2. KEY CREATIVE TEAM
Producer
The Producer's managerial job role is to initiate, coordinate, supervise, and controls
matters of the film production. Such as raising funding, hiring key
personnel, contacting and arranging for distributors. The Producer is involved
throughout all phases of the film process from development to completion of a
project. A producer is responsible for all the aspects of a film's production.
Producers tend to be the first person to become involved in a project, even before
the writer. Producers have overall control on every aspect of a film's production.
They bring together and approve the selection of the whole production team. Their
primary responsibility is to look after the environment in which the creative talents of
the cast and crew are part of. The producer deals with all the practical and political
aspects of keeping a project running smoothly, so that the director and the rest of
the team can concentrate on the creative aspects. Producers are therefore
ultimately accountable for the success of the finished film.
3. PRODUCTION
DEPARTMENT
Executive Producer
Executive Producers are responsible for the overall quality of the
production. An executive producer tends to invest in the project
or someone who has helped with the funding of the project.
The role of the Executive Producer is to supervise the work of
the producer on behalf of the studio. Executive producer’s job
is technical as they work along side with the financers and
distributers to ensure things run smoothly and that the film is
completed on time, within the budget. Also that the production
is up to technical standards. An Executive Producer is part of
all the production stages as they need to monitor the
production throughout to ensure everything is running on time
and on budget.
4. SCRIPT DEPARTMENT
Script Editor
Script Editor’s job is to provide a critical overview of the screenwriting process. They
use analytical skills to help the screenwriter with problems and help to
strengthen and develop the screenplay. The Script Writer’s job role is creative
as they have to edit and improve the script and understand what works well
with the storyline and the character’s dialogue. Script Editors tend to work in
the pre production process so the script is finalized and ready to hand to the
cast and everyone else in the production. However if a problem occurs with the
script the script will be changed during the production process if necessary.
The Script Editor has many responsibilities, which include casting new script
writers, developing storyline and film ideas with writers, ensuring that scripts
are suitable for the production. The script editor will work closely with the writer
at each draft of their script, giving the writer feedback on the quality of their
work, suggesting improvements that can be made whilst also ensuring that
practical issues like show continuity and correct running time are adhered to.
Unlike the writers, script editors will usually be full-time members of the
production team, working closely with the producer
5. LOCATION
DEPARTMENT
An Assistant Location Manager assists the location manager and is on-set before, during, and
after the filming process, which means they tend to part of the whole production process. An
Assistant Location Manger’s general responsibilities include arriving first at the location to allow
the set dressers onto the set. Assistant Location Managers have to maintain the cleanliness of
the location areas during filming and fielding complaints from neighbors.
Assistant Location Managers work along side with Location Managers, Unit Managers and
6. CAMERA DEPARTMENT
The Director of Photography (also known as the Cinematographer) is the
head of the camera and lighting department of the film. The Director of
Photography makes the main decisions regarding the lighting and framing
of scenes with the film's director. Directors of Photography are key Heads
of Department on film productions. A DoP's job role is one of the major
creative roles. They are specifically requested by the Director, and must
be approved by the all the financiers, and the studio. During the
production process a Director of Photography work closely with the
Director and Production Designer to ensure the film has the visual aspect
that works best for the production. The Director's of Photography reads
the screenplay to understand what they would need to do in order to get
the visual aspects to the Director's standards. To do this they meet with
the Director to discuss the visual style of the film. A Director of
Photography are responsible for preparing a list of all required camera
equipment, including lights, film stock, camera, cranes and all accessories
etc.
7. SOUND DEPARTMENT
Production Sound Mixer (Sound Recordist) The production sound
mixer is head of the sound department on set, they are
responsible for recording all sound during the filming process.
Their job involves the choice of microphones, operation of a sound
recording device. As they are the head of the Sound
Department, the Sound Mixer is also accountable for recording all
the sound during filming. A Production Sound Mixer meet with the
Director before filming to understand the director's vision and the
budget. The Sound Mixer also is responsible to hire a Boom
Operator and Sound Assistants. The Sound Recoridist's other
duties consist of planning the technical setup for the location or
set, to selecting and arranging microphones, to ordering and hiring
equipment, to troubleshooting as the filming develops, to
operating the mixing desk. The Production Sound Mixer is hired
during pre-production. As their job role is to record all sound
during the filming process, their job is a production one.
