Directing is such a long, tedious, drawn out affair filled with multiple responsibilities it’s a miracle I ever finish a project!  Fortunately, being a geek, I use technology and geekery to get me through, here’s a some productivity tools that I use on a constant basis.

1. Laptop – You need one.  Period.  Whether you’re at home or on the go, you’ll need access to a computer.  If you can swing it, get a 3G USB internet stick from your local telcom provider and you’ll always be connected.
2. Mobile phone with a data plan – People need to get a hold of you, always.  Get one with a data plan as well when you need to do something quick online, it’s a bit more convenient than taking out your laptop.
3. Write Room – One of the best word processors out there is Write Room.  Not because it has any fancy features, but because it clears away all the distractions and lets you get down to writing.  Alternatively, you can make Google Docs look like Write Room with this script.
4. Google Docs / Zoho – Speaking of which, Google Docs is what I use for general word processing and creating spreadsheets.  The benefit is that by writing everything online, I’ll always have access to it.  There’s even limited functionality on mobile devices.  Zoho is it’s major competitor although I haven’t used it enough to compare the two.  For local office programs, I’m a big fan of Open Office which is completely free.
5. Large shoulder bag – You’ve got lots of stuff to lug around, get a big bag!  I’ve actually experimented with carrying around an extremely thin backpack which is great when you don’t have much you need to carry.
6. iCal / Google Calendar – Calendar needs.  Again, I use Google calendar but anything you can access from multiple places works just as well.
7. Binder – I actually have several binders, but a good quality director’s binder is a must!  Depending on the project, I use a 1″ or 2″ binder and I use a 3″ to keep all the notes of completed projects.
8. Digital Camera – Something that can take both video and stills comes in handy, especially during preproduction.
9. Graph Paper – I never use lined or blank paper, I always use graph paper.  Why?  It’s because it’s the most versatile paper you can use.  You have horizontal lines if you want to write notes and the grid helps you draw quick floorplans or even roughly accurate storyboards (draw a box that’s 8 by 4 and that roughly equals a 16:9 frame ratio).
10. Pocket notebook and pen – By far the most important tool in your arsenal.  Nothing compares to a notebook in your pocket for when inspiration hits or for listing my to-do’s.  It requires no batteries, you don’t have to worry about it crashing and you can quickly sketch in it.  I always carry around my Moleskine notebook and pocket pen, it’s the most  important thing on me.

What are your favourite tools to help out on set and off?

Last little while has been insane!  Got 2 films in post right now, one has to make a crazy deadline the other I’ve been dragging my heels on it.  I also got a paid gig on a commercial piece as an assistant director, looks like my star is rising or something.

Still loads of stuff to be worked out but I’m trying to keep new projects to a minimum as I’m still playing catch-up with the stuff on my slate. While I’m getting things done, my productivity keeps slipping farther and farther behind in some projects so I’m trying to stop new projects from happening.  That said, 2 new projects have appeared out of thin air.  I guess it’s the kind of scenario some people hope for.

So I finally finished my move into my new place.  Took a lot longer to get settled in than I anticipated but what can you do?

So far, I’m about ready to finish an illustration project which is now later than I wanted it to be (see above re: the move) and am still piecing together everything I need for a short I’m directing at the end of the month.

At some point in time, I’m really going to have to figure out how to be way more organized.  I’m having scheduling conflicts up the wazoo.

Well, I can’t think of a better way to kick off this blog than to mention I begin filming today.

It’s an 8 page short film called “Two Way Street” and the bulk of the filming will be shot on Sunday.  Saturday’s shoot is going to be a quick exterior shoot, no dialogue, just me directing a single actor and it shouldn’t take more than an hour or so.

The problem is that, doing this guerrilla style, there might be too much traffic on the street to get the shot I need which means I’ll have to composite something in post.  I hate fixing it in post.  It’s never as good as getting the shot during production.