69 Rules to Live By as a Student (And Professional) Director

Hello to all my fellow directors! During the past 4 years that I've been studying at Chapman I've developed a list of rules that have worked for me or that could've prevented a lot of SHIT from happening. Up till now, I kept this list to myself but I figured that it'd be a lot better if I share it. It's a bit long but really worth the read. Hopefully, some of these might help save your sets from a lot of drama! Enjoy!

1. Treat everyone on set the same way. It’ll bring about positive things in the end.

2. Never abuse your power but maintain a firm ground so people don’t take advantage of you.

3. In Mexico there are no rights in terms of payment and hours. Realize how fortunate you all are to be here.

4. Don’t worry about not following the rules 24/7. Just know what they are and be smart when you break them.

5. Motivate your team by making the schedule longer than you think it’s gonna take. By doing this, you’re always ahead of schedule.

6. If an actor is not giving you the performance, move on and try it out again later.

7. Look for alternatives for everything, even ones that don’t make sense at first.

8. Take advice from whoever is willing to give it to you. They might not be right but could lead you up to something you hadn’t thought of.

9. Be careful when deciding to work with animals and children and accept what this entails (legally, work-wise and energy-wise).

10. The best way to handle and motivate kids that are not giving their energy to the project is by figuring out what they love (candy, toys, etc.) and bribing them with it when you get what you want. This one’s worked every time I’ve seen someone do it!

11. Sometimes, you have to give actors line readings but keep this as your last option.

12. Cast actors, not models.

13. Talk to actors about their lives and experiences before casting them.

14. This one serves a double purpose: play upbeat music while the crew sets up, then turn it off when the shot is ready. This helps keep the crew motivated and also informs EVERYONE when it’s time to shut up.

15. Keep the whole crew informed on what is happening. They appreciate being in the loop.

16. Motivate your crew with good food.

17. Keep crafty half healthy/half junk food.

18. Walkie Talkies and External Monitors are ESSENTIAL!

19. When you meet people that are jealous of your talents, treat them right and before you know it, their attitudes will change towards you. Nothing better than making an enemy your ally.

20. When you find yourself in a difficult situation, don’t lose your cool. Analyze the situation fully before making the adequate decisions.

21. Keep up a good attitude! This motivates and makes people work harder.

22. Don’t tire your actors out. Once you have the shot, MOVE ON!

23. Trust your crew. If you’re not paying them odds are they’re there to help YOU.

24. Always externalize what you want clearly so you don’t repeat yourself and waste time.

25. Ideally go from wides to close ups (unless you’re shooting a very emotional scene).

26. Ask your AD to keep cables down and the area safe.

27. Give EVERYONE paper copies of the shotlist so they know what you’re shooting.

28. Motivational tip! Put a shooting board in a visible place and cross out each shot as you complete it.

29. If you think there’s going to be a problem, that’s cause there probably is. Solve it or plan accordingly BEFORE set!

30. Meet your crew (learn everyones name).

31. Good casting = less work on set.

32. Prepare lighting plans and grids before set. Nothing worse than improvising where lights go the day of the shoot.

33. Make PowerPoints of references that pertain to the visual style you’re going for. Words usually can’t fully explain what you have in your mind.

34. Designate an area for people to chill in and have EVERYONE that doesn’t have to be on the set there.

35. Don’t buy food that makes a lot of noise (SunChips, etc.) and have anything that can cause noise far away from where you’re shooting.

36. Know which props you’ll need, think of alternatives for those props and bring them all. The more you have at hand, the less stressed you’ll be.

37. Compliment your actors after each take but don’t be specific about what you liked (this’ll make them self conscious about it).

38. Bring a laptop with all the prep work in case anyone has a doubt.

39. Have your crew respect you since the first minute. Deliver a speech about how you all want the same thing and about how much fun you guys are going to have. However, explain to them that when the time comes to get serious, you expect them to act accordingly. Tell them how much you believe in the film and its future success. It’s very important to be honest about this! Besides, if you don’t believe in the project why are you even making it???

40. Motivate freshmen! Put them under someone that can teach them and not be an asshole.

41. Never criticize anyone in front of other people. This can destroy your reputation more than theirs.

42. Remind them who’s the director but value everyone’s opinion.

43. Make sure you guys have enough memory sticks/hard drive space before arriving to set!

44. Ask everyone to turn off their cellphones.

45. Recognize that mistakes can be made but tell your crew that you don’t want to see them make the same one twice.

46. Be transparent with your crew.

47. Never lose hope!

48. Prepare yourself extensively before set and stick to your plan. Doubting yourself while filming is one of the worst things you can do.

49. If there is a problem between crew members, earn their trust and speak to them separately.

50. Have a switch between your personal life and work life. Be serious about what you do when you’re working.

51. Don’t be naive. Look at things for what they are.

52. Let comments and other things slide. The fact that you have enemies means you’ve made an impression on someone.

53. Don’t be afraid of saying “I don’t know.” Don’t pretend like you do and lie.

54. Don’t show up to set acting like a know it all. Even if you do (which I seriously doubt it), people HATE others that act like that.

55. Don’t complain, look for solutions.

56. Never forget your basic values, don’t let your ego get to you.

57. Always be ON TIME!!!!

58. Don’t show your weaknesses. Identify and correct them or build a team whose talents pick up where yours end.

59. NEVER take full credit for your movie. It was and will always have been a team effort.

60. If something doesn’t seem right, lose it. Don’t investigate further into it and waste time.

61. Put on a rehearsal the day or week before on set with wardrobe. This will save you so much time once you start shooting because the actors will already be comfortable.

62. Make the actors your friends but make sure they know that you expect a lot from them.

63. Never burn bridges. You seriously never know when you’ll need someone in the future.

64. Don’t pressure yourself into making the perfect film. As long as you’re honest with yourself about your objective and the character’s objectives, it’ll turn out fine!

65. Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance (keep this as your motto).

66. When you get stuck, take a walk. It’ll clear your mind!

67. Don’t let success get to your head. Keep yourself grounded and stay humble when people congratulate you.

68. Working with friends is a good idea as long as you both agree that whatever happens at work, stays at work!.

69. Be happy! You’re making movies!!!