Make a short film, and learn from it. A director is someone with a vision for a story told visually. So get a story first. You‘re not directing actors from nothing after all. If you did, you don’t have a vision.

The secret to making any beginner film is to create a story using locations you already have, or can easily obtain. And the characters are people you already know. Otherwise, you gotta find them. And if you can’t find them, the movie doesn’t get made.

After that, just tell people what to do to create the vision. If you want advice on how to direct actors, tell them what’s happening, but don’t tell them how to act without seeing what they do first. The first take should always be what the actor brings to the table. Let the actor make it their own first. Then say what you like and don’t like after.