ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

7 years, 1 month ago - John Lubran

That's an interesting request Tim. I'm not aware of such a 'course' per se, but I can imagine something at least somewhat commensurate might exist. Probably the best option could be to find a director to assist and shadow during an actual production. The best directors have mostly come up through some degree of multitasking production experience, particularly through editing. It's the editor more than anyone who learns the faults and qualities of every one.

At the end of the day though, whilst there's a number of specific and essential technicalities that a director ought to know, directing is an art more than it's a technical skill, as reflected in the number of great directors who never received formal training, per se.

7 years, 1 month ago - Tim Benjamin

Thanks for the reply, John. I tend to agree with you on all of that and I've certainly done my share of multi-tasking (and thoroughly enjoyed it, especially editing).

Perhaps more what I'm after is the atmosphere of a residency rather than a structured course, i.e. where like-minded film makers get together for focused effort, away from the pressures of normal work/life, and perhaps with some expert mentoring or feedback thrown in. Sadly the residencies I've found so far that fit the bill (e.g. Cinéfondation at Cannes) have an age limit and I must be a real old fart at 42! (Cinéfondation has a limit of 40, which seems rather arbitrary, and at the other end, the BFI's residency is for 16-19 yr olds, which at least has some logic). The short courses at the London Film Academy look interesting but it's hard to tell whether they are any good - hence hoping for some personal recommendations here.

7 years, 1 month ago - Vasco de Sousa

Directing is basically about leading people. But, I tend to judge courses by what their students did afterwards.

Hitchcock started out as an artist who won a scriptwriting contest. Until Coppola, it seems that no top filmmakers went to film school. The film brats basically build the reputation of USC, NYU and UCLA, all of which continue to bring out directors to this day. Ridley Scott started out at art school, then was trained by an internal directing course at the BBC.

In london, the two film schools that have produced a lot of directors that I've heard of are NFTS and MET. I've seen the list of LFS, and it's not my personal taste in directors. However, they claim one of my favourite cinematographers, and some talented people who had interesting careers. These were full time students, I presume, and not short course people.

Those that only want young students tend to be garbage anyway. They're afraid anyone who knows anything will show up their instructors.

I totally disagree with John about editing. Two of the editors I admire most were terrible directors. Also, great cinematographers tend to be disappointing as directors. A few great directors come from acting, more from screenwriting (Welles, Coppola), and some from the props department, but editing and cinematography aren't as people-oriented as directing is. (likewise, many great directors struggle when it comes to other roles.)

The few anti-social directors who succeed tend to be either writers or fine artists who really understand pre-production.

Okay, now I have a big rant about short courses that I turned into a comedy screenplay a couple of years ago (which I may pitch soon). Basically, they don't count toward university rankings, but they are big money earners for a university (And job producers for out of work filmmakers). So, they market them well, but don't necessarily deliver as well as they do with their full time courses. They're great for art therapy, or networking when you're retired. Sometimes you actually learn something too, but you learn quicker on paid jobs. (For fine art and music, I think short courses are fantastic. For directing, not so much.)

7 years, 1 month ago - Tia Salisbury

London Film School and NFTS do 6 weeks directing courses over the summer. They're pricey and very intense but you get a condensed version of the MA in a fraction of the time and walk away with a film at the end. A friend attended the LFS course last summer to help him make the leap from successful animator to live-action director. He's worked professionally for decades at a high level in games and TV and felt the course was aimed at experienced pros like him rather than an exercise in money making.

7 years, 1 month ago - Susi Arnott

https://nfts.co.uk/our-courses/short-courses/drama#directors_series√