Meaning, Importance and Vision of Film Directing

Meaning, Importance of Film Directing, which is an important introductory lesson for those who study film directing. Because understanding the meaning, importance of film directing will make you know the meaning and initial purpose of being a film director. In addition, this chapter also explains the vision of film directing, which explains the importance of vision as the origin of work and makes a difference in the film production process. Which is important content in planning to work as a film director in the future.

1. Meaning and importance of 'directing'
      The meaning of "directing" generally means managing and giving direction by guiding, explaining and providing information.
      The Cambridge Dictionary explains the meaning of the word "directing" as 2 meanings as follows:
1. Directing is controlling or having responsibility for activities or organizations.
2. Directing is giving direction to people with goals (Cambridge Dictionary, 2021: online) Oxford Dictionary The definition of the word “directing” is as follows: 1. to control the operation of things, manage or govern 2. to direct (something) in a particular direction or person (Oxford Dictionary, 2021: online) In addition, film experts and scholars also define the word film directing as follows:

Michael Rabiger, author of the book “Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics”, defines the word ‘directing’ in the book’s abstract as “Directing encompasses the methods, technologies, thought processes and judgments that a director must employ throughout the remarkable process of making a film. The heart of the book is the human, psychological and technical knowledge that every director needs, a lasting element of the craft that remains important” (Michael Rabiger, 2013).
Michael also elaborates on directing: “Directing also provides a particularly clear view of the artistic process, particularly in working with actors and key crews to produce a narrative that expresses individuality and professionalism on any budget. Directing explores in detail and the associated requirements of how to engage with the conceptual and authorial aspects of filmmaking. Outstandingly practical tools and exercises show you how to: discover your artistic identity, develop believable and engaging stories with your cast and crew, and become a storyteller with a distinctive voice and style.” (Michael Rabiger, 2013)

2. The meaning and importance of 'film director'
     When understanding the meaning of "directing", it is very important to understand the meaning and role of a person who is of utmost importance in the film production process, namely the 'film director'.
Film director In English, the word 'Film Director' is used. 

There are different definitions, meanings, and importance of film directors as follows:

The Cambridge Dictionary defines the meaning of the word film director as "a person who is responsible for a film or drama and tells the actors how to play various roles" (Cambridge Dictionary, 2021: online)

Encyclopedia Britannica defines the modern film director as "The modern film director is the person most responsible for the form, structure, and ultimate quality of a film. Film is a collaborative art, and in some cases, there may be someone other than the director who has more power (such as a producer who has power over the final scene or an actor whose box office popularity gives him the power to direct the director). But in general, it is assumed that the director is the person who is assigned to direct the picture and must be given credit or blame for the form and content of the directing" (Britannica, 2021) In addition, scholars and experts also define the word “Director” as follows:

Noppamas Sirikaya has collected the meanings of the word director from foreign scholars as follows:
Edward A. Wright mentioned the role of the director as “a person who is responsible for selecting, arranging work and planning the artistic project of the entire performance. The director is both a leader, a coordinator, a guide and a linker of the various components of the play. Any play that passes through the director’s imagination will reflect some of his characteristics.” (Noppamas Sirikaya, 1982: 153)
Sumapa Pradubkaew, a film scholar, explained the term film director as follows: a person who is responsible for directing the film production process. The film director is responsible for creating imagination from the script and then conveying artistic ideas in the way he wants. He is also the person who orders other departments on the set to work according to their roles and responsibilities, such as the director of photography. Director, Technical Department, Actors To get the image of the performance to be in the artistic elements that they want on the film or in the digital system (Sumapa Pradubkaew, 2013: 2)
The film director is like a commander in chief. He has the duty to control and create the film to be as the director wants. The film director must have the following 3 qualities: Being an artist means having imagination combined with inspiration and being able to see the image clearly. Being a teacher means having knowledge and skills in film and most importantly, being able to convey it to others with understanding. Being an executive means having leadership, being able to manage time and solve immediate problems. A good director should have 3 qualities equally in order to create quality films for consumers (Thaishortfilm, 2010: online)
In summary, the meaning of a ‘Film Director’ is a person of utmost importance in the film production and production process. He is a person who is highly responsible for controlling, planning, and setting guidelines for the production of that film to be as he interprets or imagines. Because one film is the result of the collaboration of many people, it is necessary to have a person who can give direction and control all personnel to see the overall picture of the work in the same direction in order to make the work go smoothly and successfully as planned. Including being the person with the highest responsibility in the art department, being the starting point and center that provides unity in artistic expression, from performance, design, and bringing together various art forms in proportion, resulting in a complete and valuable result that is suitable to be presented to the audience.

