So you’ve done everything you can to prepare. You’ve written your script, picked your camera, acquired your lights and equipment, made your shot list, chosen your locations, and assembled the perfect cast and crew. Now the time has come to finally shoot your film.

Yet for all the planning you’ve done to ensure that your film looks and sounds the way you want it to, the logistics of actually shooting it can be daunting. On a big film, there are producers, assistant directors, and production managers to help the director through these logistics, but what are you supposed to do if it’s just you?

The Director’s Job#

For a job that everyone has heard of, defining exactly what a director does can be quite difficult.

So before we get to the flow of the day, let’s break down the two things that directors do for the entire day on set. Whether you’re Steven Spielberg or someone making an iPhone short with friends, there are two aspects of the director’s job that remain constant across all budget levels: Controlling your project’s tone and deciding “when you have it.”

Tonal Control#

While the events that occur in your film should be evident from the script, something that won’t be as readily apparent to your cast and crew is the project’s tone. Tone can be a tricky thing to nail down yourself and an even tougher thing to describe out loud. It’s often easier to say whether something is or isn’t the tone than it is to describe the tone from whole cloth.

Now hopefully, you’ve been keeping an eye on your project’s tone all through pre-production, so by now your cast and crew already has a pretty good idea of what that tone is. However, on-set there are a million decisions that need to be made quickly, and the task of keeping the film on tone—across all departments—falls squarely on the director’s shoulders. Is that performance choice too comedic? Is that piece of set dressing too drab? Is that camera move too grand? These are all issues of tone that the director must manage.

Deciding “When You Have It”#

So what exactly is it?

It is the moment when something is satisfactory enough to move on to the next step.

If you’re the director, you decide when the lighting is good enough to bring the performers in. Then you decide when you have what you need from your actors’ performances in the wide shot. Then in the close-ups. At every stage, there are other people on set who will help you get towards it but the director is the only one who gets to make the final call and say:

“We got it. Moving on.”

Starting the Day with Safety#

Once your cast and crew have arrived on set, morning coffees in hand, the first step of the day is to bring everyone together to discuss safety concerns and precautions. On a fully crewed set, this meeting will be led by the Assistant Director (AD). However on a DIY production, you may not have an AD. In that case, if you are the one pushing for this project to become a reality, then you need to be the one to shoulder the safety responsibilities.

Now, this doesn’t only apply to sets with obvious safety concerns like stunts, guns, or car chases. Most film sets are going to have hot lights, heavy equipment, and people so focused on art that they’ll lose track of their surroundings.

Here are just a few things to consider regarding the safety of your set:

1. Draw people’s attention to exits, first-aid kits, and fire extinguishers.

2. If working with hot lights, make sure anyone on the lighting team has thick gloves.

3. If you’re outside, anywhere near a road, have someone on “car watch.” They’ll keep an eye out for both incoming vehicles and oblivious crew members wandering towards the street.

4. Tape down any tripping hazards to the floor, specifically cords attached to lights. If someone trips over one of those, it will not only ruin your lighting set-up, but it can also bring a hot and heavy light down on top of someone.

5. Listen. If anyone brings a safety concern to you, listen to them and find a way to address it. You never want someone to feel uncomfortable or that their safety isn’t a priority on your set.

All in all, remember: Your film is never as important as someone’s safety or well-being. That’s true on a DIY set and it’s true on a big budget set. Learn it early and never forget it.

Blocking Rehearsal#

With that important safety discussion out of the way, the first step towards getting a scene up and running is a “blocking rehearsal.”

Blocking refers to the planned movements of both the actors and the camera. So in a blocking rehearsal, you simply walk through the scene so everyone knows where they should be at what point. Sometimes you’ll even place “marks” on the ground (usually two strips of colored tape making a “T” shape) so your actors know exactly where to stand.

An important thing to remember is that this is a low-stakes rehearsal, concerned only with movement. Your actors probably won’t give much of a performance and may read directly from a script. That’s fine; they can save their performances for when cameras are rolling. In fact, you may run your blocking rehearsal at half-speed which would make good performances impossible anyway.

During this blocking rehearsal, everyone on set will gather around to watch, making notes about how the blocking of this scene is going to affect their job: Where do lights need to go? Which side of the actor’s face needs to be ready for make-up? And where can I stand so the camera won’t see me*?*

Now you may have a plan for the scene’s blocking in advance, but make sure to be open to what happens on set. If seeing the scene rehearsed gives you new ideas, listen to those ideas. More importantly, listen to your collaborators. If your cinematographer thinks of a different way to move the camera, consider it. If a cast member has trouble figuring out why their character would move to their mark, **listen to that. The director still gets to make the final call, but be open to throwing your plan out the window if a better idea arises.

