Actors bring a script to life through their performances, which can include working on stunts, voiceovers and cameos. Actors come from a lot of different professional backgrounds, including stand-up comedy, modeling and dance. Many actors get their chops by attending acting conservatories or participating in local theater productions.
Directors oversee every part of the production of a film based on their interpretation of a script. This work includes hiring the actors and instructing them on the acting styles they should use, choosing the locations where the film will be shot, choosing the costumes that actors will wear and working with the technical aspects of the film, such as the lighting that will be used in the film.
Film producers are responsible for all of the business decisions that are made for a production and the logistics of carrying them out. Producers have a role in hiring the staff for the film, creating a budget and ensuring that it is adhered to and making sure the film is completed within a set schedule.
Art directors oversee the entire physical environment that creates the feeling of a film. They are responsible for managing the design of the set, the costume designers, hair and make-up artists, interior decorators and electricians.
Cinematographers are responsible for the images of a film that reflect what a director is trying to accomplish in a scene. To do this, cinematographers are required to work closely with the personnel who actually work the cameras. In addition, cinematographers may be responsible for planning the location, lighting and shot composition of a film.
The production of films starts with the ideas of screenwriters, who write scripts based on their own original ideas or adaptations of other people’s work. Screenwriters must develop an understanding of how films are made, but they can come from different backgrounds, such as the advertising industry or the government.