Become a Director

This five-night course teaches the essential skills to tell a story through film. Suitable for beginners who have never touched a camera before, or amateur filmmakers who want to take their work to the next level, and those working in other areas of film who want an insight into the director’s job, it introduces the artistic skills necessary to start thinking like a director.

Each night focuses on a specific topic, combining lecture with homework to build students’ directing skills:

• What Is A Director? – Common misconceptions about what the job entails. The director’s relationship to cast and crew. Is the director really the “author” of the film?
• From Script to Screen – A great screenplay is essential…but it is just the beginning. How do you transform words into images? An introduction to the essential process of script analysis.
• Directing the Actor – Where do the great performances come from? What kind of direction do actors look for? A hands-on look at the collaboration between actor and director.
• That’s a Wrap – Shooting is over…now the real work begins. How the director’s job changes during postproduction. What to do when the film doesn’t work out the way you thought it would.
• The Director and the Producer – Through it all, a director and a producer work hand-in-hand. An introduction to this often-misunderstand relationship. Why we all have to be producers…and why this will help you get your films made.

Course Dates:

July 23 – Tue
July 25 – Thu
July 30 – Tue
Aug 1 – Thu
Aug 6 – Tue

Courses are from 7:00 – 9:30 p.m.

About the Instructor

Raised in Oklahoma, award-winning filmmaker Eric McEver relocated to Tokyo during college to pursue a passion for Japanese theatre and film. While working variously as an actor, translator, game developer, and animation producer, he developed an offbeat cinematic vision fusing the languages and idiosyncrasies of his two homes. He further honed his skills at New York University’s film directing program, where he graduated with the Wasserman Award in Directing, the same honor bestowed on such notable alums as Spike Lee and Ang Lee. His most recent film, the Chinese-Japanese coproduction Paleonaut, has to date won nearly a dozen awards and screened at numerous film festivals in Asia, the United States, and Europe.

Eric has worked in Japan for more than a decade and is fluent in Japanese. He has extensive experience translating and speaks in a clear American accent.