Career as Film Maker

There are numerous film makers who make an effective profession out of making ad films, short films, documentaries or even a big-budget commercial movie. Film making can at present still be an extremely fulfilling career. Other people who make extraordinary progress at an early stage in their professions become commonly recognised names, and get many significant offers. Most film makers will have a profession that is someplace in the middle of these two limits. Film maker’s job description includes performing additional roles such as producing, writing, or editing. Film makers are also an important part of the post-production process. During the film production, the film maker is required to send ‘dailies’ to the film editor along with explaining the overall vision for the film or the particular scene, allowing the editor to assemble the editor’s cut.

Research work

Before a film maker begins shooting for the role, he or she is required to conduct research in order to study the detailed characteristics of the roles and scenes of the movie. For instance, a film maker must be familiar with the personality of the roles, only then one would be able to project it on screen.

Study

Before signing up for a film or show, a film maker is required to know the whereabouts of the film such as script, plot, theme, location, budget, and many more. a film maker is responsible for working closely with actors, other film makers, and playwrights to find the interpretation most suited to the role.

Planning

Individuals who opt for a career as film maker check and approve all call sheets and shooting order of the day’s work. They watch the rehearsal of scene to be shot, device shot list with the film maker, choose lens and composition, show to the film maker for approval, make sure composition and movement, fulfill scene task, workout mechanical problems with the camera, crane groups, set any camera-movement cues, place stand-ins and rehearse and fine-tunes, ensure proper coverage of scene for the editor, work with an assistant director on background action.

Promotion

In the career as film maker, one is responsible for promoting his or her film through interviews of the cast, stage shows, performances, interactions with the audience, and many others. A film maker is required to closely work and coordinate with the production house of the film in order to manage the promotions and strategies.

Film editors: As a film editor, you are required to conceptualize, shoot & edit a variety of patient stories, along with the educational script, that drive the organization’s objectives, often under strict deadlines, in an ever-changing production landscape, able to juggle various projects, including coordinating pre-production work. 

Cinematographer: A director of photography, also known as a cinematographer, can be defined as the head of camera and light crews working on a movie, entertainment television production, news , sports, etc., or any other form of live production piece. These types of directors work include taking artistic and technical decisions related to the image. The area is referred to as cinematography.

Film critics: Film critics and reviewers are the professionals who write essays or articles describing a movie's content and plot along with analysing its theme and evaluating how engaging the viewing experience was. The film critics are also responsible for interviewing film makers and actresses or other individuals involved in making/ producing a film. To perform their job, the film critics usually take notes or create outlines during a film so that they can thoroughly and accurately write their reviews. They might also be required to research a subject or the technical details of a film.

Screenwriter: A screenwriter, also known as a scenarist, is a professional who writes screenplays for television, film, video games, and comics. Screenwriters are required to be good at writing, storytelling, and have a vivid imagination. The screenwriters love movies and television and think they have the passion to make it in this competitive industry. With hundreds of feature films, and dozens of television movies and weekly series produced each year, somebody must be writing screenplays.

Film makers are expected to work outside at real locations for most of the time. The film film makers working for big media productions sometimes work in big film/ project sets. However, most of their job demands them visiting outdoor settings and staying there for as long as the shoot demands them to. The professionals are also required to work under unfavourable weather conditions and late night shifts are not something new in the industry. Depending on the project and the deadlines, film makers are sometimes required to work for months continuously to different sets of locations around the country or world.

Does Film Maker require travelling?

Likely

The career as film maker requires one to work across various locations both countrywide and globally. Travelling is an essential part of a film maker’s work. Depending on the demand of script and production houses, the professionals can be working anywhere around the world.

Employment Shifts

Full Time

The career as a film maker is a full time job. The film makers are required to make important decisions related to casting, budgeting and creative approach of the shooting. Hence, the professionals are required to work on shoot locations and stay there for days, even months, if required. The working hours are not fixed and there is no particular starting and shutting down time. It all depends on the script and production requirements.

Employment Nature

Contractual

The film makers are required to usually work on contract basis. The professionals are hired for a particular project and are required to work until all the requirements of the project are met. However, there are some production houses who hire film makers on a permanent basis working on several smaller projects rather than a long stretched film.

