IMAG DIRECTING 101
what is imag directing?
It’s the moody, angsty step-child of broadcast directing. Shooting and directing for IMAG is an artform like other video and camera related mediums but it serves a function – for the audience to connect with what’s happening on stage, while also serving the show design. For IMAG / screen directors, the screens on and off stage are your canvas.
When I first started out, I went from being a concert photographer straight into imag directing. the band didn’t soundcheck and our first show was in france where i needed a translator. i didn’t have a clue as to what i was doing and there were very few resources available, but someone above my pay grade liked my eye as a photographer and so i did it terrified. that was in 2017 and i’ve been fortunate to have had a career directing ever since.
fast-forward to now, post-covid, the industry cannot keep up with the demands for imag directors and there still aren’t hardly any resources for anyone starting out. directing has been a heavily gate-kept position. but more shows are requiring cameras as a part of their show design.
what used to be a production element only available for big arena and stadium acts that could afford it, is not the case anymore.
for anyone looking to learn about this medium, i’ve drafted a 101 guide full of everything that i wish I had known starting out. it’s not just a guide about how to direct, but what the role of a touring imag director is.
understanding the gear is maybe only 20% of it.
The guide is added as a PDF so it can up easily updated. Click the link above to read and download.