best piece of advice if you’re looking to get into directing, is to not get good at anything else.

The people who seem to stick with it are the ones who have no other marketable skills (Mckay)

(“So You Want My Job: Film Director”). This quote from the website can definitely bring up
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some disagreement. A person may argue that can be good at both marketing for example, and

still be a phenomenal director. Although this is a reliable source from a real director, it is not the

best article to read. Choice words in the article almost make the job seem like a chore to the

aspiring directors out there. The context indicates that the purpose of this article is to scare

people away from the profession, but of course, some of this is the hard truth.

Did I obtain the answer to my research question? Yes. These sources not only opened my

thinking to how hard the job can be, but it also gave me a reality check. No job is going to be

easy, as a little hard work goes a long way. Further research would include in the areas of pay,

success rate, and availability. The sources provided did not mention pay especially, as I need to

do more research on that. A director seems like an impossible job, but it can be achievable with

preserveness and passion.

Bibliography

Freeman, Robert. “Library Guides: Film Studies: Useful Websites.” Purdue Edu, 19 Aug 2019,

https://guides.lib.purdue.edu/c.php?g=352460&p=2375565 Accessed 26 February 2021.

Hardy, Rob. “The Roadmap to A Successful Filmmaking Career” Filmmaker Freedom, 14 April

2017 https://filmmakerfreedom.com/blog/path-to-filmmaking-success Accessed February 26

2021.
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Mckay, Brett & Kate. “So You Want My Job: Film Director.” The Art of Manliness, 21 May

2009, https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/so-you-want-my-job-film-director/ Accessed

February 26 2021.

Miller, Stuart. “Anabelle Attanasio Brings Her Movie to France” The New York Times, 27

August 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/27/arts/annabelle-attanasio-deauville.html

Accessed 26 Feburary 2021.

“Studio Binder: Project Management for Video Professionals. StudioBinder, 13 May 2019,

https://www.studiobinder.com/ Accessed 26 February 2021. Turman, Debbie. Personal

Interview. February 2021