Online Film School Free » Film Directing Course » The Film Director’s Vision
Director’s vision is the way the director sees the film in his mind and translate it to his film crew. What’s important to know about it is that anyone had a vision, the challenge is to explain it to your crew. Having a vision is a must for every director in any type of film. It’s all about seeing the movie in your head. The director’s vision statement is where the director clarifies his vision in words. A director is a form of a movie creative supervisor, the director’s vision statement is his leading tool of every production.
There are 2 steps to take before working on your director vision statement:
A good director’s vision statement will contain:
When you write your vision you need to explain why you chose to do that film and what is it you want the viewer to feel while watching your movie. It will also have an impact if you’ll write the story behind the creation of this film including your inspiration for it. Anyway, before you write your vision, it is recommended to check some director’s vision statement examples. There are millions on the net.ing
The film director has to be an expert on portraying a message. The first step should be to understand your theme or the premise. The theme of the movie is what this movie all about in one or two sentences. It is the premise of the film. For example, the movie Back to the Future is dealing with changing your future, but it is not the central theme of the film. It is not the subtext of the film. The subtext in the movie is “true love is stronger than love out of mercy.” In Little Shop of horror, the story is about a deranged and murderous plant, but the subtext of the story (The theme) is about capitalism in the modern world.
So this is what you’re probably asking now:
The director’s vision is a political argument or a philosophical idea that reflects the personal point of view of the director. The director’s point of view is something no one can copy, and you also cannot be copied from elsewhere.
So how do you find your vision?
If you want to deepen your knowledge on the subject, there are two books that are recommended reading. The first one is Master Shots Vol 3: The Director’s Vision: 100 Setups, Scenes and Moves for Your Breakthrough Movie. This book reveals the secrets and techniques behind each one of the best shots, moves, and set-ups in the filmmaking industry. Every film school needs to teach it – Simply go out and practice each shot you read about. This book will also help you later on when you’ll need a creative boost. The second book called The Director’s Vision: A Concise Guide to the Art of 250 Great Filmmakers. The book contains 250 examples from the best Hollywood movies for using the director’s vision through visual style
This is the most important lesson in all of this free film direction course. Why? Well, The first thing you need to understand about your director’s vision statement is that it’s going to help you get funded. When you pitch your passion, funders will be attracted to you. That’s why the director’s vision is always on the movie’s business plan. This is your chance to explain your inspiration to the film and the story of how it became what it is now. The director’s vision statement will also help you in film festivals as it will help the judges to understand the film better and not to guess what is it about. I have a friend that works in a bog film festival and he always tells me he is amazed as to how many directors leave out the director’s vision statement in the film package, so this is your chance to stand out! But even more important is that once the director knows his director’s vision statement thoroughly, he can translate the script into visual shots inside the shooting script, the art, the costumes, and more. The director’s view has to be in the director’s thoughts during the whole process. The director’s vision will be expressed through the style of the film, the visual look, the editing, and the sound design and music.
Sticking up to your vision
It is very important that once you find your vision, you’ll stick to it. Sometimes you might find a lot of pressure to change things in a way that’s against your vision (usually from the production company), you have to make the decision of how much you want to sell from yourself, in order to make that film. Here is to sum it up:
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