The Roles in Film Production

Writer

A writer, or in film production, a screenwriter is someone who writes the scripts for films. However, sometimes they also write scripts for other medias for example, television programs and/or video games. The screenwriters who end up having the most successful films tend to be freelance and are integral. Their films have to provide creativity; in order to do this, they need to have a good imagination and to be able to come up with ideas that some couldn't even imagine.

Producer

Producers hold a large amount of responsibilities in the film production; they plan and coordinate most aspects of it. They help with the script selection, writing, directing, editing, and the financing of the film. Their job is considered to be very important.

Director

Directors have the very important job of bringing the film's written script to life. They turn them into actual images and sounds, that will be shown on the big screen and sold worldwide. They have a lot of pressure on them as essentially, they have a huge effect on the success or failure of a film. They also deal with the technical aspects of a film like the camera, sound, lighting, design and special effects; it's by far one of the most important roles to play in film production.

Casting Director

Casting directors is pretty self-explanatory; they organise who the film will cast (the people who will be in the film) for all roles in a film. They are in charge of all interviews and auditions with actors and actresses, as well as negotiating fees and contracts for the actors who get the part. Casting directors work quite closely with the director and producer, to understand their vision they have for the film and try to cast suitable artists to play the parts.

Film Finance

Now these people have a tough role. They are responsible for controlling the accounting, taxation and financial analysis for all of the work a company does, including development, production and distribution. But to ensure that the budget of a film isn't broken; the finance of the film needs to be managed sensibly (no pressure guys).

Camera Operator

Camera operators work side by side with the director to ensure that all shots are exactly what the screenwriter, producer and director envisioned for the film. They are responsible for all aspects of the camera operation; shot composition and development. Camera operators are obviously quite important in film production as, whatever they film will be what is shown all over the world to possibly, millions of people - therefore they need to capture the perfect shots.

Editor

The editor, again, works closely with the director to ensure that the story actually makes sense and flows from the start to the very end, they have to select each shot carefully and then edit them into a series of scenes, which will eventually become the finished film. Editors need to select the best takes and edit them together to create scenes. Their job is very important as they transform the film from  random clips into the final product, that everyone will see

Production designer

Production designers are responsible for the entire art department. Any sets, locations, props or costume - these guys will sort it out. They help the director achieve the look and feel of a film; the look and feel of a set or location is absolutely essential for making a film convincing and to make people want to watch it and also making the cast perform at their finest. The production designer's role is definitely important.

Marketing

Marketing essentially dictates whether a film is successful or not. However, it's pretty much down to money - if the film has a lot of money, chances are they will do pretty well at getting their film out there. But inevitably, it's going to be very hard to market a film well if your trying to market to the whole world; different people enjoy different things, so the film will have to be marketed in several different ways.

Exhibition

Exhibiting a film is basically distributing it and showing it to a wider audience. It's important a film is exhibited well because then popularity will hopefully increase.