The Director's Book
Build the master plan that guarantees the film in your head is the film you get in the can.
A Professional Preparation Workshop for Film Directors
Every great film is made twice—once in preparation, and once on set. The director who thrives under pressure isn't the one with the most talent or the biggest budget. It's the one with a plan so thorough and so personal that when everything goes wrong—and it always does—they can make fast decisions in the chaos that still serve their vision. Get the preparation right, and it carries you all the way through the shoot and into the edit.
That preparation is your Director's Book. This workshop guides you through building a master plan that reflects your directing style, your vision, and the unique demands of your film.
8 Weeks
Over eight weeks, in person, you'll think through and complete the professional preparation for your next directorial project. We’ll begin with the foundational creative questions that shape the entire film before moving into detailed preparation. From there, you’ll develop the master plan for your film—scene by scene, decision by decision—until you know your project inside and out.
There is no single "right" Director's Book. A $100 short and a $100 million feature demand completely different plans, and so does every filmmaker. The emphasis here is on building the book that fits you—your style, your genre, your instincts, your resources and the specific film you're making. No forced templates. You create the book that unlocks your best work.
This is a small, in-person workshop with limited seats—by design. Led and facilitated by Shelli Ryan, you'll develop your book alongside a tight group of serious directors, learning as much from each other's projects and problem-solving as from the work itself. It's a chance to direct your film while every idea is still inexpensive to test and every decision is still yours to make.
Workshop Facilitator
Shelli Ryan
Shelli Ryan is a writer, director, and editor whose feature debut Jake's Closet earned critical acclaim and festival honors, and who has spent 25 years cutting and shaping narrative films, documentaries, and television. She built this workshop around the tool she relies on most as a director — the director's book — and the belief that the clearest path to a strong performance on set is the work you do before you get there.
What Else You Should Know
What's Required
What You'll Leave With
This workshop is for directors who have a film they seriously intend to make—and who bring some on-set experience, whether from their own projects or professional work, enough to know firsthand how much can go wrong. If you're serious about walking onto set ready, this is where your film truly begins.
A working document you can take straight into prep and production—one that makes you the most prepared person on set, keeps your team aligned to a single vision, and turns crisis moments into confident, consistent choices.
Starting mid September 2026 in Los Angeles
If you're ready to begin the real work of directing your next film, this workshop is for you.
8 Weeks: $990
To join fill out the interest form and we will get in touch when registration opens. Seats are limited, and priority will be given to director’s with approaching start dates, then filled first come first serve with deposit.