Prep & Shoot: Directing from Page to Set

Great directing doesn’t start on set. It starts in prep. 

Created and led by BAFTA-nominated film and television director Tim Fywell, Prep & Shoot is a hands-on, practical workshop that mirrors the real working process of professional directors. Across six days, participants will move step-by-step through the director’s process from script analysis and creative preparation to rehearsals, shooting strategy and working with actors on set. 

The course at a glance:

• A practical, director-focused summer school 

• Taught by an experienced, award-winning working film and TV director 

• Small group learning with intensive hands-on exercises 

• Real actors, real scenes, real directing challenges 

• Direct insight into professional casting processes 

• Emphasis on collaboration, clarity of vision and leadership 

This course is about how directors actually work and how preparation enables you to make strong creative decisions under pressure. 

By the end of the course, you will:

• Understand how professional directors prepare for a shoot 

• Gain practical insight into how casting decisions are made 

• Be more confident collaborating with casting directors and actors 

• Lead creative teams with clarity and authority 

• Apply professional preparation methods to your own projects 

• Leave with tools you can use immediately on set 

Participants receive a London Film School certificate of completion. 

This summer school is ideal for:

• Emerging and early-career directors 

• Film school graduates wanting to sharpen their directing craft 

• Writers and filmmakers looking to step into directing 

• Directors preparing for their next short or feature project 

You don’t need to arrive with a finished script — but you should come ready to work. 

What you need to bring:

• Enthusiasm, curiosity and commitment 

• Two key scenes from a project you are developing and plan to film in the future 

• A willingness to collaborate, rehearse and experiment 

DAY 1: INTRODUCTIONS.

Tim talks throug all the key components of making a film:

• Script
• Director’s Vision
• Design/Locations
• Costume
• Cinematography
• Casting
• Scheduling
• Acting
• Rehearsing
• Shooting
• Editing/Post-production – dialogue, sound and music

DAY 1 will then focus on: SCRIPT and working with a WRITER

• Practical exercises, working in pairs – as Director and Writer. Swapping roles.
• Workshopping a Scene you, the students, bring in.
• How you can elevate the scene at script stage to make it more exciting and dynamic to shoot.

DAY 2: PREP – covering all aspects of this crucial pre-shoot period.

• Breaking down a script.
• How to maximise your time and effectiveness in prep.
• How to work with a Production Designer, Location Finder, Costume Designer, Cinematographer,
• 1st Assistant Director, Casting Director.
• Practical exercises – a chance for you to try on these different roles, get under the skin of the key
• Heads Of Department (HODs) you will be working with as a Director.
• What the Director wants out of these collaborations, and what the HODs can provide.

DAY 3: CASTING – including a Q and A session with a top TV/ FILM Casting Director.

Casting is one of the most crucial elements of filmmaking – it can make or break your film.

• Using the SCRIPT scenes you have workshopped on Day 1 as material
• How to attract the best talent.
• How to audition actors.
• What you are looking for when casting.

DAY 4: Working with ACTORS.

• Rehearsing (pre-shoot.) How to maximise your limited rehearsal time.
• A chance to direct your fellow students, and for you to act. To experience what it’s like to be directed – what helps you give a good grounded performance. And what doesn’t.
• Working on scenes I bring in, and scenes you, the students, bring in from projects/screenplays you are developing.

DAY 5: WORKING ON SET with Professional ACTORS.

• 4 Professional Actors will join us for the whole day.
• A chance to talk to them, work with them on your scenes, rehearse in advance, and on the day.

DAY 6: How to manage the SHOOTING DAY, in order to make the best use of your time, and maximise the potential of each shooting day.

• Where to put the CAMERA.
• How best to cover a scene – taking into account time constraints, yet still making the scene
• exciting.
• Discussion about EDITING and POST-PRODUCTION.

DEBRIEF and Q and A about all aspects of the 6-day Course.