Writer/director Patrick Read Johnson explains, "The director is the guy
the producer hires to drive the tanks into battle for him; to take all of the
assembled team and corral them, cheerlead them, cajole them, work with
them, and drive them like a herd, to extract from them their best work."
"A director is a storyteller," says director Mel Damski. "He interprets
stories. He visualizes them and magically creates images, words, music,
and tells a story the best way possible."
Advice for Someone Seeking This Job
One of Johnson's messages in his film 5-25-77 is that it doesn't matter
if you're from a small town with no contacts in the film industry--you
can make it, just like he did. "It's not unattainable. The only thing that
keeps you back is the belief that you can't get there. But you can get there
from here. It's doable.
"An old producer gave me this advice once, when I was 18 years old
and had just arrived in California. He said, `Are you willing to wait until
you're 25 to be a director?' (I was 18 at the time.) I said, `Sure.' And he
goes `35?' I said, `Yeah.' `45?' `Yes.' `55?' `Absolutely.' `65?' I said, `I'm
willing to wait until I'm 75.' And he goes, `You might just make it.'
"What he meant was, if you think it would be sort of fun to try out
being a director or producer or actor--any of the arts--forget it. It's not for
you. You can't just see if it will be fun. If you can't not do it; if you can't
find a way to see yourself doing anything else, if you can't sleep at night
because you want so badly to do it, if all you think about and read about
and talk about and want to be around is film information, if that stimuli is
all that drives you, then you just might make it if you're willing to stop at
almost nothing to do it. Then you've got to say to yourself, `How far am I
willing to go?' Are you willing to jump in your car with $200 in your
pocket and drive across the country, end up with no money in your pocket
and take any job you can? Are you willing to sleep on floors for two years
and go get the second meal and the pizzas for the crew late at night? Are
you willing to do all those things? If you are, you might make it. If you're
not willing, if you even hesitate, forget it. This is good advice. This will
save you years of heartache, because it is always a struggle.
"It's a struggle from the day you start, until the day you get knocked
down, to the day you start again. I've been up and down and up and
down. I've been in the industry professionally for twenty years--I've
wanted to be in the industry since I was nine. I've been very rich and I've
been very poor. I've been very successful and had total failures. I've been
beaten up, and given accolades, then torn apart. The only reason I can
still do it, and still smile about it and enjoy it, is that I can't not do it. I
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