Directing Articles

• Crew
• Interview Subjects
• Live Event Production
• Talent

• Talking the Talk: Director to DP
  May, 2010
  by Peter Biesterfeld
  Long shot, wide shot and medium closeup are just the beginning of communicating to the DP, your Director of Photography. Talking the talk takes a lot more…
• Protecting Kids' Identities
  January, 2010
  by Jennifer O'Rourke
  There's no problem videotaping your own children or those that you personally know, but what if you have a need to shoot children on a playground or in a…
• Directing: Documentary Interview Tips
  August, 2009
  by Peter Biesterfeld
  The key to a good documentary interview is to listen. Maintain eye contact with your subject. Do not look down at your notes or settle for generalizations.
• Directing: What you need to start a videography business
  June, 2009
  by Peter Biesterfeld
  The mindset and video equipment you will need to start a videography business and make money with videos as a professional videographer.
• Directing: Tips for Directing Non-Professionals
  April, 2009
  by Robert G. Nulph, Ph.D.
  Lights. Camera. Action. You hope. Directing professional talent isn't easy, but they usually know their jobs. Non-actors require a different set of skills.
• Directing Directing Children
  December, 2008
  by Robert G. Nulph, Ph.D.
  Directing children for your video can try your patience, as they are easily distracted, need plenty of visual instruction and communicate differently from…
• Directing The Director and the DP
  October, 2008
  by Robert G. Nulph, Ph.D.
  As a solo artist, what happens when you land a gig with a budget for crew? Your most important relationship will be with your Director of Photography.
• Directing Small Crew Directing
  August, 2008
  by Robert G. Nulph, Ph.D.
  Someday, you may have to hire, beg, borrow or coerce some people to join you on your video adventure. Keep it friendly, stick with a plan and you - and they -…
• Directing: Directing Documentaries
  April, 2008
  by Robert G. Nulph, Ph.D.
  Documentaries are about real people in real places doing real things. Documentaries were the first films ever made.
• Creating Characters
  April, 2008
  by Brian Peterson
  Getting the Most Out of Your Actors or Subjects
• Audio: 10 Voiceover Tips
  March, 2008
  by Hal Robertson
  Voiceovers are the mainstays of advertising, instruction and promotional videos, television programs and feature films.
• The Craft of Family History Videos: Making Classics Out of Clutter
  December, 2007
  by Jeanne Rawlings
  We treasure our memories, but we can be easily overwhelmed. Fearlessly dive into your archives and uncap your camera lens for the holidays to create a video…
• 8 On-the-fly Guerrilla Production Tips
  December, 2007
  by James Williams
  Now more than ever, it's possible for one person to venture into the world and capture great video. By following a few simple guidelines, you too can be an on-t…
• Video Horror Stories
  October, 2007
  by Jennifer O'Rourke
  Something wicked this way comes.
• Wedding VideoLand
  August, 2007
  by Bill Davis
  A lighthearted Look at Wedding Video.
• Charity Video
  August, 2007
  by Brian Schaller
  For aspiring video producers, it's always hard to find some interesting subject matter. Are you looking for an audience?
• Basic Training: Super Vacation Videos
  June, 2007
  by Kyle Cassidy
  Oh, no! Not the vacation videos! It's time to teach your family amp; friends how to make interesting, entertaining and watchable summer vacation videos.
• Videotaping Sporting Events
  May, 2007
  by Kyle Cassidy
  Football, baseball, hockey, tennis. Swimming, cycling, running and lacrosse. Sports shooting is an art unto itself, and every sport has shooting hurdles to…
• Director's Chair: Directing a Fall
  April, 2007
  by Dr. Robert G. Nulph
  Physical comedy has been a hallmark of the film industry since the early days of the silent film.
• Producing Your Own Vidcast for Video Sharing Part Two - Production
  April, 2007
  by Brian Peterson
  Podcasting, vidcasting, vodcasting or whatever you call it, the Internet
• Moving Performances
  February, 2007
  by Jim Stinson
  Learn how to set the stage so that your subjects behave naturally in front of the camera.
• Video Horror Stories
  October, 2006
  by Jennifer O'Rourke
  From dropping a mic out of a helicopter over a raging forest fire to stumbling into a cesspool full of... Well...you know...a decades-long career as a news…
• Directing: Recruiting Talent
  August, 2006
  by Dr. Robert G. Nulph
  One of the most difficult, important and rewarding things a director has to do is find, recruit and work with talent.
• Making Cents
  August, 2006
  by Bill Berg-Hillinger
  Turn time and tape into treasure.
• Basic Training: 7 Ways to Involve the Kids
  July, 2006
  by Kyle Cassidy
  Children love to make videos, all they need is the impetus and opportunity. So take the camera out of the closet on a lazy Sunday and say
• Directing: Dual-Role Directing
  June, 2006
  by Dr. Robert G. Nulph
  Multitasking when you are directing is not easy but sometimes necessary. Here are a few suggestions.
• How to Make a Documentary Part II
  May, 2006
  by Randal K. West
  Considered an art form by many, documentary video production has its own special challenges and rewards. In this second of three parts on how to make a…
• Making Documentary Videos: The Interview
  April, 2006
  by Dr. Robert G. Nulph
  How to use Cinéma Vérité techniques to make compelling documentaries
• Basic Training: Shooting an Interview
  March, 2006
  by Kyle Cassidy
  It might not be 60 Minutes, (more like 15 minutes!) but if you want to make your interviews shine like Ed Bradley's on CBS, read on!
• Video Editing : Making the Most from Outtakes
  February, 2006
  by Bill Davis
  (gales of laughter erupt on the set.) CUT! Somebody PLEASE help Jimmy untangle the rope from his foot, re-stack all those bottles of motor oil and, somebody…