What is a Director’s Statement?
What is a Director’s Statement? A Helpful Tool to Discovering the Core of Your Film
A director’s statement is more than a mere description of your film; it is the essence of your creative vision and the communicative bridge between you and your audience. A director's statement delves into the heart of your film, uncovering the inspirations, challenges, and unique perspectives that drive your project. It's not just about the story you're telling; it's about why this story matters - to you, to your audience, and to the broader context of the world it inhabits.
The Art of Personal Reflection and Vision
Creating a director's statement is an introspective journey. It's an opportunity for you to reflect on your personal and creative growth throughout the filmmaking process. Here, you articulate the purpose behind your film, what motivated you to embark on this journey, and how your experiences shaped the final piece. It's a space to discuss the themes, messages, and emotional journeys within your work, offering viewers a glimpse into your artistic soul.
The Role of a Director's Statement in Your Creative Career
For multihyphenate filmmakers, web series creators, and first-time directors, the director's statement is a powerful tool. It serves as your personal voice in film festivals, pitch meetings, and promotional materials. It's how you introduce your work to the world, making a compelling case for why your story needs to be seen and heard. A well-crafted statement can open doors, attract collaborators, and resonate with audiences, making it an invaluable component of your film's identity.
Crafting the Perfect Statement: Tips and Strategies
Start with Your Inspiration: What sparked the idea for your film? Share the story behind your story.
Describe Your Vision: How do you want the audience to feel? What do you want them to take away from your film?
Discuss Your Challenges and Triumphs: Filmmaking is a journey. Share the highs and lows that shaped your project.
Reflect on Your Growth: How has this project contributed to your development as an artist and storyteller?
Be Authentic: Your statement should be a reflection of you. Be honest, be bold, and let your passion shine through.
BEGINNERS’ Director’s Statement:
To take it a step further, we wanted to share Mike Mills’ Director’s Statement from one of our favorite films, BEGINNERS.
”Beginners started when my father came out of the closet. He was 75 years old, and had been married to my mother for 45 years. His hunger to completely change his life was confusing, painful, very funny, and deeply inspiring. Change, honesty, and openness can happen when it seems least likely. Even as he passed away 5 years later to cancer he was energized, reaching out; he wasn’t in any way finished.
This script was developed with the belief that something this personal can become universal. The concrete details of my father’s life, the real struggles, and all the real humor gave the film an authenticity that I hope will make it more powerful and more emotional for all kinds of people. The historical sections of the script connect these characters to our larger shared history.
The basic action is like a two-way street: Hal is teaching Oliver how to love Anna, and Oliver's love with Anna is showing him things he never understood about Hal. Hal's story is very modernist, the obstacles are big and external: 1950s conservatism, homophobia, old age, and cancer. Oliver and Anna are post-1960s children and their love story is truly contemporary. Their obstacles are internal; they are haunted by the contracts, compromises, and the hidden sadness, of their parents. To Hal, hiding his real sexuality behind the mask of a traditional marriage was acceptable and necessary to combat the external obstacles of his historical moment. To Oliver, the negatives of this agreement - its toll on love, and the abandoning of what’s true for his parents – are unbearable. Ultimately, Hal teaches Oliver how to undo the locks and lies that he himself created.
The experience I'm most trying to communicate with Beginners is that of an adventure. The feeling of breaking something open. While this film has illness and death, it’s about beginnings, change, and how deeply funny life can be in its most serious moments. While this story is specific, I did not approach it as a “small” film, and definitely not a “quirky” film or even an “indie” film. I only get to tell this story once, so I wanted it to be bighearted, for a big audience, progressive and innovative, and like my father – deeply wanting to connect with people.
I wrote letters to Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer asking them to be in the movie. Here is a little from each of those letters.
[to Christopher;]
Having hidden from the gay world for his whole life, he was at 75, like a teenager: anxious and excited to join, naive about all the cues of gay culture, and very susceptible to the emotional upheavals of new love. While he was very shy as a young person, and he was deferring and self-sacrificing through his adult life, he exposed himself to risk over and over at the end – he risked by coming out to me, my sisters and his friends; by trying to catch up with the contemporary gay social scene; and, most of all, by falling in love. While his illness came only five years later, he’d tire all of us out with all the things he wanted to do. I have tried to make a portrait of him that is filled with love but not sentimental or afraid to show his selfishness. I do not seek to create a replica of my father, but a version of his desires and problems that is real for you and me and the other actors as we make this story real for an audience. As a director, I’m never locked into the words that I’ve written, or my preconceptions about a character or a scene. I believe in the energy of the moment and being surprised. I plan to rehearse for two weeks, and in general I’m trying to create an atmosphere of play and exploration, where we get to nuanced moments that none of us could have predicted.
[to Ewan;]
When each of my parents passed the grief wasn’t all downward and heavy. There was sort of an explosion in me, an overwhelming feeling that life is quickly rolling by. All that I wanted but haven’t tasted became crucial. For me, this was to find someone, and to finally stay with someone. So, I couldn’t sleep, I needed to do everything right away, I was funnier, and meaner, I took more risks, and I was willing and able to change.”
-- Mike Mills
…Inspiring and effective, right? We think so, too! (And if you haven’t seen this Oscar-winning film yet - check it out!)
BOB Collective: Nurturing Your Filmmaking Journey
At Bob Billiams Productions, we understand the value of a director's statement in shaping your creative identity. Our Brave Open Beings Collective is dedicated to nurturing artists like you. We offer guidance, support, and resources to help you hone your skills, including crafting impactful director's statements. Through our mentorship program, you will learn to articulate your vision with clarity and confidence, transforming your ideas into fully-realized, celebrated works of art.
Join Us and Elevate Your Creative Voice
Are you ready to take your filmmaking career to the next level? We invite you to book a free 15-minute call with us to see if you qualify for our Bob Collective mentorship program. This is your opportunity to explore how we can help you in your journey as a creative. Let's work together to ensure your stories are not just told, but heard and felt by audiences worldwide.
Book Your Free Consultation Today
Schedule your free consultation to see if you qualify for our year-long multihyphenate filmmaker program. It's time to embrace your creative potential and share your unique vision with the world. Your story matters, and we're here to help you tell it.
