Is the Director God?

I was pottering around the internet before bed one night, and I remember reading some advice for actors that read. There is one rule – the director is GOD.

I kept thinking about this over and over across the weekend and fighting and arguing with myself about that statement.

The thing is, that in my experience, the director is not god, in fact, sometimes, they are not even a very good director, let alone being god.

But I think what we all have to acknowledge is that the director is often your boss. Now, there are good bosses and bad bosses, and that’s exactly what you get with a director. Some are good, some are bad, some are damn awful and some are tremendous. Some make you want to work harder and go further, and some make you wish you could shoot them in the face.

But the director is not God. They are not all knowing, but perhaps they are all powerful, and that power is given to them, whether they deserve it not, by the production process. Whether they deserve it or not, you have to live with it.

However, you are an individual in a process and the process determines your individual contribution.

In the theatre, the central voice is the playwright’s voice. In film and television, the writer may or may not be respected, but usually the director’s vision, the producer’s vision and finally the studio’s decision. In the theatre process, you will be listened to a lot more than the other two. I’m not saying directors and producers won’t listen to you, but they are the author’s of the film or tv show and the responsibility for so much money is resting on their shoulders.

I think it’s harmful for you to think of the director as god. You need to be part of their team but autonomous enough to make your own decisions.

I always warn against an imbalance in your relationship with the director. It should be adult to adult, not GOD to mortal, or parent to child.

Always work from the perspective that you are two adults with the similar goal, to make the best movie/show possible, and that your work is a collaboration from which all will benefit. And yes, you may have to defer to their choices, but hey, sometimes we have to do what the boss tell us, whether we like it or not.

The director is not all powerful, neither are you, none of us are, well okay, maybe the studios.

COACH

Mark Westbrook is the Senior Acting Coach at Acting Coach Scotland the Course Leader of the Outrageous 1-Year Full Time Diploma in Acting for Stage and Screen.