A Director is responsible for directing the crew and cast of a TV Show/Film. They deal with all the creative side of things working with camera angles, lens effects and lighting. They combine their work with the cinematographer to achieve a visual style of the production.

Directors are in charge of co-ordinating the actor’s actions often showing them demonstrations of how the scene will look. They must be very good at visualising a scene before it is shot so they can explain to the talent how they’d like to act within it.

There is no set amount of working hours a director has. It really depends on the production. If all the cast/crew are willing to work long hours then the director will make sure they are all working long hours together. On average directors will usually work very long hours. The more hours worked can affect how the final film looks so directors should be willing to sacrifice this time to benefit.

Directors can have something called a ‘Directors cut right’. This means that they can release the film how they want to. If they do not have this right then the studio can release the movie in the way that they feel is best. Many films are released with a theatrical version and a director’s cut. This is sometimes done to attract viewers to ‘special edition’ DVD’s etc.

A director will work with the most amount of cast. Often taking on several jobs at a time themselves to have the film the way they want it. Many directors have been known to help write, edit and produce their films. Martin Scorsese is a prime example of a director that edits his films. Often working with fellow friend/ co-worker Thelma Schoonmaker.

Composer

The composer is the person behind each score of a film. A score is a piece of original music written specifically for a film. Many big blockbuster films have an iconic score for their film which can add different meanings and reactions to a movie. All scores are done in the post-production phase of filmmaking where the composer will tailor their piece of music to go along with the film.

Composers will be given a time frame in which they must write and orchestrate the music for a film. This can vary from film to film and can range from 2 weeks to 3 months. The longer a composer is given allows them to perfect it into a masterpiece. Big budget films will usually allow a composer to spend a great deal of time on perfecting their work.

The director will often talk with the composer beforehand outlining what kind of emotions they would like to evoke from the music. They will also sit in with the composer and listen to some of the drafts to see what they like and what they want to change.

Composers are usually placed under a contract when taking on the score for a film. Within this contract there will be sections regarding time frame, expenses, exclusivity, crediting etc. Most filmmakers will have a contract for their composers to avoid any hassle of work being half finished or disagreements amongst staff.

EditorAn editor is the person in charge of taking every single shot and streaming them together in order to tell the story in the desired way. An editor will work with computers where every shot has been uploaded to and they will make changes to the lengths of the shots and which order they are shown in. Directors often work alongside their editors to help achieve the correct message.

Editors are involved within the post-production phase with the filmmaking process. Once all the film is shot the editor will receive the footage and begin editing. They will be given a set amount of time in which they must edit the film.

Films can take from around a couple months to an entire year to edit. It really depends on the production. Editors will usually sign a contract agreeing that they must edit the film fully without leaving half way through. If they do not stick to this contract then they may be taken to court where they could face a potential fine.

Editor’s working hours can vary massively. If they are given 3 weeks to edit a film then they will have to work extremely hard to meet that deadline. However, they could then go to a job where they have 6 months to edit it so this would allow their working hours to be shorter. Editors often work in studios for big productions but have also been known to work from home with independent films.

Costume

Designer

Costume designers are the people that are in charge of creating/choosing every piece of clothing seen in a production. Many costumes are tailored/designed to the meet expectations of the characters. The costume designer will work very closely with the actors and will also converse with the director on how they would like the character to look.

Costume designers have a lot of responsibilities. They must read/analyse the script, purchase materials for costumes, create drawings of each costume, develop/use a costume budget and many other things. For this reason costume designers can be placed under tremendous amount of pressure as they have many jobs they need to fulfil in order for the characters to look how they should.

Costume designers will begin their work in the pre-production phase of a production. They will start by reading the script, working out how many characters will need a costume designed and what types they will need. They will then do drawings of these costumes and pitch them to the director. If the director likes them then they will begin to create them. Costume designers will also work through the production phase where they will make tweaks to costumes, make sure every character is wearing the correct piece of clothing for each scene etc.

Casting DirectorA casting director is the person in charge of

scouting out, holding auditions and choosing stars for a particular production. They will read the script beforehand and decide what kind of actors they would like to play a role. They will get in contact with these peoples agents and ask if they would like to come to an audition. Once all auditions for the characters have been held they will choose which ones they feel are the best.

Casting directors will work closely alongside Directors as the director is the person who is in charge of making the final decision for the majority of things. If a casting director casts someone who the Director does not get along with then this could cause many problems and sabotage the production. For this reason the casting director will usually consult with the director on which people they would like to choose before. Directors are also likely to attend auditions so they know what the people will be like to work with. Many directors will usually choose the same casting director who could then possibly choose previous actors. This is because if they’ve worked well together before then it is likely that the new production will go along better.

Casting directors are involved with the pre-production side of things. They must complete all their work to a specific deadline so the show can move onto the next phase (the productions phase). For this reason they will usually work fairly long hours so that they find the best possible actors of the specific characters, in turn impressing the director and making them a possible choice for the casting director in the future.

A Foley artist is someone who makes the majority of sounds that would be hard to record without equipment being seen. They will make many devices to give off particular sounds and all of their recordings will be done in a studio. Once all the sounds have been recorded they will hand them over to the editor who will add them into the final production. These people can record anything from a tire screeching to a packet of crisps being opened.

Foley Artist