Overview of the role
This is a senior editorial person that leads how a series looks, feels and the way it tells its stories. A series director is someone who can take a brief and realise it in terms of style, communicating it clearly and vividly to colleagues, providing a series with an identity that is coherent across multiple episodes. It is a managerial role that supports the PDs and other crew both technically and editorially, mediating and problem-solving between senior teams and those on location.
There are different ways to be a series director. Firstly, most productions work in a distinct genre that needs clarity for that genre to be understood, and the SD can deliver that. Alternatively, as the palette of filmmaking techniques in factual TV becomes ever more sophisticated - taking on influences from the history of TV, cinema, and online culture - many productions require a person who can offer them ways to stand out with a new approach. This is where a good series director can be very valuable.
As a camera operator, you would be expected to lead by example with your own technical ability, your knowledge of the tools and equipment needed to deliver the series, and a wealth of experience of self-shooting. This shooting would be balanced against your wider responsibilities towards the series as a whole and its post production.
Whether working on a reality dating show, or a hard-hitting observational documentary, it is a job for people with visual flair and a passion for telling a story that uses the real world as its canvas. The world reveals its stories to us in truthful, fleeting moments, and a series director is someone who can capture them and communicate them in a way that fits the brief.
Core responsibilities
These core responsibilities are provided as a guide and are not exhaustive. The exact responsibilities in a particular job will vary depending on the scale / budget band / genre of the production.
- Meet executives or commissioners to discuss any existing expectations for the series in terms of genre, audience demographic, talent, references, story content, format points, or style.
- Liaise with a series producer and production manager to agree on an interpretation of the brief, it is important to unify the team’s work at this early stage and uncover disagreements or other interpretations. This is good teamwork.
- Build a file for the visuals and sound to visualise the series, you can do this by making a moodboard, making clips or listing shot references. Then circulate this through the team for discussion. This will inform the planning stage.
- Understand the budget and how the brief can be achieved according to cost limitations.
- Gather the equipment you’ll need, visit kit houses to test cameras, lights and lenses. Think thoroughly about a variety of filming scenarios and what kit you’ll need to rent, and how long/when you need it.
- Get involved in the hiring of the editorial team, in order to contribute to the interviewing process and offer perspective on technical skill and suitability of their experience of the candidates.
- Refine the post production workflow with a test shoot using your chosen equipment, will your choices hold up through the post production stage? Work closely with the edit facility to check this.
- Recce your locations as much as possible, it is never wasted time and always reveals unforeseeable information about how to film the series.
- Previsualise how common setups will be covered. Single or multiple camera? What lens will be used for what kind of shot? Where will the cameras be positioned? Can this scene be lit, or use natural light?
- Write a filming guide or ‘bible’ for the shooting team, so that crew members with varied experience can pull in the same direction.
- Lead the decision-making on how to use additional elements for the series, for example narrator, presenters, aerials, music, title fonts, editing pace, grade etc.
- Assess whether your initial interpretation of the brief is achievable with the time and resources available to the production, and be honest with the team about any changes that may have to be made.
- Make risk assessments for shoots, keeping in mind the health and safety of all crew and contributors, especially when planning complex set ups.
- Find a repeatable, effective way to shoot the material you need to tell the story, and communicate it carefully through any shooting members of the team.
- Make sure stylistic shots are being considered as well as content.
- Review footage shot by others, and offer feedback sessions in order to steer their work.
- Lead and coordinate the more complex shoots personally, for example conducting master interviews or directing drone pilots or directors of photography, drone shots, gimbals, jib shots and GVs as necessary.
- Support team members who require additional training or guidance with their shooting in a patient and constructive way.
- Delegate filming tasks to crew that best suit their abilities and experience.
- Keep the overall look and style of the series in mind so the other producer directors and can concentrate on editorial narrative.
- Direct gallery crews if the series has fixed rig or studio elements.
- Track the flow of incoming stories or footage carefully alongside the series producer and work closely together to decide the next steps editorially.
- View rough cuts and fine cuts in the offline edit and offer notes to the edit team from a series identity and storytelling perspective.
- Work closely with a colourist to refine the visual identity in post production by finding a concept for the series across all episodes in the grade.
Skills
Check out role specific skills, transferable skills and attributes for the role of shooting series director.
- Creativity: a series director is often called upon to find solutions to problems in a way that adds quality. For example the restrictions that a problem presents can prompt a better outcome to the one that was planned, if you think creatively.
- Technical leadership: having fluency in a variety of roles to demonstrate a good level of craft to the rest of the team, helping to make speedy decisions and prioritise tasks well.
- Cinematography: a grounding in the fundamentals of image-making in order to work closely with specialists and junior shooters.
- Contacts: a network of talented crew to draw from, and good quality relationships with third party companies like GFX studios, edit facilities, fiction crew, prop houses, kit hire etc.
- Storytelling: the ability to identify structure, character, antagonist, motivation etc
- Multitasking: carrying responsibility for individual shoot days alongside the progression of a whole series.
- Visual storytelling: a thorough understanding of the grammar of factual TV
- Interpersonal skills: as a contributor-facing member of the crew you must be able to do all this with respect for contributor welfare according to duty of care and consent protocols.
- Management: responsible for other junior members of the team, their health, safety and welfare on location.
- Communication: painting a succinct picture of what you need to achieve for a variety of colleagues.
- Judgement: making the right decisions earns trust through the team.
- Diplomacy: managing a creative vision through sometimes complex or conflicted pathways.
- Persuasion: selling an idea.
- Passion: inspire others with your love of the craft
- Energy: persist with a good idea through various obstacles
- Retention: remember information when the flow of it is rapid and ever changing.
- Flexibility: adapt to new circumstances in a way that stays true to the concept of the show you’re making.