“Quiet on the Set”

The experience of making a movie is better and more important than the film itself.
—JOHN HUSTON, DIRECTOR/SCRF.KNWRJTER

When you watch a movie, you probably don’t think about how it was made ot how many people it took to create it. But have you ever stayed in the theater after the end of a movie to read the credits? If so, you have seen hundreds of names listed next to job titles you may not even recognize. It takes months of work and countless behind-the-scenes people to make a single movie.
Movies are stones, fact or fiction, told by the actors. They are the most recognizable people in the moviemaking process. What actors say comes from a script—the written form of the story. Without many other workers-—for example, those who assemble the “living room” where a scene is taking place, or those who place microphones to pick up the actors’ voices—there would be no movie at all.
There are three main steps in moviemaking: preproduction, production and filming, and postproduction. Each phase requires scores of people with specific expertise. When everything comes together just right, a motion picture is created. Prep reduction
The life of a film begins with an idea written down as a script, which details the story, the setting (where and when the story takes place), and the dialogue. This is the job of a screenwriter. Sometimes a script is adapted from an existing book or play.
Although movies are meant to entertain, moviemaking is a business—and an expensive one at that. The executive producer oversees the nontechnical aspects of filmmaking. He or she handles business and legal issues, raises Rinds, and hires key personnel. The executive producer also arranges for distributors— a studio or production company—to bring the completed film to exhibitors (companies that represent movie theaters}.
The casting director auditions and selects performers for speaking roles. Once a script has been approved and the actors chosen, decisions about location, sets, and costuming are made. A concept artist prepares sketches based on the script to help the producer, director, and film crew members visualize what the movie will look like. If a film is shot outside a studio, a location manager scouts areas to find the best place to film. The costume designer conceives the style of clothing actors will wear based on the story’s setting. For example, Russell Crowe needed much different clothing for Gladiator from what Tom Hanks needed for Apollo 13.
Production and Filming
Once a script is ready for production, a crew is hired to create the film. The director is the principal artist on a movie set, the creative drive behind the process. The director must describe to the actors the way a scene should be played. On the set during filming, he or she yells “Action,” “Cut,” and “That’s a wrap.”
A great deal of equipment goes into making a film: booms, microphones, lights, props, cables, dollies, and cameras. Sets are constructed and decorated with furniture, draperies, rugs, paintings, appliances, and other objects. Before shooting begins, technicians’prcpare the set. The cable operator handles the sound-related cables, which must be carefully laid out and taped to the floor. The grip is an all-around handyman whose job usually requires physical labor, such as erecting scaffolding. A dolly grip has similar responsibilities but mainly lays down dolly tracks (rails that guide cameras in tracking shots). The key grip is the head grip and oversees all electricians on set. The gaffer, or chief lighting technician, oversees lighting electricians. The gaffer coordinates with