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The first work of the director is to set a mood so that the actor's work can take place, so that the actor can create. And in order to do that, you have to communicate, communicate with the actors. And direction is about communication on all levels.
William Friedkin
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Interpretation

What this quote means

A director's primary role is to establish an environment for actors, requiring effective communication.

This quote emphasizes the crucial role of a director in filmmaking, highlighting that their essential task is to create an atmosphere conducive to an actor's performance. A director must communicate clearly and effectively with actors to ensure their creativity can flourish, underscoring that direction involves multilayered communication throughout the creative process.

Themes

DirectorCommunicationActorsCreativityFilm

In practice

Example use cases

In a film class discussing the role of a director in producing successful performances.

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The informing idea of what you want to say and do, that's what will take you from film school to professional - the idea. That's what is original to you.
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Quote by William Friedkin | QuoteProject