Filmmaking / Directing : 30 Essential Directing Tips From 30 Master Filmmakers by Amanda Toney

Lynch’s Advice: Your idea is everything.

“Don’t think about the money or what’s going to happen after the film is finished,” Lynch told the Lucca Film Festival in 2014. “The first thing you need is an idea, an idea that you fall in love with. The idea tells you the mood you choose for the characters, how the characters talk. It tells you the story, it shows you all the details, and so all you have to do is stay true to that idea as you shoot your film.”

Fantastic list of advice! Thanks for sharing, Amanda Toney!

Richard Linklater said, "So to me, the big nut to crack is to how to tell a story, what’s the right way to tell a particular story." Filmmakers can do that with mood boards, storyboards, and test scenes. And the test scenes don't have to cost much.

And I do that as a screenwriter. I'll get a script idea and see what's the right way to tell the story. Should I tell the story from this character's viewpoint? From that character's viewpoint? Do I set the story in a house? A store? Etc.

Maurice Vaughan what do you think of a scanner darkly?

Happy New Year, Willem Elzenga! I haven't seen it yet, but it's on my watch list. What do you think of it?

Maurice Vaughan a prosperous 2025 for you my friend. I didn't like the look of it. Though the writer Philip K Dick also wrote Blade Runner, Minority Report and Total Recall. In my opinion classics made by pioneers like Rutger Houwer, Jan de Bont and Paul Verhoeven. All filmmakers I've worked with. So Richard is a little bit of my list when it comes to great K Dick movies and people to take advice from. And compared to Lynch he's a small director. Or is he planning to take on one of your works?

This is an awesome share and read, Amanda Toney - I recommend everyone check this out.

I'm pretty practical when it comes to producing and always fret over sound quality (after learning the hard way) so I really loved Danny Boyle's advice:

“The two bits of advice I give all aspiring filmmakers are to make sure you work in a team and to save more money than you think you need for sound,” Boyle says in the book “The Reel Truth.” “The temptation — especially if you’re working with limited budgets like our early films — is to spend your money up front while you’re shooting and solve things later. But the aural, audio impact of our films is on the same level as the visual impact.”

Congratulations on working with Rutger Houwer, Jan de Bont, and Paul Verhoeven, Willem Elzenga! Richard Linklater is a fantastic director! Hit Man is on my watch list for tomorrow. I'd love for him to take on one of my scripts!

This is so cool, Amanda Toney! Thank you for sharing!

Maurice Vaughan okay, I'll look into him some more