Your Directors Arsenal

What tools do you currently use to retain "moments"?

1. For your own memory retention
2. To share with others.
3. To invigorate you
4. To create purpose
5. To create mood

How do you retain access and replay your "moments"?

1. You Tube
2. RealPlayer
3. IPOD or Zune with an external set of speakers.
4. Directors Journal
5. Video library
6. Personal clipping library

Q. How is retaining a video on you tube and playing it for an actor any different then providing the actor with a line reading?

A. It is different and it isn't. Sometimes while I attempt to provide the actor with a line reading if I miss or my communication fails, both the actor and myself may be potentially further from the truth of the intention in the work. A video of an Oscar nominated effort may provide both an audio and visual reference. More fuel to be closer to the truth vs. just a directors auditory effort. The odds of the video driving the truth are greater because

1. Its a true live 3 rd party being added to the communication.
   
2. The presentation uses more then one level of communication.

Q. Come on Keith! I gotta have a stacks of DVD's, videos clips, audio MP3's and cut outs from magazines to carry around with me? Thought this was just me conveying my feelings as a director and watching the acting grow artistically and organically - All this other crap - That is just crazy!

A. I worked with / for a director who has had the good fortune to direct, many of the celebrity Goodman graduates. He has stacks of pictures and albums, and cassettes of various ideas, places, locations, anything and everything - he would provide at production meetings and rehearsals to convey his intentions in addition to his interpretations that he would convey verbally. He would bring these various items to show feeling, texture, emotion, anything to move the people he was communicating with to points of intuitive communication.

Whenever you bring anything to further detail and or explain what your trying to say in one communication channel your adding an additional channel of communication. Should you do yes, how much you do of it and how you organize it so that it enhances your directing work and does not detract from it is on you.

But I can tell you its a hell of a lot easier to email a YouTube video clip then it is to carry around a bunch of videos. How you build your arsenal is your call but you have to have one for this work no exceptions.

Today with technology and web 2.0 you can store a much more specific and profound library quickly and with easier access.

• Youtube.
• Flicker
• Amazon sample track music

Next week more on how to organize your virtual arsenal.