Filmmaking Definitions

[XCoRyX]

i need help,can someone deeper in the business or who just knows what these mean/do in the movie business as far as crew is concerned-

art department/art direction
key grip
producer
production assistant/production design
art department
production management
cinematography

thanks appreciate it,i just want to know what they do...for future concerns.

[Narrator]

art department/art direction
After detailed dicussions with both the director and the director of photography(cinematographer) it is up to the art director and his assistants to design, construct and prepare every set and location in the script. They are responsible for the physical appearance of every prop, picture, piece of furniture and wall in a film.

producer
Theproducers hires and fires everybody, including the director. They have to get all the money together, they decide what to spend it on, they have to hire/borrow/buy any equipment, sorting locations and providing transport.

art department
(covered above)

production management
They have to break down the script and work out the most economical use of cast, crew, equipment, locations, transport on a day to day basis and then book everything.

cinematography
It is up to them to put the film into film. They hva eto chose the lights, film stocks, cameras, lens, filters, gip equipment, they have to maintain the visual style decided by themself and the director. They also have to put the mise-en-scene in the film

Hope that has been a help to you
Narrator Dunn

[XCoRyX]

the producers role sounds kinda like what i pictured a directors role...whats the directors role then?i have a brief idea,but your definitions are more in depth then mine,so help would help again or anyone else...the director shoots the film with the camera and 'directs' people how to walk and look and talk etc?And so your saying the producer is the one(s) who makes the casting decisions and crew decisions?

[arto_j]

Here (http://www.joblo.com/ubb/Forum10/HTML/006420.html) is more thought on the producers job.

Can't really give any more insight than Narrator to the other ones.

[PhantomRhyter]

Originally posted by XCoRyX:
i need help,can someone deeper in the business or who just knows what these mean/do in the movie business as far as crew is concerned-

Well, just to add to what Narrator already posted:

art department/art direction

A little more specifically, these are the people usually artists who design the costumes and sets, by drawings on paper. In collabouration with the director and producers they design the 'look' of the film overall.

key grip

This fellow is very important. What he/she is exactly is the foreman of the labour crew who move set pieces around, and generally do whatever manual labouring needs done on a set (generally not to be confused with 'riggers' who are tasked with setting up more complicated equipment such electrical connections for lighting and sound equipment or any other thing that requires skillful rigging).

producer

Just like Narrator said, these are the fellows responsible for getting the money together to fund a project, and who are ultimately responsible for it getting completed. Yes, they hire and fire everybody else involved.

production assistant/production design

Well, 'production design' is just another, perhaps fancier, term for 'art department' above. 'Production assaistants' are just that they're gofers for directors and producers, some of their duties involve getting 'extras' (actors that fill crowd scenes) together and ready for filming and dealing with a local population when filming on location in some city or town. They're usually the ones with the megaphones nowadays screaming at everybody to be ready and begging for cooperation with local folks so that 'star' directors and producers don't have to 'firty' themselves in dealing with mere mortals.

production management

Usually these critters are the bean counters (most times they're accountants) and they assist the producers by keeping tabs on the expenditures of the project ensuring that it stays reasonably within budget.

cinematography

O, very important folks here if making a movie is what you're doing. Cinematography is filmmaking. It is the actual mechanics of running motion picture cameras. In moder productions the main cinematographer is often times called the 'Director of Photography' (everybody's got to keep coming up with newer and more important sounding names to emphasise the importance of their own particular craft)

thanks appreciate it,i just want to know what they do...for future concerns.

No problem. Hope this helps.

Chills,
PhantomRhyter

[XCoRyX]

Thanks,alot...so if i was to be involved with a movie,and wanted to pick the actors out for the characters...specifically because i wrote it,my role would be co-producer and writer right?and also,casting means the design of the text right?

[PhantomRhyter]

Well, if you put up part of the money, you'd be co-producer, but if all you got into it is the script (which is important, don't get me wrong) then I'm afraid you're just the writer. No 'casting' is the actual choosing and/or hiring of those actors that will play the characters.

Chills,
PhantomRhyter

[XCoRyX]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by PhantomRhyter:
Well, if you put up part of the money, you'd be co-producer, but if all you got into it is the script (which is important, don't get me wrong) then I'm afraid you're just the writer. No 'casting' is the actual choosing and/or hiring of those actors that will play the characters.

Chills,
PhantomRhyter</font>

i might be getting the pictures,the caster picks out the actors,but the producers financially and literally hires them with money and whatnot,the casting job is just to pick out the best actors for the job right?

[Scarface98.9]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by XCoRyX:
whats the directors role then?i have a brief idea,but your definitions are more in depth then mine,so help would help again or anyone else...the director shoots the film with the camera and 'directs' people how to walk and look and talk etc?</font>
the producer is more of the business guy running the show. the director is the one who has to work w/ the actors (a job all its own), help finetune the script, instruct the cameraman where to shoot the scene and from what angles, instruct people where to go at what time, etc.