How to enter the director

Teachers of directing courses and faculties often discourage applicants at interviews, talking about the horrors of working around the clock with low salaries and dubious prospects, but there are no fewer people wishing to study this profession. Creative people are attracted by the opportunity to create a vivid movie, put on a successful performance and receive an Oscar or at least the applause of the audience for their services. This definitely requires talent, but education is also needed.

Instruction manual

one

Get ready for the director’s profession in advance. Write scripts, gather an amateur club and put on skits, performances, organize holidays. If you are in school, take on the responsibilities of conducting various activities. Collect various materials about your work, they will come in handy at admission. If you are really interested in this activity, feel free to go to the director, but if preparing for passing exams is a burden for you, think about whether you need this profession.

2

You can learn to become a director at theatrical academies, institutes of culture or cinematography. For example, in Moscow there are several institutions offering training in this profession: VGIK, RATI (formerly GITIS), Moscow State University of Cinematography, the Academy of Natalia Nesterova, GITR (Institute of Television) and others. But the first two deserve to be the flagships of training directors in our country, showing increased requirements for applicants and conducting a very careful selection. Today there is an opportunity to study not only at state universities, but also commercial ones. It’s probably easier to enter private institutions on a paid basis than to enter a popular theater institute, but the competition is very large in any case, so you need to show creativity and your talent. Evaluate your abilities and choose a suitable institution in which you can actually enter.

3

Take courses at the selected institute, for example, in VGIK at the directing faculty there are career counseling courses that take place twice a year for three months. This will not give you the benefits or good-natured attitude of teachers on exams, but will allow you to get into the course of things.

4

In almost all universities, tests begin with a creative competition, which takes place in writing, and sometimes before the exams begin. For example, in VGIK it is necessary to send work with thoughts on the topic of the film that you want to make, about observations, with details and episodes from it, you can also tell about yourself, attach drawings and photographs. In RATI, you need to send a description of your directorial plans, explain the meaning of the chosen production and talk about its implementation. This competition evaluates an original approach and creativity. Do not write large essays so that teachers do not have to read for long. Try to be honest and accurate, choose a topic that really interests you. Write easier, not literary, but visually, effectively - what you can see. You can also send your stories or poems, but only if they are really good.

5

At exams and interviews, be prepared for what you may be asked about anything: literature, an exhibition of paintings, and the war in Chechnya. Be honest - if you have never been to the Tretyakov Gallery, say so. Do not use common phrases and “hackneyed” expressions. In some cases, examiners can play music and ask you to dance, require you to introduce yourself as crazy, tell a joke. Do not worry if possible. Take a calm look. Do and say what comes to mind, do not put a framework and think whether the commission will like it.

6

Often exams include written work on a specific topic - it can be a quote from a work of art, a quatrain or a non-literary topic. There are no restrictions or specific requirements - try to keep the writing interesting. Make sure that there are as few dialogs as possible in the essay, avoid complex and intricate turns of speech.

7

There is another way to become a director - to get training in specialized programs and courses offered by training centers. For example, in Moscow there are Higher Courses for Scriptwriters and Directors who produce decent specialists. Study is built on the principle of a creative workshop. The competition in them is not so big, but the rules for admission are similar - you need to pass the written work and go through an interview.

• Director: career path
• Russian Academy of Theater Arts