To sum it up: Practice, try to get an education (film school), or self-educate by watching and doing films. At first, its crucial to develop good craftsmanship in your field, which is the foundation of this work. Read books on writing, acting, directing, cinematography and editing. That’s your tools.

If you want to become an outstanding director, you need also to work on your character. Gain understanding into the joy and pain of being human. Work yourself through predicaments, self-delusions, ego-trips and integrate your own shadow. You need to fully understand, comprehend and look with fearless eyes at the beauty and terror of life. You need to be able to content within your psyche the range between animal instincts of a serial killer and the compassion of a mother towards her child. Without understanding human nature, you’ll only copy other filmmakers and your work will be shallow.

In order to understand life, you need to live it. Fully! Have the courage to fail miserably, in professional and private life, and than develop strength and patience to pick yourself up again. Using discipline and perseverance to get through rough times. And they will come! People will behave like assholes towards you and you’ll become one eventually too. Be ready to meet unfairness and idiots who will try to undermine and tell you what to do. However, through this hard lessons eventually, your perspective will change, on people, life situations and yourself.

After each movie you’ll make, you’ll die a little. That’s normal and part of the process. It’s actually a good thing. You need to keep pushing on, regardless. If life presents you a tragedy, welcome it, that’s the fabric of your work and your source of inspiration. This attitutde will also help you to deal with life in a more authentic way. The celebrity game is another difficult lesson. Beware having expecations of fame or recognition! That’s a trap. It will come or not, it’s the work that is most important. Eventually you’ll meet like-minded people and expirience true collegiality. This will also help you to stay focused on the work itself.

Try not to identify yourself with your job title “Film Director”, only be focused on what you’re doing NOT on who you are. The price for all that lays in the work itself. It’s privilege and huge responsibility to do this.

A challenge worth going after.

Stanley Kubrick, photographed by Dmitri Kasterine in 1970 on the set of A Clockwork Orange. Credit: Dmitri Kasterine: www.kasterine.com