What does a director do?

Basic definition; A film director is a person who directs the actors and crew in the making of a film They control a film's artistic and dramatic aspects, while guiding the technical crew and actors.

After doing research into the role of a film director I have come up with the key qualities that should be present in the role of the director:-

• They must be able to give direction to the crew that they are working with and be unafraid to give their opinion in order to shape the final piece to the best it can be.
• They should understand the qualities in which they are looking for in actors/actresses and be able to explain why they have casted certain people.
• They must understand the characters completely within the film so they can tell the actors/actresses how they should portray them and the way they feel, understand what they would say in the situations they are in and confer with stylists on make up.
• They should have an overall understanding of the sub-roles within the entire crew and why decisions should be made within those roles.

Directors put their stamp on all the films they make, there are certain things that run throughout all the different films that they direct. Audiences choose to go see films specifically directed by them because they want to see these different qualities. They work closely with actors/actresses to achieve the best that they can, they must be a people person and have the ability to get on with everyone to prevent any setbacks within the film but at the same time it is crucial that they have a team who realises the importance of their role and has the ability to take direction.

I think my artistic eye will serve me well. I might not have past experience in media as a subject but the 3 years I have studied in photography will help me in visualising what we want and using the aesthetics in our location to help me create the best composition. The fact I have done Drama at GCSE will help me in using my actors to symbolise different things, I will be able to put into place the skills I have learnt for example, showing higher status within peoples positioning, facial expression and eye contact but also support the actors in, well, acting. Tone of voice and body language are things that I will have the ability to discuss in depth with them.