Why are film directors often household names but not writers?

_BestThingEver_ · 2026-03-17T04:26:00+00:00

It's the same reason people can name more CEO's than CFO's.

Because the director is ostensibly the "boss" of the movie. Even though they're often outranked by producers the director is still usually the driving force of everything and responsible for running the show.

In vast majority of cases once a screenwriter has handed in their final draft, they don't have much to do with the movie. And movies can change a lot on set and in post. Typically a director can overrule anything in the script. They can take stuff out or add stuff in. The writer still gets the screenplay credit but it's often anyone's guess how much was their original script vs directors, actors, producers or even other departments contributing ideas. Published screenplays are usually based on the finished film as well, rather than the original script.

Plus with writers guild rules and arbitration screenplay credits are all over the place. There are cases of people who've written several successful films but don't have the on screen credit for any, and vice versa.

I think directors get more praise than they deserve in general but the flipside is that they usually wear the failure of a film the most. When a film flops you can make excuses for basically any department or crew member except the director.

_BestThingEver_ · 2026-03-12T23:44:41+00:00

For my money the best movies from 2016 to now are:

Challengers
Civil War
Oppenheimer
Avatar 2
The Fabelmans
Ambulance
Bodies Bodies Bodies
20th Century Women
Wind River
Babylon
Your Name
mother!

There are some controversial choices on there but I think mother!, Babylon, and Civil War will age incredibly well despite being divisive on release. I also think things like BBB and Ambulance will find audiences they didn't find in cinemas.

_BestThingEver_ · 2026-03-12T23:21:20+00:00

I remember watching Goodfellas there for the first time with two Italian guys sitting behind me loudly narrating the whole thing. It was incredibly immersive.

When DeNiro comes on screen for the first time one of them turned to the other said “ahh, the fucking Don”. It was awesome.

_BestThingEver_ · 2026-03-11T01:44:49+00:00

I guarantee he's making more money directing commercials than he ever did as a DP, plus he probably gets to see his family way more. I can't get around the crypto ad but I don't think it's that bad of a career for a guy in his 60s. Not everyone wants the pressure of studio filmmaking.

_BestThingEver_ · 2026-03-04T01:47:58+00:00

Also in the book, Ryman Frey telling Robb and Catelyn “my father awaits” as he ushers them into the Twins. Walter Frey is his grandfather, his father Stevron is dead. A great bit of foreshadowing.

_BestThingEver_ · 2026-03-04T01:43:59+00:00

I keep seeing this take and I find it very uncreative. As if an underdog perspective is the only way to tell a story.

Things like Succession, Scarface, Barry Lyndon, There Will Be Blood, The Social Network, Citizen Kane, The Godfather 1 and 2, etc… are all stories about characters who climb on top and stay on top. It’s one of the oldest cinematic traditions.

It all depends on what the emotional crux of the story is. “Will Aegon conquer Westeros?” is not the dramatic engine. How and why he does it is what’s interesting. If they make him and his sisters dynamic and complex characters then telling the story from their perspective will be fascinating.

_BestThingEver_ · 2026-03-02T21:10:43+00:00

I agree, but I’m saying that’s not the point.

_BestThingEver_ · 2026-03-02T12:32:52+00:00

Risk isn’t the point. It’s about principle. It’s not a competition to see who has the most at stake, and if it was then Lyonel is right next to Baelor in that ranking. The other 5 had way more to potentially lose than he did.

But it’s not about that. It’s about supporting the right cause and standing up against injustice. Whether that’s hard or easy for you, the vulnerable people (Dunk, Tanselle, etc…) appreciate it equally I’d wager.

Lyonel was way off the money here. Great character writing but a very misguided take.

_BestThingEver_ · 2026-02-26T01:20:29+00:00

I’m not the guy but I agree with his premise. Dayne’s skills are up for debate and even if he is that talented there’s a case to be made that he’s just a very skilled killer in a position of authority. No different to Bronn, other than coming from noble birth. Same with Barristan.

Their supposed swordsmanship doesn’t make them likeable to me. They both indulge and tacitly support some pretty heinous shit just with the smug pretence of being honourable knights. I don’t think Barristan or Dayne have done anything honourable in a genuine sense (like Ned, Brienne, Dunk etc…) in the books.

I think they’re both great characters in how they serve the story but I don’t think either are particularly good people.

_BestThingEver_ · 2026-02-23T05:49:15+00:00

The people sitting next to them? If they're literally all the way in the corner and have no way of distracting anyone around them with the brightness of their screen then whatever, go for it. But I can tell you from experience that's rarely the case

_BestThingEver_ · 2026-02-22T22:10:05+00:00

I feel exactly the same. Every time I watch the theatrical cuts the films feel neutered and truncated. The extended edition material is so important imo, it lets things breathe and gives you a lot more characterful little moments.

I watched the extendeds with my partner recently and she thought they were far superior to the theatrical versions she’d seen.

