Film Studies For Dummies

Chapter 2

Putting Words and Pictures into Motion: The Film-Making Team

In This Chapter

Thinking about film as a collaborative process

Introducing the key creative players

Valuing the technical wizards who make the magic happen

If you ever stay in the cinema right to the end of the film, remaining seated as the credits roll and everyone else races to the exit, you probably gaze at the apparently endless list of names. Perhaps you wonder, ‘What do all these people actually do?’ I don’t even attempt to describe every last job involved in making a movie, but in this chapter I do acquaint you with all the major contributors to a film – and more importantly show you how what they do affects what you watch on screen.

Helming a Film: Directors and Their Collaborators

Directors win the big awards, get invited to the best parties and often date the leading actors. But most of all directors get symbolic ownership over a film through the opening credits or title sequence, which often starts out with the label ‘A film by XY’ or ‘An XY film’ immediately after the studio and production company credits. After then listing the leading actors and other major contributors, the director’s name typically ...