Directing, where to begin

I'm directing a film (first timer). Sounds exciting but at the present time I still have no clue how it is going to be: I'm guessing very difficult.

I'm going to post my thoughts on this project because it also helps me think clearly and write important things down!

There are a couple of phases that you and your team have to go through before starting to go onto locations to shoot.
We're still in the "Storming" phase.
There are also Forming, Performing and Evaluating (don't know who came up with these but there might be other as well somewhere in the middle)

The first and most important step is planning your work.
As soon as I receive the script/screenplay I will visit possible filming locations, and not just take a look and see if they fit, but I will have to check every single detail, meaning lighting and noise sources as space facilities that could be appropriate for our story. You need to check if there is an electrical socket somewhere near the place you're filming, if you are shooting indoors for example, because you might need artificial light that illuminates your subjects.
I'll also take a camera with me and photograph the locations so I can draw a storyboard.
The storyboard is very important. It will be your guide during filming and should allow you to calculate how long the film will be. In our case it cannot be longer than 10 minutes and this has to be kept in mind during the making of the storyboard.

Mind the following recommendations!

I heard from a professional in the movie/advertising business that the most important aspect of the film is editing (Fr: montage/ De: Schnitt)
even if you have the best actors, the best story, the most expensive camera, a bad editing work will ruin your film.
On the other end of the spectrum, a teacher of mine says that the most important attracting factor of the film is sound, so if your short film does not have a clean sleek sound, then you don't have a chance!
But he also says that we should try to replace as much of the spoken text as possible with images, because our brain is able to understand a complex story if we see it with our eyes. Hearing a complex story is difficult to follow and kind of boring for many.