Monday, June 30, 2003
Good thinking going on Peter and Kate ... these are exactly the kinds of questions to be asking yourselves. The persons you need to be discussing this with are the writer and director ... although Nick's message said the editors will have a lot to do with how the characters are perceived, by the time the editors get the film, your role is long finished. So, perhaps a bit on who does what.
1) Everyone serves the script. The script is the blueprint of the story that is trying to be told. It is the MOST important thing.
2) Next is the director. It is the director's job to CAPTURE the visual images that will become the film. This is why the film is the director's vision. Everyone works to support him in capturing the best images for the film.
3) Supporting the director most closely are production designer, art director, director of photography and casting director.
4) The SOUND EDITOR and/or SOUND DESIGNER capture the wild sound on set, supervise ADR (automatic dialogue replacement) and FOLEY (sound effects), supervise the creation of the score and soundtrack. Since most of the film is carried in the visuals, the sound department does most of its work in post-production with the sweetening of the film.
5) After the filming is complete, the EDITOR takes all of the pieces and the script and shapes it into the story. Sometimes the director participates in the editing but, more often, the editor answers to the studio executives and producers regarding the final shape of the film. One of the key negotiating points in director contracts has to do with who has the say of the "final cut."
ALL OF THESE ROLES are filled and begin in pre-production to ensure everyone is supporting the same vision. Some persons do the most of their work in pre-production (casting, location). Some are mostly production (dp). Others (editor) is almost all post production. So, anything about how the film will LOOK goes to the director.
1) Everyone serves the script. The script is the blueprint of the story that is trying to be told. It is the MOST important thing.
2) Next is the director. It is the director's job to CAPTURE the visual images that will become the film. This is why the film is the director's vision. Everyone works to support him in capturing the best images for the film.
3) Supporting the director most closely are production designer, art director, director of photography and casting director.
The PRODUCTION DESIGNER creates the physical world of the film ... the furniture, the pictures, s/he supervises the location scout in finding appropriate places to set this world and film it.
The ART DIRECTOR is responsible for the look of the film ... the colors, the composition, the color and construction of the objects, the storyboards ... if you look at each piece of film as a picture ... the art direction makes those pictures consistent, coherent, related.
The DIRECTOR of PHOTOGRAPHY uses the camera/cameras to capture the actual images of the actors in the environments. He/she works closely with the lighting crew (gaffer, grip) to make certain the images are captured, the context is complete, accurate and well-composed, AND that the subtext of the images is there for the editors in post-production. A good DP uses the camera skillfully and artistically.
The CASTING DIRECTOR finds the people to populate the world created by the AD and PD. These people must visually resemble the people of the story and be able to interact and behave in a related and intimate manner.
4) The SOUND EDITOR and/or SOUND DESIGNER capture the wild sound on set, supervise ADR (automatic dialogue replacement) and FOLEY (sound effects), supervise the creation of the score and soundtrack. Since most of the film is carried in the visuals, the sound department does most of its work in post-production with the sweetening of the film.
5) After the filming is complete, the EDITOR takes all of the pieces and the script and shapes it into the story. Sometimes the director participates in the editing but, more often, the editor answers to the studio executives and producers regarding the final shape of the film. One of the key negotiating points in director contracts has to do with who has the say of the "final cut."
ALL OF THESE ROLES are filled and begin in pre-production to ensure everyone is supporting the same vision. Some persons do the most of their work in pre-production (casting, location). Some are mostly production (dp). Others (editor) is almost all post production. So, anything about how the film will LOOK goes to the director.