Once your blocking is figured out, everyone will disperse to set up the shot.

Setting Up the Shot#

If you have a hair, makeup, and/or wardrobe department, at this point your actors will go see them. If you don’t have those departments, then the cast will go off to run their lines or mentally prepare for the scene. If you have anything you need to discuss with your actors, now is a great time to do so. But if there’s nothing pressing, best to give them space and hang back near where the shot is getting set up.

At this point, lights are being placed, camera lenses are being screwed in, and props are being laid out in their proper location for the upcoming scene. It’s important for the director to be nearby because there are sure to be a million questions. And this is one of those times when you need to tell people when you have it and when something needs just a bit more adjustment.

If your actors aren’t on-hand, you’ll likely need someone to “stand in” for them while setting up the shot. On big budget films, actors will have paid stand-ins, but on DIY sets, you’ll have to choose someone of roughly the same height and skin tone as your actor to stand on their mark while the lighting and camera teams adjust. If the director is the only one without a specific job to do, then stand-in duty may fall on their shoulders.

Once the shot is ready, you’ll bring the actors in for “last looks.” This is where you make any final adjustments that couldn’t be made with the stand-ins. Additionally, the cast may get another touch of makeup now that we can see what they look like on camera. Then, it’s the director’s job to say: “We have it. Let’s go for one.”

And just like that, you’re ready to shoot your scene.

Takes#

“Quiet on set! We’re going for a take!”#

Clapperboard image from https://www.bhphotovideo.com

If you’ve ever seen a depiction of a film set—from behind the scenes photos to Hollywood parodies—then you’ve seen a clapperboard. These flat, square-shaped devices are usually covered in handwritten letters and numbers with a hinged piece on the top that can “clap” into place. The text written on the front of that clapperboard is your slate, and it’s very important.

When possible, you should begin each take with a slate already positioned in front of the camera. This slate will list the scene number, the shot letter, and the take number. So, for example, if you were about to film the first take of the first camera set-up of the ninth scene in a script, then your slate would be labeled Scene 9A, Take 1. The second take would be Scene 9A, Take 2. If you then moved the camera to a new spot, you’d have Scene 9B, Take 1 and so on.

If you don’t have a physical clapperboard, free apps like DigiSlate can put a virtual slate on your phone. In a pinch, you can always write the scene on a piece of paper and then clap your hands.

Once the slate and camera are in position, the director calls “roll camera!” The camera operator then begins to film and whoever is holding the slate reads it out loud, claps the clapperboard (more on that in our audio post), and then gets out of the way. The director lets everyone settle and then calls out their famous line:

“ACTION!”#

At this point, the actors and camera operator spring into motion, performing the scene how it has been rehearsed. The director may choose to watch these take on a monitor or from right next to the camera. When the scene is over (or when someone messes up so bad, there’s no use going on), the director calls out their other famous line:

“CUT!”#

If you’re a director who has just called cut, then you’ve reached one of those pivotal points when you have to decide if you “have it” or not. If you don’t, then it’s time to do another take. If it feels like everyone was just getting warmed up, it may be prudent to reset and go again right away without giving any direction (Whenever you want to reset, call out ”back to one!”). However, sometimes you’ll want to give a note to your actors before rolling again (more on that HERE).

As you do take after take, giving notes and adjusting for performance, be aware that the number of takes you do is going to have an effect on both your cast and crew. You need to ask yourself questions like:

• Even if the scene isn’t perfect yet, do I have enough from this camera angle?
• Is it worth the morale drop of doing yet another take?
• Do I actually think things are going to get better if we keep doing this?

Professional directors like David Fincher may have the ability to do dozens upon dozens of takes, but at the DIY level you likely don’t. You have to consider when it’s best to keep trying and when it’s best to cut your losses and move on.

A final note: Sometimes if you feel like you have it after the very first take, you may still choose to do one more “for safety.” That way, if you realize later that the first take wasn’t actually as perfect as you thought, you have a back-up in the edit room.

Time Management#

Scheduling the Day#

Like safety meetings, time management is something that would be the primary concern of an assistant director on a big-budget set. By the time they arrive on set, an AD has already looked over that day’s shot list and planned out roughly how long each set up should take, keeping an eye on everything from lighting needs (we have to get this shot before the sun goes down) to the availability of cast and crew (she can’t make it to set until 7pm).

Then, at the start of the day, usually right after the safety meeting, the AD will announce their general schedule to the crew. Now there’s no need to get too specific here. You don’t want the crew to have undue stress the second they fall behind schedule, and likewise you don’t want them to feel they have so much time that they begin to lose momentum. You just want to give everyone an overview of which scenes you’re hoping to get done and in what order.

