Martin

I've worked on various sets before - features, telemovies, adverts and shorts - but never really used that opportunity to ask the director's what it was exactly that they did. From where I was standing, they sat in front of a tiny screen watching the scene unfold and then had some whispered conversations with the art director or actor about a certain detail they want changed. My role on most of these sets was either Addtional Assistant Director or 3rd AD which basically meant I was in charge of making sure little things ran smoothly like there were no cars passing through the shot when we were rolling or making sure I knew where the actors were at all time.

I realise though that none of that really can be said to prepare me for my upcoming role as Director in our short film. So, I decided to investigate a little further into by turning to my favourite director of all time, Martin Scorsese.

Scorsese's work features everything from a tale about Jesus to gangsters in New York on a killing spree. When viewing his films however, you can tell they have a certain style about them which can be attributed to him. The camera work is usually gritty and real, emulating the 1940s Italian Neo-Realism films he loved watching as a kid; he prefers shooting in and around New York, his favourite city; he almost always features the same actors where from 1973 to 1995, he worked with Robert Deniro, and from 2002 onwards, he has appeared to have a particular liking for Leonardo Di'Caprio. His works also include signature shots such as his extended long take, the Hitchcock zoom, and jumpcuts, all elements of past film movements or directors.

In an interview with IGN entertainment, Scorsese says of filmmaking, "But for me to make my own films, I just have to remain true to what the picture is and know that that's the story that I really want to tell and know that I'm going to use a certain style and what I want to achieve with it and the marketplace for it too."

This in essence is the greatest lesson I can take from Scorsese about directing. Pick a story that I really want to tell and use a certain style to make it. From looking at all of the films Scorsese has made over the years, that approach can't be a bad one.