Film director

The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, production design and all the creative aspects of filmmaking in cooperation with the producer.

[5][6] This requires skills of group leadership, as well as the ability to maintain a singular focus even in the stressful, fast-paced environment of a film set.

[7] Moreover, it is necessary to have an artistic eye to frame shots and to give precise feedback to cast and crew,[8] thus, excellent communication skills are a must.

[9] Because the film director depends on the successful cooperation of many different creative individuals with possibly strongly contradicting artistic ideals and visions, they also need to possess conflict-resolution skills to mediate whenever necessary.

[5] The set of varying challenges they have to tackle has been described as "a multi-dimensional jigsaw puzzle with egos and weather thrown in for good measure".

The director must work within the restrictions of the film's budget[14] and the demands of the producer and studio (such as the need to get a particular age rating).

[19][20] Several American cinematographers have become directors, including Barry Sonnenfeld, originally the Coen brothers' Director of Photography; Wally Pfister, cinematographer on Christopher Nolan's three Batman films made his directorial debut with Transcendence (2014).

[26] Besides basic technical and logistical skills, students also receive education on the nature of professional relationships that occur during film production.

[31] The German Film and Television Academy Berlin consequently cooperates with the Berlin/Brandenburg TV station RBB (Berlin-Brandenburg Broadcasting) and ARTE.

[32] In recent decades American directors have primarily been coming out of USC, UCLA, AFI, Columbia University, and NYU, each of which is known for cultivating a certain style of filmmaking.

[34] Compensation might be arranged as a flat fee for the project, as a weekly salary, or as a daily rate.

[41] Luc Besson was the highest paid French director in 2017, making €4.44 million for Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.

A Korean director who breaks into the Chinese market might make 1 billion won for a single film.

However only a fraction of film school graduates aspire to direct with the majority entering the industry in other roles.

Film director John Badham during filming of The Godchild in 1974
The film director gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, while filming the historical drama Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking on location in London .
American director Steven Spielberg with Sri Lankan filmmaker Chandran Rutnam in Sri Lanka