Major Roles in Filmmaking (MMM #16)

Hey everyone,

Madeline here, back again with yet another Movie Minute. For this entry, we’ll be following up from the last entry on the filmmaking process, with this entry focusing on the major roles in a film production.

Before we go deeper into the roles, it’s good to know that some roles are considered to be “above the line” and others “below the line”. The former refers to the part of the team focused on creative decisions and leadership, while the latter refers to the technical part of the production that brings the creative vision to life.

Above the line:

The cast of the film are the people who utilize their performing talents to bring the story ‘s characters to life. This usually includes one or more actors in lead roles as well as supporting roles, or principal subjects for interviews in the case of documentaries or other non-narrative productions.

The director is the creative lead of the team: “the captain of the ship” as one of my film professors would say. As the name suggests, the principal duty in this role is to give direction and guidance to the cast and crew of the production. As the director is often considered one of the faces of the film (in addition to one or more lead actors), the opening credits often include “A (director’s name) film” or “A film by (director’s name)”, while more established directors might have their own unique possessory credits, such as “A Martin Scorsese Picture” or “A Spike Lee Joint”. Some films can even have more than one director, usually an established team with a common vision, such as the Coen Brothers or The Wachowskis.

The screenwriters take the story into a script that the cast and crew use as a guide to develop the creative vision from. This can be either an original story or an adaptation of an existing work, such as a novel, short story, TV series, or even another film. Many screenwriters can also be directors and/or producers or even actors.

The producers are the people who make the film happen. In many major film productions, the producers may or may not include directors, screenwriters, and lead actors. In addition to providing financing for the film, they handle scheduling and other business-related duties regarding the film’s production. In addition, the line producer is also one of the most important roles in a film production that many might have not heard of, as they ensure that all cast and crew are on the same page, the production stays on time and on budget, and that the best people for the production are selected and able to perform their duties.

Below the line:

The cinematographer, also known as the director of photography (DP for short), leads the camera department and ensures that the cinematography is well used to bring the creative vision of the film to live in the best way possible. Often this involves creating a shot list to coordinate together with the director to conceive the best way to produce each scene, as well as leading a team to operate camera equipment and determining shot composition, lighting, etc.

The digital imaging technician (DIT), also known as a “data wrangler”, ensures that all recorded footage is safe and backed up to multiple secure locations, and is also responsible for delivering footage to the editor and others in the postproduction team.

The editor takes all the footage obtained from the DIT and uses it to construct the main storyline, coordinating with the director to turn hours of dailies and raw footage into a well-constructed and thorough story. This involves selecting the right takes from the footage and arranging them to tell the story in the best way possible.

Although those are some of the biggest roles in the film crew, alongside the cast of actors in a narrative production, there are many other roles that are essential to the production, such as:

• Grips, who handle rigging equipment and camera movement. This department is led by a “key grip”.
• Gaffers, who lead the film’s lighting and electrical department.
• Assistant directors (AD), who ensure that production goes with minimal bumps on the road, and keep everything organized.
• Assistants camera (AC), who aid the camera team by adjusting the camera’s focus and using a clapper (slate) to mark the beginning of a scene for syncing, and labeling scenes and takes.
• Production assistants (PA), who help out with a variety of tasks for the production.

In addition to others such as the production designer, costume designer, colorist, sound mixer, extra, etc., these additional roles are just as important to making a high-quality production possible.

Here at Poor Bear Stories, we as a small production team often take on multiple roles, while each of us has our own specialties. For example, I myself serve not only as an assistant video editor, but also as the team’s DIT, in addition to handling PA and other duties. We also have founder Jacob Centeno as our team lead and creative director, Robert Chase as our senior editor and video specialist, Taylor Rahn as DP, and Jhoel Flores as producer and engagement specialist. Together, we all put our strengths into creating high-quality productions for a variety of clients and formats, presently focusing on content for the defense, intelligence, and military family communities.

Overall, quality filmmaking is a team effort. Making top-notch content takes a lot of time and dedication, and having a dedicated and committed team with all members and roles on the same page is vital to achieving success when producing content, no matter the team size or the purpose of the product.

And that concludes this entry in The Movie Minute. I wish you all well, and I’ll see y’all in 2! -Madeline

We at Poor Bear Stories are passionate about your story. Creating media that makes a difference is our craft and life’s work. With over 35 years of industry experience, we bring a host of solutions to your brand and media endeavors.

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