[BLOG] Director’s Discuss Their “First Time” On MyFirstShoot.com
I came across an interesting website called MyFirstShoot.com. It’s a website that consists of interviews of directors interviewing other directors weekly about their first directorial debut . Interesting. Here’s an example of what director “Lenny Dorfman” had to say.
What is your background? Did you go to film school?
I went to the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, and then went on to graduate school at AFI. I just started doing everything and anything I could do to learn about production, but more importantly to make money so I could shoot my own stuff. For my own projects, I was doing most everything myself – producing, shooting, props, and editing. I worked at Sandbank Films with Henry Sandbank and Jon Kamen. I was working as a production “everything” person when I started out.
What was your first shoot?
My first shoot when I got paid as a director was for a company that manufactures chainsaws and weed wackers. Your first shoot with an advertising agency is a much different scenario than when you’re shooting your own stuff – you have to let them in on most everything you have in mind. It was a collaborative effort but something that I wasn’t used to. I wasn’t familiar with having people sit in on the casting and having people watching every set up that you’re doing. That was a big adjustment. Still is (laughs).
It’s so inspiring to hear about others “first time”…in the directors chair I mean. I was an AD (Assistant Director) on set for one of our films “The Promise”, which you guys will be seeing soon! I was so nervous. It’s just a matter of getting things right on a timely fashion, make sure you’re communicating the right things to everyone. I was wreck in the inside but you can’t let your team know that. You gotta battle it out. This site definitely is worth looking at if you need an uplifting moment for the day. Check it out !