Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on the actor/director relationship and what it takes to make a good working collaboration.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on why clear communication is a skill all directors must master before going to set.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on surrounding yourself with the right people who are as committed to the journey as you are, and leaving behind those who don't share your vision.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on creating the right conversational atmosphere on set when working with real people so that you can get a comfortable and authentic performance from them.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on how lighting is an extension of the writing process and how it elevates your production.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on the challenges of directing comedy and the one skill you need to acquire to master it.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on the importance of equipment, what clients think about equipment and what the reality of equipment vs crew really means.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on the challenges of directing phone scenes and how you can make the process easier for the actors.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on the importance of a well conceived and executed screenplay and how it leads to a better production and a better film.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on working with actors and how you should create an environment that enables you to really collaborate and make acting an extension of the writing process.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on honing your ability to tell stories with a greater visual economy through well conceived master shots.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on how visual stories (film/video/animation) have less to do with traditional literary stories and more to do with musical movements.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on how many takes you should do and how to understand when you have captured the material you need.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on respecting the time of your actors and crew and creating an environment where everyone feels they are achieving something.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on working with real people and understanding their feelings and emotions and creating a space where they can be empowered to excellence.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on managing your ideas process and letting go of everything except the ideas that matter most.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on getting to the emotional truth of a scene rather than the literal truth of a scene and why this is more important for your audience.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on directing from the monitor and how you create an intimate working environment while doing so.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on creating an environment for an actor to give a larger than life performance that actually works.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on deciding on what kind of director you want to be and how you create a set and environment that works best for you and the stories you want to tell.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on having a flexible process to working with actors that enables you to tailor your direction to suit their individual needs.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on multi day, week and month shoots and how as a director you need to create strategies to deal with cabin fever among your cast and crew.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on how you need to reduce complications on set to ensure for a smoother filming process and how doing things practically on set will always yield a better result.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on answering two of the most important questions you will get daily on set, what is this scene about? And where do I put the camera?
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on how to best use Steadicam and gimbals as a storytelling device rather than a technical tool.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on how your mood as a director, dictates how everyone else will feel and behave on your set.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on how you as the director win the trust and respect of your actors so that you can get great performances from them on screen.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on how you translate the film inside your head onto the set by selling your ideas to those around you.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on how directors need to develop a vocabulary and language of specificity to communicate what they want.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on how make-up is an extension of storytelling and the importance of casting the right make-up artist.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on how risk is an essential element to any film or video, whether it be an independent feature film or a corporate video.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on how directing is always personal, even if you are directing something commercial as a director for hire.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on how collaboration is really about understanding your collaborators, their wants and needs and their process.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on what he looks for in a cinematographer and how to choose the right one for your project.
Award winning writer/director Thomas J Elliott shares his thoughts on how you need to develop a language to communicate your visual ideas clearly to your cinematographer.