On a DIY set, the job of keeping meticulous track of time may become one of the director’s duties. However, whether a director is absorbing the job of an AD or working in tandem with an AD, they still need to keep time management in the back of their heads at all time.

Managing your Coverage#

As we discussed in our post on Coverage (link here), you’ll usually start shooting a scene in a wide shot and then move in closer, shooting each actor’s coverage separately in order to save time. However, there are ways to further save time while covering a scene.

For example, you may already have a plan for how you’d like to edit your scene. Maybe you want to start with the wide shot, then play most of the conversation in medium shots, use close-ups for the most emotional lines, and then cut back out to the wide at the end of the scene.

Well, if that’s the case, then you really only need the very beginning and end of your wide shot to work. Of course, you’d prefer to get a good vesion of the whole scene, but it may be in everyone’s best interest to move on after only two or three takes of the wide shot—even if there are still some false notes in the middle of the scene.

In this case, the it in “we have it” is actually only referring to the beginning and end of the wide shot. You can get the rest of it in the mediums and close-ups where they really matter.

Then as the day goes on, if you start to run out of time, you can make more drastic changes to your plan. This can mean cutting whole shots from your shot list (”Nevermind! we don’t need inserts after all!”) or it can sometimes mean cutting parts of shots.

Let’s say you’re working through the coverage outlined above. You’ve finished shooting the wides and mediums, but only have time to do one take of the close-up. Well, you may announce that in the close-up, you’re going to only do the last third of the dialogue for each take (as this is the most emotional part of the scene). Suddenly, you have time to do three takes instead of just one.

Ultimately, when the clock is ticking, compromises are unavoidable. While others may have suggestions on this matter, where and how those compromises occur is ultimately up to the director.

Food, Glorious Food#

On feature-length movie sets and even most short films, the work will stop halfway through the day for a meal provided by the production. This is always called “lunch” regardless of time of day.

Additionally, there will always be a table on set offering snacks and drinks for everyone to help themselves. This is called “craft services” or “crafty.”

While all of this may not be necessary if you’re making a quick project with a few friends, it’s still a good principal to make sure that those who are volunteering to help you don’t go hungry. Additionally, make sure you’re eating yourself. It’s easy to get lost in the flow of making your art, but trust us: You’ll be more creative if you’re hydrated and well-fed.

A final advantage of lunch is that it can provide structured time to take a breather from the pace of the day and adjust your plans. It’s sometimes nice to have a break built into the schedule so that you know that halfway through the shoot day, you’ll be able to collect your thoughts or huddle up with your creative team without bringing momentum to a grinding halt.

Final Considerations#

Room Tone: As we mention in Capturing Sound On Set, recording a minute of “room tone” may feel unimportant on set, but it can be a real life-saver in the edit room. Before moving on from a location, ask everyone to be totally silent for sixty seconds so your sound recorder can capture a minute of what the location sounds like “naturally” to edit into the scene as needed.

Company Moves: If you start at one location, then move to another on the same day, this is called a “company move.” There are two things to keep in mind about company moves.

1. If you are able to send a group of people to the second location before the rest of you go, do so. That way as the rest of the crew arrives, they’ll be able to jump in to an already functioning set rather than starting up from scratch.

2. Company moves always take longer than expected. Always.

Clean Up: While it’s probably the last thing you’re thinking about at the end of a long day, it’s always important to clean up after yourself. For starters, this is the courteous thing to do for whoever is letting you use your location. But secondly, if you haven’t wrapped the location yet (meaning you haven’t finished shooting there), a clean set will make it easier to get started quickly when you come back to shoot the following day.

Say Thank You: Like cleaning up, this is just a common courtesy, but it’s a good thing to make a habit of early in your filmmaking career. At the end of every day, say thank you to everyone you can: Whoever owns the location, whoever drove you there, and especially your cast and crew.

Remember: Even if your crew is passionate about making movies, they definitely don’t care about this individual project as much as you do. Just because you feel invigorated by the power of what you’re making, doesn’t mean they do. To them, this may just feel like really hard work. So remember to thank them.

In Conclusion...

1. Every day should start with a safety meeting and a rough outline of the schedule.

2. Then move into blocking rehearsals, setting up the first shot, and takes of that shot.

3. Move methodically through your coverage, cutting shots from the schedule if necessary.

4. Don’t forget to be courteous, record room tone, give yourself extra time for company moves, and let your crew eat.

5. And through it all, try to never lose track of the film’s tone so you can get to the moment when you can finally say:

“We got it. That’s a wrap!”