At SCAD, aspiring to become any type of art director is quite common. However, what many people may not realize is that there is so much more to being one than just what meets the eye.
According to Olivia Wilde’s interview by Screen Stories on YouTube, being a director is “an inherently collaborative art form,” and “a team sport.” However, the role of a director can be perceived as the opposite – as a person who plays more of a solo head figure.
Although still a leader, rather than acting independent, the director is more like the coach of the team who is able to collaborate, hear ideas and empowers the team enough to have them work to the best of their abilities so that the overall project flourishes. Like Wilde mentioned, the director is “as only as good as the players who [they] work with.”
Adding to this, communication is the key to success, especially when being a leader. Therefore, letting the rest of your team pitch in and feel comfortable enough to have their ideas and suggestions be heard is great. Wilde also stated that it’s not the director’s job “to have the best idea, control everyone and make them feel less important than you, and it is not [a director’s] job to singularly inherit the glory.”
Ensuring that you acknowledge the hard work and effort made by each individual who played a part in the making of the project is quite important. This adds to the empowerment of your team and moreover, can result in an enhanced level of quality of the project.
Lastly, no one is more important than anyone — the actors and the crew should be treated equally and given the same amount of respect. Nowadays, many people separate the talent (the actors) from the crew. However, the crew plays a massive role in the making of any project. Sadly, because many audiences don’t see behind-the-scenes of it all, their hard work can go unnoticed, whereas many times the actors get that attention from the audience. Again, this is why acknowledging the team’s efforts and dedication to the project is very important, especially coming from the director.
Watch and listen to Wilde discussing her egalitarian theory on “The Role of a Director” here.
