Directing
May 25, 2026
Directing Antz: lessons from Tim Johnson
Director Tim Johnson talks through Antz on Kingdom of Dreams: how to lead a set, protect performances, and make day-of choices when time and weather disagree with the shot list.
Directing Antz means translating intention into a schedule. Tim Johnson describes the human side of that translation: talking to actors, choosing when to move on, and keeping the crew pointed at the same verb for the scene.
Steal one habit from this episode: decide what must be true at the end of the scene, then reverse-engineer coverage that can prove it.
Go deeper on Kingdom of Dreams
- → EP 80: Tim Johnson on Antz
- → EP 76: Sophie Lanfear on s
- → EP 74: Randal Kleiser on Flight of the Navigator: The Real Story Behind It
Browse more director conversations in the Kingdom of Dreams archive.
Original Kingdom of Dreams craft take based on our conversation with Tim Johnson (EP 80). Not a reprint of any single article.