How To Direct A Movie With No Experience

If you have a brilliant script, but have no experience, it's okay. This article will help you get over that fear and give you the confidence you need to make your vision a reality.

When you're going to create your movie, you're going to feel like it's all up to you. That's the reality. But, guess what? It's not.

How to get over your fears to direct a movie

Acting and producing a movie are easy compared to directing. Sure, you can make the script your own and try to incorporate your own ideas, but at the end of the day, it's still going to be your movie.

If you're thinking of making a movie without directing experience, the first thing you need to do is acknowledge the daunting task that lies ahead of you. Facing your fear is a huge step, but you have to take it if you want to succeed.

You will be going up against so many other talented and experienced film makers.

It will be hard, it will be stressful, but it will be exciting. As John Krasinski, the famous actor who stars in the movie A Quiet Place, says, "Success is 90% perseverance and 10% luck."

The second step is to learn everything you can about the movie business. This will give you the knowledge you need to get your movie made.

When it comes to business, you can't afford to make mistakes.

Get the experts to help

Another scary factor for many filmmakers is how to get other talented people to work on your film. For a long time, I was an actor only, never an actor and director.

I was scared to hire an acting coach because I thought that would take away from my screenwriting process. But, of course, that couldn't be further from the truth.

A lot of people get caught in the trap of thinking that they must create everything themselves.

They need to hire a director and a producer. But, why don't you consider the team you already have?

Consider family and friends. Your friends may not be experienced in the movie business, but they are your friends. Spend some time getting to know them.

Ask them about their work. Ask them to read your script.

Find other talented people on social media who may be looking for projects to work on.

It's always a good idea to make friends with other filmmakers so you can share your work and get advice.

When it comes to actors, most big name stars have some form of manager to manage their careers.

Agents can help with casting and coordinating the shooting schedule. If you don't have an agent, you can use a casting agent. Be sure to ask for the services of a casting agent who specializes in film.

The agents listed on Casting Networks International are a good place to start.

If you are planning to shoot in a country other than the U.S., you'll need to hire an EIC (Equity International Officer).

All of these people will help you make the movie a reality, and that's what's most important.

Make the cast

It's not enough to have a great script. Your cast is the main element that will bring your vision to life.

Before you even start casting, you need to think about your budget. This might seem like a silly question, but it's worth thinking about.

If you can't afford to hire the actors you need, you're in trouble.

You can either choose to accept your limitations and get by on a smaller cast with your own money or hire professional actors. If you want to get a good cast without a budget, you can always use an agency.

But, the casting agency is likely going to charge a fee, and with your budget already low, it's not a good idea to add to it.

A good alternative is to pay a local talent agent to find the right actors for you. This is a good option if you can afford it.

But, it may not be the best option if you are desperate and need your movie to go into production quickly.

The best cast members will have chemistry with each other, but they should also have chemistry with your lead actor. If you have two actors who really want to work with each other, you can cut the rest of the cast.

You can either shoot a second unit with the extras or hire a stunt actor. If you're planning to shoot on location, you can hire a local second unit.

But, this will mean you have to share the cost of that film.

When you cast, think about who would be a good fit for your lead character. When you think of that, you can then think about who would be good in each of the other characters.

Remember, the best actors make the best characters. If you cast someone who's not right for your character, the audience will see it and then that actor's work will suffer.

Acting classes can be a good investment to help get your actors ready. We highly recommend classes that focus on casting for films.

Get your script together

The script is what sells a film. So, you can't put it off any longer.

Start reading. Read every word in your script at least once.

If you want to take this a step further, read the script as if you are reading a book, rather than a screen play. Try to understand each word and word choice.

Read the script at least once a week

If you're a first-time screenwriter, you may not have the experience to make changes that add to the script. You'll want to take the time to make those changes and you'll want to read it again so you can see the results.

Take the script to a professional who will critique the script for you and will give you advice for improvement.

You want to have a rough draft of your screenplay before you start filming, but don't let it be too rough.

You don't want the actors to try to remember all those complicated lines.

And, you don't want them to struggle with the dialogue because they're looking over your shoulders to see if you'll catch them.

You also don't want your actors to learn too many lines because it'll be too confusing and they won't be able to get all of them in the right place.

It's fine if you have a couple of lines that you can hide. But, you'll want to have a few lines in your script that you can use for additional acting exercises.

If you don't have these lines in your script, get them ready by the time you start filming.

Once you have a rough draft, you need to focus on editing

When you get a script back from the editor, ask for advice on the areas you need to focus on. It's the editor's job to make it as good as possible.

We highly recommend you hire a script editor for the production. It's cheaper to hire an editor than to pay a script.