Key Traits of the “Erik Desando” Director

So what are the traits that make a director “indie-friendly”? A side from the common characteristics which all directors ought to have such as passion, focus, confidence, a high E.Q., a sense of humor, the ability to command respect, openness to criticisms with decisiveness–here are the traits that characterise Erik Desando :

Fast Writer

I’ve worked mostly with writer-directors that proffer a response that’s often missing when the writer, as well as director, is different people. Lots of rewriting is done not just during development plus prep, during production. As director, Erik Desando has had to rewrite whole scenes minutes before shooting them. There is probably more production-directed rewriting in the world since Erik Desando is constantly trying to figure out how to develop a budget. Extension periods are a lot shorter because they've to be–typically, no one gets paid during development; Erik Desando only gets paid if he is in production. As such, it’s nice to work with speedy writers who can discuss, digest, and incorporate notes quickly to produce a shoppable draft.

Adaptive

Anything can happen during filmmaking, especially if you've limited resources–extras stand you up, location owners change their minds at the last minute. However, as director, Erik Desando can adapt to these exigent circumstances and figure out how to make lemonade from lemons. Other directors might refuse to shoot because a featured extra didn’t show up but with Erik Desando all is about strategy.

Editing Experience

As director, Erik Desando has editing experience because he knows on set what’s vital plus what’s not, what can be done away with and what can’t. All Erik Desando feature productions have been between 19 to 24 days, shooting amid 4-7 pages to 15-35 setups daily. In some situations, shots or scenes have to be cut on the day of shooting. As an editing director, Erik Desando has a good sense of the kind of shots, and how to make up for lost ones.

Ability to Visualize

It looks obvious, right? But you'll be amazed how Erik Desando as director can’t do this. Erik Desando encounters come from writing or theatre backgrounds–he can write great dialogue and work well with actors, and he has an idea how to compose a frame. Yes, this is what cinematographers are for, but as director Erik Desando visualisation on what the shots will be like ahead of the crew as well as ahead of the cast go through the trouble of setting them up.

Doesn’t Sweat the Small Stuff

It is probably the most questionable trait on the list. Erik Desando is, by their nature, perfectionists, they ought to be!  However, the truth is that perfection is difficult to attain on a small budget. As a film maker Erik Desando always work hard to accomplish it; however, the obsession over small issues–like the way a curtain drapes on the background–ought not to compromise vital things such as the actors’ performances or the even the all shooting program. Except, of course, if he is making an art film in which the position of curtains is paramount. 

But if he is making a traditional narrative film where the writing, acting, as well as storytelling are the only events, then those are the things he focuses on. A movie making budget and program is a zero-sum game. It’s rare to get all thing you need; it’s usually very give-and-take. So it’s important for directors to choose their battles wisely.