Advisor Studio: Directing Principles to Change Your Filmmaking with Rob Spera
About this Advisor Studio
Join Sundance Collab for an exclusive Advisor Studio session with acclaimed director, writer, playwright, and professor Rob Spera. With over three decades of directing experience, Spera has distilled his most valuable lessons into his new book, Film/TV Director’s Field Manual: Seventy Maxims to Change Your Filmmaking.
In this interactive 60-minute session, Spera will share four of his key “maxims” and explore how they can elevate your approach to directing. Through examples from classic and contemporary films, you’ll learn how to rethink blocking, framing, and composition to create more compelling visual storytelling. A Q&A session will offer you the chance to ask questions and gain insights tailored to your own filmmaking journey.
Topics include:
- Capturing the complexity of human nature
- Reimagining dialogue for greater impact
- Photographing subtext to enhance storytelling
- Crafting dynamic frames that engage and surprise
- Making the viewer an active participant in your work
- Avoiding visual redundancy for stronger compositions
- Trusting your audience to make deeper connections
Whether you're a seasoned director or just starting out, this session will give you fresh perspectives and practical tools to take your filmmaking to the next level. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from a master of the craft!
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Rob Spera
Rob Spera has an extensive background in film, television, and theatre. His feature films include THE SWEET LIFE, FATHERS AND SONS, and the cult classic LEPRECHAUN IN THE HOOD. Mr. Spera’s numerous television credits include CRIMINAL MINDS, SUPERNATURAL, SUSPECT BEHAVIOR, and ARMY WIVES.
During four seasons as Resident Director at the Tony award-winning Actor Theatre of Louisville, he directed over 75 productions. His play TRACKS enjoyed a successful run in Los Angeles, where it was hailed as “Chilling” by Variety “Haunting long after leaving the theatre” by the Daily News, and “a comic horrific dance of death…In a world somewhere between Samuel Beckett and Full Metal Jacket” by The Los Angeles Times. Published works include FILM/TV DIRECTORS’ FIELD MANUAL,, Actors Write for Actors, Encore, and THE FIELD.