{"product_id":"how-to-make-the-transition-from-cinematographer-to-director","title":"How to Make the Transition from Cinematographer to Director","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #42C2CB; font-size: 14pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: teal;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"http:\/\/admin.stage32.com\/vendor\/moxiemanager\/data\/uploads\/15.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"158\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #42C2CB; font-size: 14pt;\"\u003eGetting ahead is hard in Hollywood, and taking the next step in your career can be difficult when it feels like the expectation is for you to stay in your own lane. Being a cinematographer is such an exciting, rewarding, and important role on any project, but that doesn’t mean it’s where your journey has to stop. If you have aspirations to move into directing and make your own film, that path is more possible than you might think. In fact, your background as a cinematographer might even catapult you to this position, since, in an effort to save film funds, it’s becoming more common for producers to hire cinematographers who can also direct.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMany people believe that the roles of the director and cinematographer are separate, but actually they are partners in the storytelling process. This means that making the leap from cinematographer to director is not as hard as you might think. However, whether you want to exclusively direct or be a DP \/ director combo, you have to adhere to a certain mode of operation, master the art of collaboration, and hone your ability to speak clearly to your cast and crew in order to maximize your time on set. So how do you get that first directing job? Can you effectively direct and shoot at the same time, and if so, how do you divide your precious time between your cast and crew? With careful planning and a solid understanding of how to manage your responsibilities on set you can become the perfect “double threat” that producers love, while putting extra cash in your pocket and achieving more of your creative goals.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cdiv style=\"color: #dddddd;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRyan Little is a director, producer, and cinematographer with over 20 years of experience in the industry.\u003c\/strong\u003e His first feature \u003cstrong\u003eSAINTS AND SOLDIERS\u003c\/strong\u003e, for which he took on the dual roles of DP and director, won 16 “Best Picture” awards and two nominations at the \u003cstrong\u003eIndependent Spirit Awards\u003c\/strong\u003e including Best First Feature and Best Cinematography. Since then, Ryan has served as cinematographer and director on a slew of projects and has directed actors like \u003cstrong\u003eDanny Glover, Vinnie Jones, Sean Astin, Neal McDonagh, Gary Cole, Dolph Lundgren, \u003c\/strong\u003eand \u003cstrong\u003eMickey Rourke\u003c\/strong\u003e. Most recently Ryan has worked with Producer Dean Devlin on the TNT pilot \u003cstrong\u003eBLANK SLATE\u003c\/strong\u003e and has directed TV episodes of shows like \u003cstrong\u003eGRANITE FLATS\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eEXTINCT\u003c\/strong\u003e. \u003cem\u003eRyan has built a storied background and deep well of knowledge in both cinematography and directing, and is ready to share what he knows with the Stage 32 community.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\r\n\u003cdiv style=\"color: #dddddd;\"\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUsing his own experience as well as his deep understanding of the industry today, Ryan will teach you how you can make the transition from cinematographer to director and use your photography background to your advantage.\u003c\/strong\u003e He will begin by broadly discussing the prospect of switching from cinematographer to director and explaining why it’s possible. He will go over how he made the transition himself as well how other notable directors made a similar shift. He will demonstrate \u003cstrong\u003ewhy your background as a DP will actually make you a better director yourself\u003c\/strong\u003e. Ryan will then delve more deeply into \u003cstrong\u003ehow best to land your first job as a director\u003c\/strong\u003e, including “planting seeds” for future opportunities, playing to your strengths as a practiced cinematographer, using the connections you’ve already built, and \u003cstrong\u003ehow to create sample work to help show your value\u003c\/strong\u003e. He will also discuss the possibility of \u003cstrong\u003eserving as a Director\/DP combo on set as a way to break in\u003c\/strong\u003e, what that looks like, and how to do both roles effectively at the same time. Next, Ryan will give you the rundown of how to best tackle your first directing gig. He’ll go over the aspects of directing you can expect to come naturally and the aspects that might be more of a challenge because of your background, as well as how to let the DP role go when directing. Ryan will teach you \u003cstrong\u003ehow to best prep for your first directing gig before going on set.\u003c\/strong\u003e He’ll talk about how to create your \u003cstrong\u003e“style guide”\u003c\/strong\u003e for the project, finding your story moments ahead of time, making a useful \u003cstrong\u003eshot list,\u003c\/strong\u003e and how best to use \u003cstrong\u003estoryboards\u003c\/strong\u003e. He will then talk about how to spend your time on set as a director, including how to manage your time and break up your day and how to tell the story in your coverage. He will reveal t\u003cstrong\u003ehree mistakes commonly made by directors during rehearsal\u003c\/strong\u003e and will discuss \u003cstrong\u003ewhen the right and wrong times to operate the camera yourself are.\u003c\/strong\u003e He will also go over finding the balance between assertive and collaborative on set and how to set the right tone. Finally Ryan will focus on \u003cstrong\u003eworking with actors from the mindset of a cinematographer\u003c\/strong\u003e, including how to speak the actor’s language, how to hold the essential one-on-one actor preproduction meeting, and what you can do to become an “Actor’s Director”. \u003cem\u003eThrough all of this, Ryan will give you the tools and confidence to make the switch you might have been contemplating for a while and take the next important steps on your journey to become a bona fide film director.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003chr\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #42C2CB; font-size: 14pt;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"I attribute a lot of my success to my background as a cinematographer. It's given me so many great opportunities and the skills to advance in my career in exciting ways. I want other cinematographers to better understand their value and potential as filmmakers, and am so excited to share what I know to empower the current DPs and future directors that are part of the Stage 32 community.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #42C2CB; font-size: 14pt;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e-Ryan Little\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #42C2CB; font-size: 14pt;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: teal;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cimg src=\"http:\/\/admin.stage32.com\/vendor\/moxiemanager\/data\/uploads\/18_11.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"158\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Stage 32","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48055984750899,"sku":"","price":49.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0700\/7728\/4659\/files\/image_65c5a3a75272b.jpg?v=1707451306","url":"https:\/\/stage32.myshopify.com\/products\/how-to-make-the-transition-from-cinematographer-to-director","provider":"Stage 32","version":"1.0","type":"link"}