Directors in Modern Film

I didn't always want to be a filmmaker. But I've always wanted to be a creative. My gravitation toward film as my primary medium was a gradual process, the result of my lifelong fascination with storytelling and a steady diet of movie-watching throughout my adolescence. There was a time that I was intimidated by the narrow percentage of people that appear to achieve notable success in the film industry. I thought that being a movie director was one of the dream jobs that many aspired to but few ever achieved. However, as I've learned more about the business of film, I've discovered that there are greater opportunities available in this field than ever before. Like many others, filmmaking is a profession that rewards in proportion to how much time and devotion is put into it.

More than any other participant except arguably the writer, film directors are responsible for guiding the creative direction of a movie. In many cases, the director is the film's writer, or at least works closely with them. Directors are responsible for organizing the filming of a motion picture or other video production; determining how shots will be set up, giving actors instructions on how to perform their roles, and piecing together the various shots into a full movie. Much of a director's job is delegation and collaboration: they work with actors, cinematographers, editors, composers and hundreds of other talented individuals, bringing their contributions together into a finished production. In many ways, filmmakers are most akin to managers, albeit in a specialized field.

Directors can come from a wide variety of educational backgrounds. There are a multitude of dedicated film schools operating in the US today, and most colleges and universitie...

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... projects every few years. As long as I can work with talented actors and film professionals to tell interesting visual stories, I'll be satisfied.

Works Cited:

Levy, Frederick. Hollywood 101: The Film Industry. Los Angeles: Renaissance Books, 2000. Print.

Rodriguez, Robert. Rebel Without a Crew: Or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker with $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player. New York: Penguin Group, 1996. Print.

Jarecki, Nicholas. Breaking In: How 20 Film Directors Got Their Start. New York: Broadway House,

2001. Print.

Edgar, Tom and Karin Kelly. Film School Confidential: The Insider's Guide to Film Schools. Revised Ed. New York: Penguin Group, 2007. Print.

“Actors, Producers and Directors.” Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition. 17 Dec. 2009. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. 6 Mar. 2010

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