Directed Into the shadows

At some time or another, everyone has decided to sit down and watch a movie based off of the actors we know who are in it. What is much more uncommon is choosing to enjoy a film based on the director, who are the most overlooked collaborators in the movie making process. Steven Speilberg is one of the most well-known directors of our time. His movies, “Jurassic Park”, “E.T.”, “Men in Black”, and “Indiana Jones and the Lost Dynasty” to name just a few of his most popular films. Without Spielberg, these movies might not have had the success they did and continue to have.
Understanding what makes a director stand out can help viewers gain a better appreciation of films. Directors are some of the most noteworthy members of a film-making team. Directors have a difficult and unique position in the movie industry. They rarely get much credit for a film’s success and have to answer the difficult questions such as “Why” and help an actor through a tough time when they are thinking “I can’t do this.” Most directors choose to work with the DP (Director of Photography) on what shots and scenes of the movie need to be shot on what day, and in what order. This can be difficult with time commitments and sets as well as the hours actors are contractually bound to work. Most of the time a movie appeals to people based off of the cast. It can be the deciding factor for if someone purchases a ticket to see the movie on opening weekend. The director is in charge of casting the actors to fit the roles and try to create the best movie possible. A director’s job, according to Berklee College of Music, is to “audition and cast actors; assemble and oversee the production team; provide design directives; lead rehearsals; and manage the production schedule of the project, ensuring that all the moving parts connect.” This is a stressful and long process for the director.
Stress is something everyone can relate to, so why should it be any different for directors. Stress and anxiety are often brought up in conversations about mental health, and solutions to help reduce them are researched thoroughly. Often stress can come from financial struggles or safety insecurity and directors can get stressed out about their movies becoming big successes that bring in lots of money, which can decrease their mental stability.
In 2016 the Action/Thriller and Comedy blockbuster movie “Deadpool” starring Ryan Reynolds received 19.1% 10/10 rating, according to IMDb, and averaged an 8/10. The movie had a budget of $58 million USD. That same year, the movie “Monster Trucks” starring Lucas Till (also an Action/Thriller and Comedy) received only 8.0% 10/10 ratings and averaged at 5.7/10.
Conversely, this movie had a $158 million USD budget, more than twice that of “Deadpool”. Based on this information it is undeniable that the directions given by Tim Miller, director of “Deadpool”, had an unimaginable impact on the movie’s success.
You may be familiar with the new movie “Wicked” based on the Broadway musical that first opened in 2003. It stars Ariana Grande as Glinda, Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, and Johnathan Bailey as Fiero. This film has had amazing reviews and is in the running for highest grossing film of the year on a global scale. Some might say this is due to the incredible talented cast, but by taking a closer look there is much more to discover.
Some might say this is due to the incredible talented cast, but by taking a closer look there is much more to discover. If compared to another movie-musical such as “Cats” 2019, there is a very big difference in ratings. “Cats” only received 2.8/10 rating, according to IMDb, even though its cast included incredible singers such as Taylor Swift and James Cordon. All of these actors and singers are incredible, there is no doubt about it, but their movies had such different impacts. This can be credited to the directors and the way they chose to have their works produced.
The life of a director is just as stressful, if not more than, the life of everyone else. Craig Johnson, director of films such as “Alex Strangelove” and “True Adolescence” said in an interview to LunacyU that,  “I’m a pretty even keeled guy, but film shoots are stressful and stuff goes wrong.” In this interview Johnson opens up about his career and how it affected his personal life as well as his mental health. Showing how demanding a career as a director can be. Women directors also have to deal with a certain amount of discrimination and disrespect. According to Beacon Broadside, in a poll in 2023 of the 1,114  narrative film directors, only 45 were women. That is only 4%. Women often have to work harder in their fields to get the respect they deserve and filmmaking is not an exception to this. Another example of proof for how large a role directors play in movie making can be seen through salaries. For “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”, the leading actress, Jennifer Lawrence, was paid $20 million. Francis Lawrence, the director of this movie, was also paid $20 million. He received about the same amount of money for the movie as the superstar actress that is so well known around the world.
Movies are a way to bring people together. They spread across countries, languages, religions, race, and so much more. Movies are things that everyone can relate to in some way and there wouldn’t be that sense of connection among people without directors to lead the way.

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