Work Place

Studio, Outdoors

On a usual basis, the film makers are required to work for 12-14 hours per day. The work hours can be extended depending on the requirements of the project. film makers work in outdoor settings for most of the time. They shoot in a real location which can be anywhere across the globe. There are no specific work hours. Sometimes, their work starts at night because of the demand for a script. Hence, the work hours vary from project to project. Quite often, they are required to work overtime in order to complete a shoot or meet a deadline.

Presence in Geographical Area

Urban

Almost every media or production house is based in Mumbai, making it a hub for acting. As a film maker, one is expected to work in Mumbai for at least one project. However, the odds are that one will be working in Mumbai for a lot of film making projects as the film city is situated in Mumbai and all the big banners and production houses have their head offices in Mumbai. The secondary cities for the cinema and filmmaking industry would be New Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru and Chennai.

Time Pressure

Likely

In the career as a film maker there is a lot of time pressure. That is one of the major reason why one has to work for long hours.

Overtime Details

A film maker has to do overtime in order to meet the needs of the producers. One has to deliver the work according to the time committed. 

Weekly Hours of Work

Min 60 Hours

On a usual basis, the film makers are required to work for 12-14 hours per day. The work hours can be extended depending on the requirements of the project. The film makers work in outdoor settings for most of the time. They shoot in a real location which can be anywhere across the globe.

When it comes to the career as film maker one must possess some skill sets. Some of the important skills required in the career as a film maker are:

Technical skills: It becomes important to make sure that one is valuable, which means that as a film film maker, one must have the technical experience needed to do the job right and do it well. It is not mandatory for candidates to be an expert of every element of film making, but it’s sure important to have knowledge of what a good role, scene, plot looks like and how to achieve it, which includes framing, staging, lighting, and the actual technology that should be used. 

Creativity: Creativity is an essential part of the career as film maker, and it’s impossible to make films without creativity. To make a career as a film maker, one is required to invest time in understanding the range of film making specialities. As a film film maker, one needs the creative talent to be able to visualise the production of the film. From the very beginning of the film making process till the end. 

Problem Solving Ability: In the career as film maker, they are required to work on many roles or movies, and it is important for them to be responsible for every task their position requires, and they should be able to contribute every section by understanding how their work is affected and affects the work of everyone around them. Film makers are required to act as a leader whenever necessary.

Communication skills: Irrespective of the industry one works in, communication is the key. But as a film maker working on set with countless other crew and cast members, having good communication skills is essential. Without the ability to communicate effectively, no amount of experience or acting expertise can help you bring a vision to life and effectively communicate a story. Effective communication makes sure that everyone working on the production is on the same page on and off the set, whether it includes explaining your own artistic vision, or clarifying your role in creating a film. 

Storytelling: Individuals who opt for a career as film maker spend hours, months and even years physically making a film, but there’s no way they can make a successful film without having the skills required for written and visual storytelling. It is obvious that not everyone can write a creative script and create the best story boards, but everyone can surely foster the skills needed to understand, draft, evaluate, and analyze stories, along with written scripts, and wordless visual visual stories. 

Commercial film maker: The commercial film makers are also referred as advertising film makers. They are mainly responsible for planning and producing different kinds of advertisement films according to the client brief. Depending on the production cost an advertisement film maker works on the project.

Television show maker: Television show makers are the professionals who work behind the formation of daily soaps or television series. Their job is to make sure that each and every show is telecasted on time and is shot in advance. This is important to avoid any sort of delay in the telecast of the episodes.

Film making is one of the most prominent majors offered in the universities who offer liberal art courses, hence it is expected to get very competitive in future. More the experience in the industry, the more important and difficult it gets to be ahead of the competition. The employment for film making is expected to grow as much as upto 10 per cent in the upcoming ten years. This rate of growth ensures that the competition remains fierce in this industry with new talent entering the industry every year and engaging in the field. 

The art of film making is not only limited to making fictional movies. Science and technology is also a wide area where the use of film making plays a crucial role. Moreover, the documentaries and non-fictional series are becoming popular and there is a huge scope in that area.