Every film consists of key roles that help make a film. The director, editor, sound designer, producer and production designer are just five of the main roles within the film making industry. Each role is explained in more detail below...
The Director:
He/she is the person who is ultimately responsible for the creative vision and overall style of a feature film. The Director is the driving creative force in a film's production, and acts as the crucial link between the production, technical and creative teams. Directors are responsible for creatively translating the film's written script into actual images and sounds on the screen - he or she must visualise and define the style and structure of the film, then act as both a storyteller and team leader to bring this vision to reality. The Directors' main duties include casting, script editing, shot composition, shot selection and editing. While the practical aspects of filmmaking, such as finance and marketing, are left to the Producer, Directors must also always be aware of the constraints of the film's budget and schedule. In some cases, Directors assume multiple roles such as Director/Producer or Director/Writer. Being a Director requires great creative vision, dedication and commitment.
The Editor:
The highly creative, challenging and rewarding job of an Editor is to work closely with the Director after the filming is completed, to select shots and edit them into a series of scenes, which are in turn assembled to create a coherent whole, ensuring that the story flows effortlessly from beginning to end. Editors are one of the key Heads of Department on feature films. The way a story unfolds and grabs the attention of the audience is one of the most important elements in filmmaking. To ensure that the story flows effortlessly from beginning to end, each shot is carefully chosen and edited into a series of scenes, which are in turn assembled to create the finished film. Editors work closely with the Director before shooting begins, deciding how to maximise the potential of the screenplay. Editors also check the technical standards, as well as the emerging sense of story, and the actors' performances. Because scenes are shot and edited out of sequence, Editors may work on scenes from the end of the film before those at the beginning, and must therefore be able to maintain a good sense of how the story is unfolding. They should understand dramatic storytelling and be able to create rhythm, pace and tension.
The Sound Designer:
The Sound Designers are responsible for providing any required sounds to accompany screen action. Most Sound Designers are experienced Supervising Sound Editors who carry out a managerial role, steering the work of the entire sound post production process, combined with the specialist role of creating the sound concept for films. As well as creating the sounds for giant explosions or car crashes, Sound design is also the art of creating subtle sounds that enrich the language and feeling of a film. Their first task is to identify the three main kinds of sound effects required: spot effects (gunshots, clocks, doors closing, dog barking, etc.), atmosphere effects, (rain, wind, traffic, birdsong, etc.), and sound design effects (dinosaurs, aliens, spaceships, computers, etc.) Once this sonic shopping list is complete, Sound Designers source different kinds of sounds, and often create and record original new material.
The Producer:
The Producers are highly self-motivated individuals, who have the final responsibility for all aspects of a film's production. He or she is frequently the first person to become involved in a project; they participate directly in all the main producing phases; and see the project through production, to post-production, marketing and distribution. The Producer's is role to turn story ideas into profitable cinematic entertainment, and to persuade others to share in his or her commercial and creative vision. Producers usually report to the production company, or to the Executive Producers appointed to supervise the production on behalf of the financiers and Distributors. Producers have overall control on every aspect of a film's production, bringing together the Screenwriters, Director, cast, finances and production team. Their primary responsibility is to foster an environment in which the creative talents of the cast and crew can flourish - Producers are therefore ultimately accountable for the success of the finished film. Producers many responsibilities span all four phases of production: Development, pre-production, production and post-production.
The Production Designer:
The Production Designers are major heads of department on film crews, and are responsible for the entire Art Department. They play a crucial role in helping Directors to achieve the film's visual requirements, and in providing Producers with carefully calculated schedules which offer viable ways of making films within agreed budgets and specified periods of time. Filming locations may range from an orderly Victorian parlour, to a late-night café, to the interior of an alien space ship. The look of a set or location is vital in drawing the audience into the story, and is an essential element in making a film convincing and evocative. A great deal of work and imagination goes into constructing an appropriate backdrop to any story, and into selecting or constructing appropriate locations and/or sets.Production Designers may be asked to look at scripts before a Director is approached, to provide estimates of the projected Art Department spend on films. When Production Designers first read a screenplay, they assess the visual qualities that will help to create atmosphere and bring the story to life. After preparing a careful breakdown of the script, they meet with the Director to discuss how best to shoot the film, e.g. to decide: whether to use sets and /or locations; what should be built and what should be adapted; whether there is a visual theme that recurs throughout the film; whether there are certain design elements that may give an emotional or psychological depth to the film; whether CGI (computer generated imagery) should be used. Production Designers must calculate the budgets, and decide how the money and effort will be spent. These discussions are followed by an intense period of research during which Production Designers and their Specialist Researchers source ideas from books, photographs, paintings, the internet, etc.
