Over the years producers, actors and particularly directors have become increasingly indignant if you include direction or any indication as to what the character is thinking. God forbid you should suggest a facial expression or physical expression of action. I suggest that attitude often stems from arrogance (who the fuck are you to tell me how to direct and/or act?) or of insecurity, because one has to be secure in oneself and one’s ability to discuss if one is to be open to other people’s ideas which might challenge yours. Speaking for myself, and here confined to live action, the only reason I include direction is to attempt to convey my full intent… how I personally see the piece. 
No more than that. If you – director, actor or producer – see it differently that’s absolutely fine by me. That’s your job and your right (assuming you’ve bought the rights to my work). As I see it, for a writer to leave their verbal picture unclear or incomplete is no different to hoping a musician will improvise successfully without knowing the original tune.
When it comes to animation writing, it’s a different thing. The writer is faced with an immobile image – character, machine or background. S/he must put it in motion and that requires direction. Some people will say that attitude encroaches on the storyboard artist but, again, I’d argue that all you’re giving that artist is your idea of the tune. How s/he improvises on the tune is their choice. Sometimes they’re successful and take the concept to a place you never imagined. Sometimes you may feel they sell your concept short. The same comment applies to the animation voice artist. At least have the confidence to give them – and the voice director – your ideas. And they should at least have the respect to consider them before they head off into their own wild blue yonder. All too often it seems to me that actors, directors, artists and producers bang on about movie-making – live action or animation – being a collaborative endeavour meanwhile treating the writer like the tea boy.
Being treated like the tea boy is often due to lack of leverage. Someone has to be lowest on the totem pole!
More next week…