The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London.

A director orchestrates the artistic and dramatic aspects of a film. The role typically includes: Download high resolution version (768x1024, 54 KB)A film crew recreates the atmosphere of a Victorian London smog or pea-souper. ... Download high resolution version (768x1024, 54 KB)A film crew recreates the atmosphere of a Victorian London smog or pea-souper. ... A costume drama is a period piece in which elaborate costumes, sets and properties are featured in order to capture the ambience of a particular era. ... Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed Film is a term that encompasses motion pictures as individual projects, as well as the field in general. ...

• Defining the overall artistic vision of the film.
• Controlling the content and flow of the film's plot.
• Directing the performances of actors, both mechanically by putting them in certain positions (i.e. blocking), and dramatically by eliciting the required range of emotions.
• Organizing and selecting the locations in which the film will be shot.
• Managing technical details such as the positioning of cameras, the use of lighting, and the timing and content of the film's soundtrack.
• Any other activity that defines or realizes the artistic vision the director has for the film.

In practice the director will delegate many of these responsibilities to other members of his or her film crew. For example, the director may describe the mood she or he wants from a scene, then leave it to other members of the film crew to find a suitable location, or to set up the appropriate lighting. Plot in literature, theater, movies According to Aristotles Poetics, a plot in literature is the arrangement of incidents that (ideally) each follow plausibly from the other. ... Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ... The Eyemo spyder model 71QM in action, fitted with a metal accessory on the camera door. ... The role of the theatre lighting designer (or LD) within theatre is to work with the theatre director, set designer, and costume designer to create an overall look for the show in response to the text, but bearing in mind issues of visibility, safety and cost. ... Generally speaking, the term soundtrack refers to the recorded sound in a motion picture. ... A film crew is a group of people hired by a film company for the purpose of producing a film or motion picture. ...

The degree of control that a director exerts over a film varies greatly. Many directors are essentially subordinate to the studio and producer. This was especially true during the "Golden Era" of Hollywood from the 1930s through the 1950s, when studios had stables of directors, actors and writers under contract. ...

Other directors bring a particular artistic vision to the pictures they make (see auteur theory). Their methods range from some who like to outline a general plot line and let the actors improvise dialogue (such as Robert Altman and Christopher Guest), to those who control every aspect, and demand that the actors and crew follow instructions precisely (such as Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick). Some directors also write their own scripts (such as Paul Thomas Anderson and Quentin Tarantino), while others collaborate on screenplays with long-standing writing partners (such as Billy Wilder and his writing partner I.A.L. Diamond.) Finally, certain directors star, often in leading roles, in their films, from Orson Welles to Woody Allen to Mel Brooks. The Auteur Theory is a way of reading and appraising films through the imprint of an auteur, usually meant to be the director. ... Robert Altman (born February 20, 1925) is an American film director known for making films that are highly naturalistic, but with a somewhat skewed perspective. ... Christopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest (born February 5, 1948 in New York City), known as Christopher Guest, is a British actor, writer, director, composer, and musician. ... Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was a British film director closely associated with the suspense genre. ... Stanley Kubrick (July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director. ... Paul Thomas Anderson Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26th 1970 in Studio City, California, USA) is an American filmmaker. ... Quentin Tarantino, playing Mr. ... A screenplay or script is a blueprint for producing a motion picture. ... Billy Wilder (June 22, 1906–March 27, 2002) had a career as a screenwriter, film director and producer that spanned more than 50 years and more than 60 films. ... I.A.L. Diamond (27 June 1920 - 21 April 1988) was a comedy writer in Hollywood during the 1940 and 50s. ... Orson Welles, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1937 George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) is generally considered one of Hollywoods greatest directors, as well as a fine actor, broadcaster and screenwriter. ... Woody Allen (born December 1, 1935), is one of the leading American filmmakers. ... Mel Brooks (born June 28, 1926) is an American actor, writer director, and theatrical producer best known as a creator of broad film farces and parodies. ...

Directors often work closely with film producers, who are usually responsible for the non-artistic elements of the film, such as financing, contract negotiation and marketing. Directors will often take on some of the responsibilities of the producer for their films (e.g. Steven Spielberg), or work so closely with the producer that the distinction in their roles becomes blurred (as is the case with Joel and Ethan Coen). The early silent film director Alice Guy Blaché not only produced her own pictures but actually created her own highly successful studio. Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (born on December 18, 1946 in Cincinnati, Ohio), is a Jewish-American film director whose films range from science fiction to historical drama to horror. ... Joel and Ethan Coen, commonly called The Coen Brothers, are United States film directors best known for their quirky comedies like Fargo and Raising Arizona . ... Alice Guy-Blaché ( July 1, 1873– March 24, 1968) was a pioneer filmmaker who was the first female director in the motion picture industry and is considered to be the first ever director of a fiction film. ...

The official American film directors' trade union is the Directors Guild of America (DGA). In DGA pictures the credit for the director will always be the last credit in the film's title sequence. A union (labor union in American English; trade union in British English; either labour union or trade union in Canadian English) is a group of workers who act collectively to address common issues. ... Directors Guild of America (DGA) is the labor union which represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry. ... There are several variations of the meaning of the word credit, but they all relate to the central concepts of approval, praise, value, or confidence. ... A title sequence, in a television program, is shown at the beginning which displays the show name and credits, usually including actors, producers and directors. ...

See also

• List of notable film directors
• Alan Smithee: often credited, but not a real film director
• Television director
• Theatre director

External links

• Smooth Negotiating: Making the Director Deal (http://www.medialawyer.com/DIRART2.htm)