What kind of director are you?
Are you the loud eccentric? The quiet, contemplative artist? The energetic go-getter? The intense professional? The amusing jokester? The whipped studio hack?
No matter how you show up as a director, your approach has consequences that go far beyond your job. It influences everyone around you.
Today, we're talking about the director as the head of vibes:
- Why the director is crucial in setting the tone of a production
- How I created a Summer Camp atmosphere on our Wild Boys shoot
- How you can intentionally create the filming environment that works best for you
Many filmmakers unintentionally create stressful, toxic working environments because they're not aware of the signals they send to their cast and crew. But when you become aware of your impact on the tone of the production, you can take ownership of it and create a filming experience that fosters creativity, fun, and gets the best out of people.
Let's roll.
What is the Head of Vibes anyway?
“Tone is a huge part of directing. It’s setting the tone on set, making it a comforting, warm, inviting, safe environment. And also communicating, making sure everyone knows what they’re doing and why. And make sure you do all your prep work before, so you show up with a plan and so you can be chill and then those vibes kind of filter out into the set.”
- Rian Johnson, director (Knives Out, Brick, Looper, Star Wars: The Last Jedi)
I call the director the Head of Vibes because, as the main creative leader on set, you're the person everyone looks to. The way you act, communicate, and direct on set forms the foundation for how the environment of your production turns out.
When you step on set that first day, everyone looks to you for how they should behave. It's often not a conscious process, but an unconscious one where we pick up social cues from others that tell us what's okay and what's not.
Many directors are a little nervous, stressed, and carry a lot of pressure on the first day of shooting. This can translate into nerves, stress, and pressure that spreads to the rest of the crew.
This is totally normal, but it is far from optimal.
Instead of letting the vibes set themselves, we can influence how our mood and behavior affect our cast and crew.
Rian Johnson's quote beautifully illustrates the director's role and responsibility when it comes to setting the tone for a film shoot. It breaks down into three main parts:
- Be prepared: lack of preparation causes stress, bad decision-making, and unclear communication. But, when you show up having done your work and are ready for the day, you're confident, can communicate clearly, and, as Rian puts it, you can be chill.
- Communicate clearly: When everyone knows what they're supposed to do and when they gain confidence in the role they're playing, everything else becomes easier. This goes for both cast and crew. When you as the director are clear, everything else becomes easier.
- Be intentional: Knowing how you want your set to be run and doing the work to make it run that way is essential. Rian mentions a "warm, comforting, inviting, and safe environment," which I personally love, but that might not be right for the way you work. The important lesson is to foster the kind of environment you want and that you think will produce the best creative results for your film.
Vibes as a filmmaking tool can be vague, but when we break them down like this, you can see how you can affect the vibes with the way you behave and direct.
Summer camp vibes on Wild Boys
Before starting work on Wild Boys, I was feeling lost and disillusioned with filmmaking as a whole. It wasn't fun anymore and had started to feel like a grind.
I'd lost the spark of joy that made me want to make films in the first place.
Part of that was putting an immense amount of pressure on myself and thinking the key to making great films was "being professional." Not that I'd defined what being professional meant to me.
One of my main goals with making Wild Boys was to bring back the joy I'd felt when I first started making films. I wanted some of the innocence and the fun I had hanging out with my friends and filming something we were all excited about.
When I shot my final film project in film school, I needed a location that felt Nordic. Not the easiest thing to do in Southern California. We ended up finding a great location up in the mountains a few hours away and managed to get the whole cast and crew lodged at a Space Camp for kids that was closed for the season.
I loved the experience of working together, living in the camp setting, and sharing meals and free time as a group. It created a sense of camaraderie and made the whole shoot a special experience.
It convinced me that doing something similar for Wild Boys was the way to go.
For our 10-day shoot, everyone stayed together in cabins high up in the mountains. With limited internet access, the cast and crew got to hang out the old-fashioned way, and everyone seemed to get along well.
We shared meals, played board games, and, of course, made a movie.
On set, I tried to create an atmosphere of play. Our main actors are all great improvisers, and allowing them the space and giving them the confidence to use their talents was important. By encouraging this freedom, they were loose and playful, and that transmitted to great chemistry on screen.
But the experience also taught me a lot about what I still had to learn as a director and leader. Looking back, I was way overextended. Doing 4-5 jobs and never "stopping to smell the roses." I often got absorbed into details or logistics that took me out of the moment and away from my leadership role as the director.
The stress made me a worse leader, but I hope the lessons I've taken away from it make me a better one in the future.
How to create the perfect vibes for your film
A film production is unlike any other work environment I've ever been a part of. You work extremely closely and intensely with people for a relatively short period, and then you disperse and might never work together again.
It can create lifelong friendships and bitter rivalries.
It's a strange and wonderful experience, but one that requires the director to be mindful of how they set the tone for the working environment.
Start by identifying what kind of film production you want to run. What environment brings out the best in you and your cast and crew?
Knowing yourself, your strengths, and weaknesses is your first step. Then you need to figure out what the film needs. If the film needs something you're not good at, plan around it. For example, if you're a quiet, introverted director making a high-octane action spectacle, and your film needs that kind of energy, consider hiring an energetic first assistant director to "run the show."
The second step is to be aware of how other people perceive you. Self-awareness goes a long way when you're trying to set an example for what behavior is welcome and what's not. In the corporate world, they talk a lot about the culture of a company. It means a lot of different things to different people, but the best definition I've heard is:
"Culture is what is tolerated."
It's not about the espresso cart at craft services, or the fancy gadgets the crew gets, or what kind of trailer the star actors have. It's about what kind of behaviors are acceptable, and where you draw the line on what's not acceptable. As the director, you are key to drawing these lines.
The way I see it, it's my job to create a great place to work because I believe it fosters creativity and brings out the best in people. When people feel heard and valued, they're more likely to give a project their all.
And let's face it, it's a lot more fun to work on a project this way.
And cut!
The next time you step on set, be conscious of your honorary role as Head of Vibes, and make sure the vibes are good ones. Here are the key takeaways I want you to bring with you into your directing career from today:
- Be prepared: do everything you can before the shoot starts so you can be fully present and as stress-free as possible when the camera starts rolling.
- Cultivate an environment that works the best for your film.
- Communicate clearly and set the standard you want others to follow.
As always, thanks for reading.
