The Director

At the top of the whole pile is the director. Quite possibly they are the only person who doesn’t seem to be doing anything ever; while others are running about, lifting things, waving pieces of paper, shouting into walkie-talkies, and generally looking busy, the director is there sitting in their chair reading the paper.

The director is the boss. A film set isn’t a democracy, it is a dictatorship. (Or adirectorship I suppose if we can slip in just one bad pun.)

If you have a small problem then you don’t approach the director, especially if you don’t know them personally. In fact, unless the director is the only person in the universe who can help with your problem, you don’t approach them ever to sort something out.

The actor’s relationship with the director is simple: you do what the director says unless you are an A list actor being paid millions to do the film.

So for actors starting out, and if your role is very secondary, you just go in, do your job, and leave it at that.

You might think that you need to make an impression, but simply by being professional and easy to work with you is making a great impression and the next time the director wants a hassle-free actor to work with, they’ll remember you.

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