I can’t overstate the importance of this relationship. You have to be able to have a good relationship with this person (else the shoot is not going to work). He/she will be responsible for the whole shoot and (on most low budget productions) getting the crew together. Any director who is worthy of shooting your amazing music video must possess the following qualities
• As mentioned above must be able to understand what you expect out of the shoot. He should be able to realistically tell you what is possible and what is not.
• Must be passionate about your song or you/your band or the concept. If he/she is doesn’t care about your shoot enough to do whatever it takes (within reason of course) to make it the greatest video ever, you may end up disappointed with both the process and the results.
• Must be passionate about his work. Otherwise he/she is just out to get your money.
• Must be organised and…
• … must know what he/she is doing. (might seem obvious but you’d be surprised) Sometime before the shoot, you should go into a preproduction meeting (or a series of those if necessary). It is a very important step, don’t skip it. This can actually make or break your video!
During the meeting, besides discussing the concept deeper you will get to know:
• What exactly you will be doing, especially if the concept requires you to do something unusual.
• Your shooting schedule (you shouldn’t concern yourself with much beyond where you should be at what time)
• Make decisions on locations, props etc. (very important)
• Possibly get to know whoever else you will be working with.