3. Vision and Film Directing
     Scholars and scholars have defined the word vision as follows: “Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.” Jonathan Swift
“Vision is the true creative rhythm.” Robert Delaunay
“When you have a vision that is strong enough and powerful enough, nothing can stand in your way.” Lewis Howes

‘Vision’ is the creation of life and meaning in the world of art. An example we can see is a sculptor who came across a stone. When he looked at the stone, he saw something in it. He transformed the stone into a work of art, just like Michelangelo, who created a great work that has become a world heritage to this day. Similarly, writers weave intense human experiences into poems, which demonstrate vision related to the meaning of human life. In terms of actors, vision transforms characters in plays into living beings. And there is a human dimension on stage. The power of imagination of the director is the same. It can "create life back". Such vision has created a film product, which is a transformation from a lifeless script to a life on the screen. Therefore, vision and film directing are the creation of artistic unity in the production of works in various media. All directors, whether they are just starting out or are experienced in their work, need to work continuously in order to improve their ability to think like a director and to develop their own visionary power. Therefore, directors need to read and watch as much as possible. And when it's time to select a story to direct, they need to study the information as dedicatedly as artists in other fields who devote all their time to their work. The key to creating a vision for a director is the process of creating creative work in the director's mind, using the imagination of 'hearing' the actors' voices and 'seeing' the images full of acting and movement. In that imagination, the director can imagine which actors he wants. Or in terms of scenes, the director can create all kinds of work without money and production methods as limitations. The same goes for the script. For the director, it may be like a stone waiting to be carved. The raw materials consist of the essence of life. The director must make the stone free from its initial form. The art of directing begins with ‘seeing’ the ‘invisible’ that exists in the script. The art of directing is actually creating performances and mechanisms to best communicate the director’s vision to the audience. The question is, where should the director start? Some directors find that their artistic vision comes from seeing characters in conflict with their own plans and reacting to such obstacles. Other directors may start from the summary idea or meaning in the script. Meanwhile, some directors may react to the drama and plot. In all the cases mentioned above, it can be seen that the director’s vision brings ‘life’ back to the script, which was previously just a piece of paper. The first motivation for a director’s work is the ‘desire or desire’ to direct. But what is more important is the desire to present his or her vision to the audience. In addition, during the work, the director looks for colleagues with whom he or she can work and collaborate. These people include actors, designers, management, etc. These people are involved in creating experiences for the audience, while the director is the one who brings all parties together. If the scriptwriter is like the one who drives the storytelling that reflects his or her view of the world, the director is like the one who communicates that story through the screen. The director should not be satisfied with just his or her own vision. He or she should be a person with good reason and vision in cinema. Therefore, the first step in finding a vision requires careful analysis and interpretation of the script. After the analysis and interpretation of the script are successfully completed, the director can start planning, which must be done carefully at this stage. The planning stage includes preparing the director's manual, the manual and guidelines for casting actors, planning the rehearsals and making a rehearsal schedule that will achieve the set goals, working with the actors to enter the roles of the characters, arranging the positions of movement, using music, and the images that will appear. The process at this stage is to make the vision come alive (Catron, 1989: 2-5).

Summary

Meaning and importance of film directing, which is an important introductory lesson for those who study film directing, a valuable discipline that creates films in the entertainment world. It also includes an explanation of the meaning of a film director, who is one of the most important individuals in the film creation process, and an explanation of the importance of vision, which is the origin of work creation and makes a difference in the film production process. Those who start working as film directors should study and practice creating a vision for their work in order to be someone who can create valuable and useful film media for viewers in the future.

By..Asst. Prof. Dr. Sammit Sukbanjong
Lecturer, Department of Acting and Film Directing
College of Social Communication Innovation, SWU