“Don't hire people just to fit the first job they will do; hire people you want to share your life with."
- Ray Dalio, entrepreneur and investor

One of the biggest mistakes I’ve made as a director is thinking I needed to have all the answers, all the time. This kind of thinking can cripple you with fear and seriously hurt your film.

That’s why I want to talk about the key to overcoming this mistake; hiring the right people to collaborate with you on:

• Why questions are sometimes better than answers
• Why “yes people” are a big no-no
• How to attract the best people to your film

The reason hiring is a commonly misunderstood topic in filmmaking, is because it’s often clouded in accolades, fame and credits. But once you understand how to hire the right people for your film, you unlock an exponential creative force that can take your film to new heights.

Let’s roll.

Why questions are sometimes better than answers

If you’re suffering from the false belief that a director should have all the answers, I’m sorry to say you’re in for a world of hurt. When you’re the one and only source of truth for your film, you’re constantly bombarded with questions, you stifle your collaborators’ creativity and you lose out on lots of potentially great ideas.

This is a stressful way to direct.

The opposite approach is also not great. If you leave everyone to do what they want, your film is bound to end up a hot mess. We’ve already talked about how the director needs to be the world’s foremost expert on the story they’re telling. You absolutely need to bring that expertise. I like the phrase “strong opinions, loosely held.” Come in with a vision, but be willing to make changes when better ideas present themselves.

To encourage your collaborators to bring their ideas and creative powers to your project, curiosity is important. Ask questions before you make statements or decrees. Listen more than you talk. And balance that with strong decision making when a matter is settled.

⁠"I hire people brighter than me and get out of their way."
- Lee Iacocca, former president of Ford

I also like to communicate with my collaborators by discussing story and characters, and let them handle their field of expertise. The key for this to work is to build trust with the people you’re working with.

That trust starts before the person is even hired on your film.

Why “yes people” are a big no-no

It can feel nice to have people agree with your directing choices and boost your ego. But nice doesn’t necessarily make for a good film.

Throughout film history we’ve seen countless examples of directors making a great movie where there was a lot of creative friction. And then getting another film with a “carte blanche” to do whatever they want, and the second film lacks a lot of the things that made the first one great.

I don’t believe in head-butting for the sake of butting heads. But I do believe in pushing for creative excellence.

This starts with hiring. When you hire collaborators for your film the first thing you should look for is alignment on the vision for the film.

Clarity is king.

It’s worth digging deep to avoid misunderstandings later on. Let the people you’re considering to work with know what kind of film you’re trying to make, and also what you’re not trying to make. Having both sides of this discussion helps with avoiding confusion and solidifies your ideas.

Once you have found someone who’s on board with your vision, make sure they’re not afraid to push back and challenge you to get the best out of the film.

The best collaborators share the same mindset we discussed above. They’re curious, ask great questions, and bring their own ideas to the table while leaving their egos behind.

Avoid “yes-people” like the plague, and focus on hiring for the characteristics that make a great collaborator.

How to attract the best people

"I found that when you get enough “A” players together, when you go through the incredible work to find these “A” players, they really like working with each other. Because most have never had the chance to do that before."
- Steve Jobs, Apple founder

Finding and hiring a team that make each other better has the potential to increase the value of your film exponentially.

But how do you find these “A players” as Steve Jobs calls them? And how do you get them to work on your film?

Let’s start with the elephant in the room; money. When you’re working with a limited budget, it’s hard to attract talent that’s already at the height of their careers.

This is where the finding comes in.

To create an excellent team, without the money to back you up, you gotta spend time and effort finding the right people.

To start out, “best” doesn’t necessarily mean best for your film. Someone with tons of accolades and experience might not be the best choice if they’re not able to work with you as the director. If you find someone like this, make doubly sure you’re on the same page and that the person is comfortable working to support your vision. When someone like this isn’t aligned with you, it can cause a lot of issues in the creative process. If they are aligned and willing to be a bit of a mentor, they can bring tons of value to your film.

The more viable route to take is finding talented collaborators who are at a similar point in their careers as you.

The most important thing to remember when hiring, is that it’s an exchange of value. They provide value to your film, and you also have to provide value back. You want to look for collaborators who are willing to learn and grow on your film.

Since we’ve established money might not be the value you can provide, it’s time to start getting creative. Ask yourself: how can I genuinely provide value for this person if they agree to work on my film?

Here are some ideas:

• Give them a promotion: an aspiring DP who normally works as a camera assistant would probably love to shoot your film
• Expand their resume: for someone looking to make a change in their career or to broaden what they’re known for, working on your film might be a great opportunity. Think of an editor who normally works in reality, but wants to transition to scripted features. Your film might provide the credit they need to make that jump.
• Give them a great experience: A lot of talented people are stuck in jobs they don’t love, working grueling hours on projects they don’t care about. You can give them something different, that reminds them why they started their filmmaker journey in the first place.

I want to note that there are a lot of predatory practices in the film industry and the typical “work for credit, a meal and footage for your reel” is rarely genuine or useful.

Paying your collaborators should be a top priority if it’s within your means. If you can’t pay, be extremely clear on what you can provide of value upfront and don’t promise something you can’t keep.

To bring it back to where we started, with the quote from Ray Dalio. Hiring someone isn’t about finding someone for a one time job, but finding people you want to spend your life with.

And cut!

That does it for this week. Here are the key takeaways I want you to bring with you into your directing career from today:

• Learning to hire right is the key to unleashing your film’s potential.
• Look beyond credits and accolades and search for people who are curious, and not afraid to push back on your creative vision.
• Spend the time upfront to find the perfect collaborators for your film.

As always, thanks for reading.