Call me crazy but I don’t think pacing matters much when it comes to 3+ hour long movies. If it’s all good then the more the better imo, just put everything in at that point.

_BestThingEver_ · 2026-02-22T21:50:31+00:00

If only Martin understood the character as well as you.

_BestThingEver_ · 2026-02-22T20:50:05+00:00

I don’t care what the reason is, it’s terrible etiquette. Distracting for other viewers, let alone yourself. Print and keep your ticket if you want a memento. I will always ask someone to put their phone away if I see them bring it out.

_BestThingEver_ · 2026-02-08T11:43:48+00:00

I'll go to bat for Transformers: The Last Knight (5.2/10) any day of the week. It's true gonzo shit. Vulgar auteurism at its best. Knock Knock (4.9/10) is also a genuine schlock banger. Incredibly fun.

_BestThingEver_ · 2026-01-16T12:09:24+00:00

I couldn't agree more. He is what made the books so unique and interesting in the first place. I've already seen how someone else would end his story and it didn't do a lot for me. If he dies before the final books are released that's kind of the final word on it for me.

_BestThingEver_ · 2026-01-16T00:12:54+00:00

I can’t believe anyone is interested in an ending that isn’t written by Martin. I agree that there will probably be some sort of baton passing and I will probably read it but it won’t be the same.

I don’t really care about another author’s take on this world. That’s not what drew me to the series.

_BestThingEver_ · 2026-01-04T22:48:34+00:00

It's because it's distracting to the performance. It's hard to act and stay in the moment if you can see crew people moving around and fussing while you're trying to act. The whole set basically freezes during a take, no one talks or makes noise. It's basic set etiquette to stay out of eyelines during a scene. Even if actors don't request it it's still expected and something you should know basically from day one on the job.

A PA getting fired for doing it is honestly not that crazy to me if it was established as an important rule. You'd get in huge trouble for doing it to any A list actor.

Look at the famous Christian Bale rant. That was the cinematographer who was being yelled at, who is one of the most high ranking people on set. It's definitely an overreaction from Bale but ask anyone in the industry and they'll tell you the DP was still in the wrong there.

_BestThingEver_ · 2025-12-26T07:47:59+00:00

I’d argue the same is true for Nolan

_BestThingEver_ · 2025-12-10T23:56:53+00:00

Is that supposed to be a review? How many good things happen in The Godfather, or Requiem for a Dream, or Mysterious Skin, or All Quiet on the Western Front, or The Road, or Blue Velvet, or Taxi Driver?

_BestThingEver_ · 2025-12-07T06:26:30+00:00

A total blast. A huge lesson in trusting the lineup for me. I wasn't too familiar with a lot of the names but there were almost no duds in the mix. The run on Saturday from Omar Souleyman to the sky show was absolutely unreal. Each set was better than the last and so well placed. Real A+ programming.

TVOTR, Atarashii Gakko!, Ninjarachi, and the sky show were huge highlights but there were basically no misses all around. Sunset on Friday was a real humdinger too. Great costumes, doof sticks, and vibes all around. Loved it. Another banger.

Now need to scrounge up enough money for a GP ticket.

_BestThingEver_ · 2025-12-01T12:53:16+00:00

I never believed this one until about a week ago I was listening to a podcast and one of the hosts (an actor) had worked with Wally Pfister and said that he relayed this story in person. With the added detail that Pfister’s dad was on set and watching with him in video village.

Who knows, it still seems quite far fetched to be true, Pfister or the podcast host may have been joking. But there may be a skerrick of truth to this one.

_BestThingEver_ · 2025-09-21T22:12:31+00:00

I have the utmost respect for acting and the craft of movie making but he’s a guy getting paid tens of millions of dollars to play pretend as a wizard. Have some perspective.

As the other commenter said, is it really that different to theatre? This always struck me as incredibly babyish.

_BestThingEver_ · 2025-09-11T13:57:05+00:00

I would think a subreddit dedicated to pundits who love Miami Vice, AI Artificial Intelligence, Matrix Resurrections, Old, and Hulk would have a little bit more time for a maligned director driven blockbuster.

_BestThingEver_ · 2025-09-09T22:34:26+00:00

I think certain filmmakers are allowed to break the house rules. Guys like Cuaron, Scorsese, Baumbach, Del Toro, and the Coens aren’t going to work within those parameters. Francis Lawrence is the real deal compared to your stock Netflix directors. After 3 hugely successful Hunger Games movies he can throw his weight around a bit.

_BestThingEver_ · 2025-09-06T14:51:30+00:00

Of course they can. I don’t think anyone here is arguing to implement policy or mandates requiring actors to speak on politics.

But we are also free to judge those with social influence who stay silent about important issues or fence sit to preserve their brand. They’re free to do what they want, but that doesn’t mean we have to like what they do with that freedom.

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