What's the Point of a Director

What do you know about a director's role in a film?  What questions do you have about the director's role on a film?

    When it comes to filmmaking, people often gravitate towards and give the most attention towards the glamorous positions. One of the biggest ones being the director. Most people think of the director as the leader of a set; however, there's a lot more to a director's job than giving out orders. The director's role in a film is to make their vision come to life and make the decisions on set.

    The director is the creative lead of the film; they dictate the actual look of the production, primarily things such as costuming, sets, locations, props, makeup, and so on and so forth. They must work closely with each of the different creative departments both before and during the production in order to create the visual look of the film. Although they may not be in charge of the look camera-wise, they still have a lot of effects on how the film looks through color, costuming, and locations, all of which affect the impact of the film.

    Furthermore, the director's primary job is to work with the talent in order to bring the character's of a film to life. This involves building trust with the actors, rehearsing them so that they are comfortable and prepared, and, of course, directing them during the scene. It is important for the director to build trust with the actors so that they are more sure in what the director tells them. One way is to make them feel like the director has thoroughly planned and thought things out, which could be done with something as simple as having already designated spots for the actors to sit during a read through. Rehearsal is an important process for the director to lead as to allows the actors time to experiment with their performance in a more comfortable setting. Once it comes time for the direction, it is important for the director to approach it in a way that gives the actor the ability to effectively bring their characters to life. Thus, they should focus on telling the actor what their character is thinking and what their goal is in the scene, rather than simply telling them what to do.

    Some questions that I have about the director's role on a film is the scope of their working during pre-production, as, in my current experience, roles have been less solid and more fluid, thus responsibilities have been shared.