Let’s take a look at the stages and aspects of a movie that filmmakers are involved in…

While a filmmaker may be the chief creative voice behind a project, no movie is made without a team effort. Filmmakers need to coordinate with various departments, from wardrobe and makeup to production designers in order to ensure there’s a unified intent and aesthetic behind the film.

Before the glitz and glamor of premieres, accolades and awards, filmmakers always start at the beginning, with the ideation of a story conceit. Filmmakers don’t necessarily have to be writers (although many are); their first responsibility is to interpret the words of a script into the creative vision for the movie.

Their job is to conceptualize the entire cinematic experience from its inception. This means digging into a story’s themes, tone, mood, pacing, plot twists, emotional beats, character arcs, and visual style that will best serve the movie’s narrative.

Filmmakers direct and guide the cast through every moment of the movie. They help actors find their characters and coach them through their scenes, ensuring the on-camera talent is staying true to the film’s intent and their fictional personalities. Filmmakers need to be supportive but also firm, as too much or too little direction can lead to problematic performances.

In essence, filmmakers help actors find the truth not only in their character, but in the scenes as well – everything ultimately contributes to the overall tone and theme of the film.

While the director of photography oversees the camera department, it’s their job to execute the filmmaker’s aesthetic vision to the screen. Filmmakers work closely with the director of photography (the DP) and their crew to create a distinct, unique and signature color palette and style for the movie.

Ultimately movies are a visual medium and stories are best told through images. Decisions such as camera angles, composition, framing, color palate, and lighting are all carefully designed and planned out in a collaborative effort between the DP and filmmaker.

A filmmaker’s job is nowhere near over after filming is completed. Post-production is an enormous, crucial step in the filmmaking process, and movies are often made or broken in the editing room.

Filmmakers will typically guide their editors, adhering to thorough, precise, and detailed standards. A film’s pace, tone, performances, and even entire plot can be altered in the editing room and filmmakers need to be present for every tiny, detailed iteration. Additionally, they oversee visual effects, sound design, and color grading, ensuring a seamless final product that aligns with their creative vision.

Marketing campaigns for films are often creative endeavors, so it would stand to reason that filmmakers are also heavily enmeshed in this stage. They’re typically involved in the creation and/or approval of promotional materials like posters, trailers and press kits.

“When we tell a story in cinema, we should resort to dialogue only when it’s impossible to do otherwise. I always try to tell a story in the cinematic way, through a succession of shots and bits of film in between.”¹

Sir Alfred Hitchcock, also known as the “Master of Suspense,” is one of the most renown filmmakers of all time. The director of such landmark films as PSYCHO and VERTIGO, he’s considered one of the most influential figures in cinema.

“The best director is the one you don’t see.”²

A brilliant and versatile filmmaker, there seemed to be no genre Wilder couldn’t master. As the artist behind THE APARTMENT, SUNSET BOULEVARD and DOUBLE INDEMNITY, he left his mark on cinema in countless ways.

“There is nothing that says more about its creator than the work itself.”³

Like Hitchcock, Kurosawa is considered one of the most influential filmmakers of all time. With classics like SEVEN SAMURAI and RASHOMON, his style had an enormous effect on Western cinema, yet was uniquely distinct from it.

“A film is – or should be – more like music than like fiction. It should be a progression of moods and feelings. The theme, what’s behind the emotion, the meaning, all that comes later.”⁴

While the majority of films Kubrick directed are adaptations of novels or short stories, his work manages to eclipse almost every medium. He covered a wide range of genres, from the science fiction landmark 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY to the dystopian crime film A CLOCKWORK ORANGE. His meticulous attention to detail elevated the work well above his peers.

“The camera was my pen. I wrote my stories through the lens.”⁵

The most commercially successful director in history has made more than his share of landmark films. Covering a wide range from JAWS to SCHINDLER’S LIST to SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, Spielberg has time and again pushed the limits of filmmaking to bring some of the most unforgettable stories into focus.

“If the film isn’t suspenseful, i.e. the pressure cooker situation of what’s going on in the movie, if that’s not part of it, if the threat of violence and the temperature isn’t always going up a notch every scene or so, then the movie is going to be boring. It’s not going to work.”⁶

Although his films are often characterized by pop culture references, snappy dialogue and stylized violence, Tarantino’s work goes far deeper than that. He’s managed to change the cinematic landscape by breaking rules and inventing new ones when he made PULP FICTION. He’s continued on, rewriting ways to make movies and world history itself through his movies.

“You’re never going to learn something as profoundly as when it’s purely out of curiosity.”⁷

Christopher Nolan has become one of the most important filmmakers to study due to his incredible storytelling acumen coupled with his precise cinematic technique. From MEMENTO to THE DARK KNIGHT to OPPENHEIMER, he always finds ways to elevate the genre and give his audiences something new.

“Here’s my philosophy in life: If there’s a fire, you put it out. If there’s a flood, you fill sandbags and you build a dike. You roll up your sleeves and you get to work.”⁸

Considered one of the greatest visionaries of all time, Cameron manages to reset the cinematic bar every time he makes a new film. From his early work in TERMINATOR to TITANIC all the up through AVATAR, Cameron is constantly pushing both the technological and storytelling envelopes to deliver audiences something they’ve never before experienced.

“The question is: Where would it get you if something that’s a little bit ambiguous in the movie is made clear? It doesn’t get you anywhere.” ⁹

To call Joel Coen (who until his most recent film collaborated on all his movies with his brother Ethan) a filmmaker of quirky movies is to miss the point entirely. The Coens have a unique ability to work in almost any genre and then subvert the expectation for said genre. From acclaimed works like FARGO and NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, they’ve proven to be trailblazing marvels of the filmmaking profession.

“There’s a little thing on your shoulder called intuition and it whispers in your ear. Everyone has that, there is a voice telling you to do something. Most people ignore it – but you must listen to it. I do it every day, all day.”¹⁰

Ridley Scott is a filmmaker who has also managed to cross genres with great success, leaning heavily into stylized aesthetics and rich atmosphere across his many diverse, dramatic films. BLADE RUNNER and BLACK HAWK DOWN are two marked cinematic achievements that couldn’t be more different.

A filmmaker’s role is a blend of artist, technician, and visionary. They navigate the complex landscape of storytelling, using a diverse skill set to bring narratives to life. Getting the job done requires a good collaborative sense, a tough skin and a clear vision.