8. Research of Job Roles in the Film Industry
Pre-Production Job Role
In the film industry an example of a job role in a film's pre-production is the
director. Charlie Chaplin as well as being a well known actor, he was also
known as a successful director. Before Chaplin's notable success on the
big screen he worked with a children's dance troupe. Chaplin's character
"The Tramp" relied on pantomime and quirky movements to become an
iconic comical figure of the silent-film era. Chaplin then went on to become
a director, making films like The Kid, City Lights, Twenty Minutes of Love
and Modern Times and many others. Charlie Chaplin after his acting debut
he realized that wanted the films the he starred in to be done in his own
visual creation. In an interview Chaplin states "The directors I worked with
did not appreciate my telling them how to do their jobs. (rolls eyes). So I
asked Sennett if I could direct a picture. My timing was perfect since his
distributors were clamoring for more hilarious Chaplin film shorts.”.
By researching David O Russell and Charlie Chaplin who are two different
director's of different time and genre enabled me to understand this job role
in the film industry more carefully. I was able to understand how difficult it
can be to become a director. Even though both directors are from different
film era's, director's in the film industry still do the same things. Such as
working long hours, working throughout the whole production process to
organizing and planning the film set.
9. Research of Job Roles in the Film
Industry
Production Job Role
Hugh Jackman is a well known Actor but is also known for his notable work as a
producer. After Hugh Jackman graduated, he pursued drama at the Western Australian
Academy of Performing Arts, immediately afterhe was offered a starring role in the
ABC-TV prison drama Correlli (1995) This lead to rising success to Jackman producing
several films such as The Wolverine, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Deception and An
Aussie Goes Bolly. In particular Hugh Jackman’s production of The Wolverine was one
of his most favorable. In an interview discussing about his film The Wolverine Jackman
stated “ My enthusiasm for this was massive. My desire to make a movie that is really
central to the character that had been set up in the comic book” As well as being the
main role Jackman appears to have a passion for the character Wolverine, and wants
to bring him to life by not only portraying Wolverine but being in control as a producer
to ensure this.
By doing research on Hugh Jackman I was able to discover how much determination
and passion you must have for a production for a producer to do their job to the best of
their ability. As Hugh Jackman has a personal connection with his most notable role as
Wolverine, this made me realize how personal a film production can be to a producer. I
also realized that having years of experience with a particular film franchise can help
with creating the vision of the film to match standards. Especially if in this case a film is
based on a popular comic book.
10. Research of Job Roles in the Film
Industry
Post-Production Job Role
Tim Squyres an American film editor who is known for his films such as Life of Pi, Taking
Woodstock, Rachel Getting Married, The Inner Life of Martin Frost, Lust, Medium (TV Series)
and Hulk.As a teenager, Academy Award-nominated editor Tim Squyres originally wanted to
become an astronomer. Squyres began as an undergraduate physics major at New York's
Cornell University in 1977. Squyres eventually abandoned physics for psychology, but it was an
introductory film course that stirred his true ambition. Squyres eventually became a teaching
assistant for the school's filmmaking course. He use to edit student films at New York
University. Tim's first feature film came in 1987 when he worked as supervising sound editor on
YurekBogayevicz's Anna. Which lead him to do more sound editing work. In 1991, Squyres
doubled as supervising sound editor and assistant editor on Nancy Sovaca's Dog
Fight, starring River Phoenix and Lili Taylor. Eventually this lead him to do more successful
films such as Life of Pi and Hulk.
By studying into Tim Squyres’ job role in the industry this enabled me to understand how much
of a creative job role editing is. As an editor’s job role helps to determine the quality of the final
project the pressure as an editor gets to achieve a high standard edit is immense. Also by
researching into different job roles in film as well as the Editor, I’ve learned how difficult it can
be to become successful in the film industry and how hard it can be to get work. A final thing I
learned about researching into an editor’s job role is that everything needs a lot of preparation
and planning beforehand. Working on schedule with a budget can be difficult to keep on
track, especially so in a competitive profession like film. This applies for most of the job roles in
the film industry as well as the job of an Editor.
