Learn from an Independent Spirit Award-nominated director with 20+ years of directing hit-the-ground-running features and TV!

If you're a director hoping to break into features, here's a truth you need to hear: the script gets you in the room, but your ability to execute is what gets you hired again. Producers today expect features shot in 15 to 20 days, and that reality isn't going away.

That's exactly what this exclusive Stage 32 webinar teaches you: how to direct on a tight schedule and shoot a feature in 15 to 20 days without sacrificing quality.

The directors who thrive under that pressure aren't necessarily the most visionary — they're the ones who've learned to prioritize, adapt, and deliver a great film on time and on budget. That's a skill you can build, and it's exactly what turns a first feature into a real career.

Here's the good news: the hard part of directing on a tight schedule isn't knowing where to put the camera. It's everything around it — how you get the coverage you need without wasting takes, how you keep every department head aligned before the day even starts, and how you make choices on set that actually serve the edit. Master that, and shooting six, eight, or even ten pages a day stops feeling like a race against the clock. It starts feeling like directing.

That's exactly why we brought in Ryan Little to teach this one. Ryan has spent over 20 years directing, producing, and shooting features under real schedule pressure — starting with his debut Saints and Soldiers, where he served as both director and DP and walked away with 16 Best Picture awards plus two Independent Spirit Award nominations. Since then, he's directed actors like Danny Glover, Sean Astin, Dolph Lundgren, and Mickey Rourke, and worked on projects alongside producer Dean Devlin, including the TNT pilot Blank Slate, along with TV episodes of Granite Flats and Extinct. Ryan has built an entire career thriving inside tight schedules, and he's ready to hand you the exact playbook.

You'll get Ryan's complete system for shooting fast without sacrificing quality: how to break down your script and scout locations that save you time, how to build shot lists and shooting schedules that actually hold up on set, how to prioritize your shoot day for maximum production value, and how to get the coverage you need without wasting takes. You'll also learn how to direct actors efficiently and lead your crew so they trust you from day one. You'll walk away with a practical, tested approach to directing under pressure — the same one Ryan has used to build a career producers keep coming back to!

PREP:

How to Break Down a Script 

• Scriptation is a director’s best friend 

• How to identify the “Key Moments” for each scene

• Breaking your script into layers for the Department heads

• Using Shot Deck, AI and other tools to help communicate your vision 

The Location Scout

• Picking locations that will save you time 

• How to use videos to help communicate ideas

• Apps all directors should know

The Shooting Schedule 

• Communicating with the Department heads

• The art of front loading your schedule

• Shooting with two cameras 

• The power of the Zoom lens

How to Create Shot-lists that work 

• The importance of knowing your transition shots 

• Should I use storyboards or overheads? 

• The power of the clean single 

• How to create a digital shot-list you can share

PRODUCTION:

Prioritizing Your Day on Set  

• It’s all about the ROI (Return on Investment) 

• Picking the backgrounds for the most production value

• 4 essential tricks to saving time on set

Getting the Coverage

• Learning to shoot on one line of axis 

• Multiple takes without cutting

• Creating options for editing 

• How to maximize coverage in a scene 

Working with Actors 

• Casting is the key to success

• Should I rehearse or just shoot?

• How many takes do I need?

• Looking for the “Connective Tissue” in every scene

• Giving the Actors something to do

• The A / B method

Leading Your Crew 

• 3 things you can do to lead your team to success (and trust you)

• Resolving potential conflict

Q&A with RYAN LITTLE

• Directors of all levels who want to learn how to shoot a feature efficiently on a tight schedule without sacrificing quality
• Producers of all levels who want to understand how to plan and support a fast-moving production
• Writer-directors of all levels who are prepping their own script and want to make smart choices for production
• DPs and ADs of all levels who want to sharpen their understanding of how directors prioritize and problem-solve on set
• Any filmmaker who wants to be seen as someone who can deliver a quality film on time and on budget