Lesson #2: Know Where to Draw the Line

Spielberg is a hands-on director, known throughout Hollywood for liking things done right and done his way. Everything from the film’s budget to a specific camera angle had to have Spielberg’s seal of approval. But, he is also widely respected by his peers for knowing where the boundaries lie and when it isn’t appropriate to cross them.

While working on The Mask of Zorro, Spielberg sent the production studio five single-spaced pages of comments and changes for the film’s script. It was the day before Christmas and the studio was shut down, but Spielberg was still busy at work. When a young screenwriter, Ted Elliot, finally read his edits, he disagreed with many of Spielberg’s suggestions and he boldly voiced his opinions to the great filmmaker. Spielberg listened considerately but politely overruled the young writer, saying, “Look, this is Hollywood, this is how it is done.”

When it came to money matters, Spielberg was also very involved and liked to maintain strict control over his films’ budgets. In contrast to many other of Hollywood’s biggest name directors, Spielberg is frugal and tries to conserve his resources wherever possible. He learned early on, before he had millions of dollars at his disposal, that if he wanted to make movies, he would have to spend his money wisely. Since the film and equipment he needed were highly expensive, Spielberg developed the ability to edit in his head before shooting his scenes.

While working on the set of Saving Private Ryan, the construction crew accidentally built a radar tower facing the wrong way. Whereas many other directors would have torn down the facility and started from scratch, Spielberg recognized the waste of doing so and instead, simply adjusted how he was going to shoot the scene. Before production began for Amistad, Spielberg felt that the budget was exorbitant and, just weeks before demanded that producer Debbie Allen reduce it by $20 million. “He told me, ‘Honey, that film isn’t getting made until it has a ‘3’ in front of its budget, so get cutting’,” Allen recalls. By relocating most of their scenes from Africa to the Caribbean, Allen was able to get the film’s budget approved by Spielberg.

Despite the amount of control that Spielberg likes to have over all aspects of his film, he also knows where to draw the line. When directing actors, he gives the experienced ones the room they need to manoeuver and the freedom to do so, typically only stepping in if he is working with less proven talent. “You can’t dictate creativity to someone else, and if you do, the project fails,” says Robert Zemeckis, director of such hits as Back to the Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. “Steven understands that, which is why we all want to work with him.”

By understanding his role and knowing where to draw the line, Spielberg is able to walk the fine line between managing and micro managing, always keeping the end product in mind.



Lesson #2: Know Where to Draw the Line

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