The director of photography to make sure lights are properly placed. A boom operator runs the machinery that allows a microphone to dangle off-camera above the actors’ heads and pick up dialogue.
When film production begins, the director of photography (cinematogra-pher or camera operator) supervises the lighting, selection of film stock and camera lenses, and filming. An assistant director works closely with the director to be sure the film stays on schedule. Additional duties include preparing the call sheet (a list of which actors are required for which scenes and when they are needed), tracking down actors who are not where they should be, and preparing the set when the director is ready to shoot. (The assistant is the one who yells, “Quiet on the set!”)
Many other jobs go into filmmaking. A makeup artist prepares actors’ faces between scenes. A loader keeps the cameras loaded with film. A script supervisor ensures that everything looks the same from one shot to the next. This is particularly helpful when scenes are shot out of sequence; for example, if an actor puts down a cup of coffee on a table to answer the phone, rhe cup must still be on that table when the actor goes to retrieve it.
Sometimes a script requires an actor to do something dangerous, such as being “rescued” from the water by a helicopter. If an actor doesn’t feel qualified or comfortable doing this, a specialist, or stunt performer, will take his or her place. A stunt coordinator choreographs the scene so that it looks realistic and is safely performed.
Postproduction
When filming is complete, a movie is far from finished. Much of the technical work is done during postproduction. A two-hour movie may have hundreds of thousands of feet of film. The film editor assembles the footage to produce a cohesive story. A skilled editor can make a good picture better; a poor editor might make a great picture mediocre. The editor takes the best shots from each scene and assembles them in sequence—a “rough cut.” Next, the editor locates exact places in the film to cut into and out of shots. The film is next precisely cut and assembled into a “final cut.” Finally, an engineer called the sound mixer creates the sound track and adds Foleys (sound effects). From that, an “answer print” is made, combining images and sound with the placement of an optical track along one edge of the final print.
No motion picture is complete without music. Imagine watching Elliot and his friends take off into the air on their bicycles without hearing the orchestra build in rhc motion picture E. T.: The Extraterrestrial. Music enhanc or sees the mood for each scene and for the film as a whole. Without realizing it, each viewer has an emotional reaction to the background music in a film. The music composer’s job is to write the score, hire musicians co perform it, and record the result. Film music not only enhances the audience’s experience, but it also provides additional revenue for the film when released as a CD soundtrack.
At last the film is ready to be released to cheaters. Publicity and marketing personnel make sure the movie is well advertised. Publicity can be as simple as an advertisement in a newspaper, or it can be as dazzling as a full-blown campaign of TV and radio commercials, posters, advance screenings, and tie-in merchandise such as mugs, key chains, action figures, and marketing plans with fast-food restaurants and toy stores.
The next time you go to the movies, think about everyone who worked on it—even the ones you never see and who only have their names credited at the end of the picture. Without them, you would never be at the theater in the first place!