5. Get A Great Producer
When people decide they want to be a director, I find that they can have only a loose idea of what a director does. While it is true there is no one way to approach or do the job, many people simply get the job of the director and the producer mixed up. Allow me to clean it up for you. A producer is the ones that secure the locations, they are the ones that figure out how your movie can be made, they are the ones that schedule your shoot, they are the ones who get everyone to set, they are the ones that do all the paperwork and make sure everything is in order. And most of all, the producer is your boss. You answer to them for everything and they can tell you no when ever they want. They are your best friend and your greatest enemy, and they are completely necessary. I don't know where the myth that a director is the most powerful person on set started, but it is totally false. If a producer tells you can't do something, you can't do something. I like to see the relationship as similar to that of an architect and a building company. If the building company doesn't have the resources to make the beautifully expressive and artistic building the architect wants, there is nothing the architect can do about it. They must go back to the drawing board and make the idea work within the realms of reality. If you are both good at your job, you will likely butt heads with your producer multiple times in preproduction but they will ensure that the movie gets made and that you are on track. I am telling you as a director who has taken on producing responsibillities of two short films, save yourself the pain. It will inevitably take you away from the doing your job as a director. You should be spending your time visualising and discussing your film with your actors crew. That can be hard to do when you are writing up schedules, confirming locations and making sure there will be enough food for everyone.