Development Production management

Casting Follow the Producer Director Screenwriter director Line Locations Assistant arrows to find producer manager director out how an idea becomes Turning an idea into a script Careful planning and organisation a film...

Technical Craft

Director of Gaffer Grip Sound mixer Script Production Costume Hair and make-up Construction Special effects photography supervisor designer designer designer manager designer

Making sure it all gets captured perfectly Creating the look of the film Making sure it all gets perfectly captured

Post-production Sales and distribution

Distribution Marketing Editor Colourist Sound editor VFX Subtitler Programmer producer executive manager Audience Shaping and polishing the final product Selling the film and making sure people see it (you and me)

Who makes a film? Production designer Editor How a fi lm is made Who makes a fi lm? The production designer decides how the fi lm The editor puts together all the rushes from will look, everything from the art on the titles the various scenes to tell the story in the Everyone likes watching a good fi lm whether they Producer to the props and the style of the sets. best way. see it at the cinema, on TV or on their phones. But The producer is the boss. Producers are not everyone knows how a fi lm is made. This is how a responsible for the whole production. They Costume designer Colourist raise the money and hire the director. The costume designer designs or buys the Films are shot in a way that makes it fi lm goes from being a thought in someone’s head to costumes. Costume designers oversee the possible to alter the colour. The colourist a movie on the screen. Director teams that make the costumes and do any adds the colour during the editing process, The director is responsible for what appears repairs if clothes snag during fi lming. making it look as good as possible. in front of the camera. Directors work with the actors and decide when fi lming a scene Hair and make-up designer Sound editor Development starts and fi nishes. They say: “action” and The hair and make-up designer decides what The sound editor puts in the sound effects. A fi lm or TV drama starts with an idea. The idea might come from “cut”. the hairstyles and make-up will be like. Hair Music gets added at this point too. a director, a producer or a screenwriter. Once everyone agrees it’s and make-up designers buy the wigs and a good idea, the producer raises money to pay for the fi lm and the Screenwriter organise the team that gets the actors ready VFX producer casting director fi nds the best actors for the parts. The screenwriter writes the story. They write to go on set. The VFX producer puts in all the thing that the dialogue between the actors and all the can’t be fi lmed – like cars bursting into Production management things that happen in the fi lm. Construction manager fl ames. They manage a team that puts these The construction manager hires the in using computer-generated images. Then there is detailed planning. The line producer works out how Casting director carpenters, plasterers and painters who build much money each department will be able to spend. The locations The casting director fi nds the actors. They the sets and make sure they look as the Subtitler manager fi nds a place to shoot the fi lm. The assistant director works need people who look right for the part production designer wants. When the editing is complete, a subtitler out the order in which the fi lm will be shot. (Films are rarely shot in and who have the right skill as actors. They writes out the dialogue, so it appears on the the order in which they appear on screen.) might also want people who are famous, so Special effects designer screen so people who can’t hear can enjoy people want to come and see the fi lm. The special effects designer creates the the fi lm. Some translate the dialogue into Craft world of make-believe on set. Their team can other languages. The production designer decides how the fi lm will look. They work Line producer make it rain or snow, whatever the weather. with the costume designer, who leads the team that makes the The line producer works out how the money They create explosions, start fi res and make Distribution executive should be spent. Line producers hire the The distribution executive does deals with costumes, and the hair and make-up designer, who is in charge of monsters. crew. They make sure everyone on the set is the cinemas, TV companies and platforms the team that styles the hair, wigs and make-up. The construction safe. They keep everything organised. Director of photography like Netfl ix and Hulu. They say how long they designer oversees the team that makes the sets. The director of photography (DoP) is in charge can show the fi lms for. Locations manager of the cameras and the camera operators. Technical The locations manager fi nds the best places DoPs makes sure that the pictures look good. Programmer When fi lming begins, the director of photography is responsible for to shoot the fi lm – whether that be on a Cinema and TV programmers select the the shots. The gaffer makes sure the lights are right and the grip looks train, up a mountain or in a desert. They get Gaffer fi lms and decide the best time of the week after the stands on which the cameras are mounted. The sound mixer permission from the person that owns the Gaffers help the director of photography make or day to show them. records the sounds and the script supervisor makes sure everyone is location and keep it in good condition. beautiful pictures by creating the right light. following the script correctly. The director is in charge of this team. They might control natural light by using a Marketing manager Assistant director fi lter or decide on the best position of lights The marketing manager lets people like you Post-production The assistant director plans the order in on set. and me know that the fi lm is coming out. which they scenes will be shot. Assistant They create billboards, write newsletters and Once a scene has been fi lmed, the footage (or ‘rushes’ ) is sent to the directors help the director by deciding Grip put the message out on social media. editor. The editor works with the director to put the story together where the cameras need to be while the Grips are responsible for the stands on from the various scenes that have been shot. Then the sound, music, director is busy working with the actors. which the cameras are mounted. They colour and visual effects are added. Finally the subtitles are created. operate cranes and platforms-on-wheels to put cameras on and get the right camera Sales and distribution movement. The next job is to get the fi lm onto screens, so that the audience – Produced by ScreenSkills in conjunction with that’s you and me – can watch it. Distribution executives do deals with Sound mixer Into Film and supported using public funding The sound mixer records the sound during by Arts Council England. cinemas, TV channels and other platforms like Netfl ix and Amazon. fi lming – the dialogue and the sound of the They agree where fi lms will be shown and for how long. Cinema Design by Dave Gray. iamdavegray.com background atmosphere. and TV programmers select the fi lms and decide what time to show Based on an original concept by Ian Murphy and Allan Burrell. compositingcoach.com them. Marketing managers help let the audiences know the fi lms are Script supervisor coming out and helps get them excited about watching them. The script supervisor makes sure everything has been fi lmed as the script says. They make notes on any changes which they pass onto the editor.

For further information go to screenskills.com