Movie Job
Descriptions

Standard definitions excerpted from imDB. • Fair use Images excerpted from Google.
Artists credited where noted.                      • Derivative work ©MMIII WDV

Actor

AKA: Actress

Most people in Asia know that Jackie Chan is the most famous actor on earth. Historically, the term "Actor" refered exclusively to males, but in modern times the term is used for both genders.

Agent

AKA: Professional Negotiator

Not to be confused with Agent Smith, although that might be a good business model. A person responsible for the professional business dealings of an actor, director, or other artist. An agent typically negotiates the contracts on behalf of the actor or director, and often has some part in selecting or recommending roles for their client.

Agent Smith comes courtesy of Silver Productions and Warner Brothers.

Art Director

The person who oversees the artists and craftspeople who build the sets. See also production designer, set designer, set director, leadman, and swing gang.

Auteur

Stanley Kubrick died before finishing Eyes Wide Shut but not before making 2001 and 2010, defining pieces for their time. An auteur is a filmmaker, generally a director, who creates a body of work with a unified sensibility that reveals, through the interplay of themes and styles, a personal worldview. The term originated with François Truffaut, who put forth the idea that the most interesting films were those that functioned as a medium of personal expression--and therefore bore the distinctive imprint of their "author." American critic Andrew Sarris later translated and expanded this idea. The term "auteur" later came to refer to any filmmaker who performed or was intimately involved in all aspects of the moviemaking process (writing, directing, producing, editing, etc.).

Background Artist

AKA: Scenic Artist, Backgrounds

A matte painting can make interiors and exteriors look more sophisticated than they really are. A person responsible for designing or constructing the art placed at the rear of a set. See also matte artist.

Best Boy

AKA: Assistant Chief Lighting Technician, Best Boy Grip, Best Boy Electric
The chief assistant, usually of the gaffer, but more often lately used as a general term for the second in command of a group. This term is likely borrowed from early sailing and whaling crews. There are no "best girls" per se; female chief assistants are also called "Best Boys".

Boom Operator

Boom is the sound of the microphone hitting the actor in the head. Boom is what is lowered when the director fires the boom operator, a member of the sound crew who operates the boom microphone. See also sound recordist. There are also cranes and crane operators, but they make more of a squishing sound. See foley artist.

Camera Loader

AKA: Clapper-Loader, Clapper Loader
Clapboards are slowly becoming obsolete, but finding someone with good hands in the dark is handy for loading film stock into film magazines. The action of slapping the clapper was invented as a way of synchronizing the visual and audio components of a shot. Slapping the clapper is not the same as, "dogging it".

Camera Operator

AKA: Cameraman
This is a large camera of the incredible hulk variety. The person who operates the camera to the specifications dictated by the director of photography need not be incredible, or a hulk, but either quality can be helpful. The same is true of the camera. A director or a director of photography sometimes assumes this role. (Luc Besson always operates the camera on films he directs.) See also Society of Operating Cameramen, Steadicam operator.

Casting Director

AKA: Extras Casting, Casting Assistant, Casting Associate
In the golden age of Hollywood a tool of the casting director was the casting couch, but that is another story. The person who auditions and helps to select all of the speaking role actors in film, television shows or plays. The CD must possess a vast knowledge of the actor pool. Directors and producers rely on the Casting Director. Casting Directors are also responsible for serving as the liason between the director, and the actors and their agents.

Choreographer

Someone who wants to dance, but it hurts too much so they get other people to move like the little people inside their head. I have famous people dancing inside my head, don't you? Ballanchine was a famous choreographer. He could dance pretty well, but made his dancer's practice hard. In this picture, Ballanchine is well lit to suggest his mystical quality.

Cinematographer

AKA: Cinematography, Cin

Pieter Stathis is one. You can tell by the way he holds his hands. He is framing the scene in his mind's eye. Later he will be capturing images either electronically or on film stock through the application of visual recording devices and the selection and arrangement of lighting. The chief cinematographer for a movie is called the director of photography.

Composer

John Tower Williams is possibly the greatest movie music composer of all time. He is also more cuddly that Pieter. The Composer creates the music that appears in a movie's score. Most movies have at least some original music written for the score, usually after the relevant parts of the movie have been filmed. See also lyrics.

Construction Co-Ordinator

AKA: Construction Foreman, Construction Manager

How many construction managers can you name? Lots of responsibility, zero credit. Thus depicted anonymously for cultural anthropology reasons of unknown origin. The Construction Manager has financial responsibilities include budgeting, tracking costs, generating reports, etc. Through drawings, a construction co-ordinator is directed artistically by the Production Designer and Art Director to produce their "vision" in three dimensions. Also responsible for the physical integrity of the structures built by the construction department.

Costume Designer

AKA: Assistant Costume Designer
A person who designs the costumes for a movie. Consider the case of one Hedda Hopper who became famous for the hats alone. Ms. Hopper is shown looking at a construction manager, who could also take a lesson from her. Show some style already.

Costume Supervisor

Note the similarity to the construction manager. The costume supervisor gets to be in charge of costumes, usually preparing them for use and making sure they are accurate and faithful to the designs. Costumes are great to boss around because they never talk back. Other CS responsibilities include consulting with the designers and training, supervising, and scheduling the costume staff. They do talk back.

Costumer

AKA: Wardrobe, Assistant Wardrobe, Wardrobe Assistant

These people do all the work of putting up with fussy and finicky actors but get none of the credit when things go well. A person responsible for handling the costumes worn by actors.

Dialog Editor

A sound editor who specializes in editing dialog. Reminiscing here are Jack Schrader who was dialog editor on 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind.'  and John Burnette who edited many films, including the recently re-released 'Grease.'

Dialogue Coach

AKA: Dialogue Director, Dialect Coach
A person who helps train an actor in diction and/or the use of dialects, so that his or her speech fits the character. Here Jeff Donovan and voice coach Kate Wilson work on setting good boundaries at the Public Theater in New York City. Jeff, don't forget to smile...

Directing Animator

The animator responsible for creating the key poses or key frames of an animation. John Lassiter was the directing animator of the movie whose characters are shown here by fair use. Did you know there are more lawyers than animators at Disney? If you want to talk to John, you must have an agent. If you want to get an agent, you must be famous. If you want to be famous you will need an agent. You will not be talking to John. See Agent Smith above.

Director

AKA: Dir, Helmer

Akira Kurosawa is one of the greatest director who ever lived. If you are a director, point at something when your picture is being taken. If you have not seen Roshomon, stop reading and go rent. The director is the principal creative artist on a movie set. As the driving artistic source behind the filming process, he/she communicates to actors the way that he/she would like a particular scene played. Duties include casting, script editing, shot selection, shot composition, and editing.  In some large productions, a director will delegate less important scenes to a second unit. If the director says, "That was wonderful, now let's try this", they are saying you are a fussy actor.

Editor

Uses gloves, a computer or both. Usually anonymous for cultural anthropological, and class warfare reasons. A person who performs editing (in consultation with the director) on a movie. This term usually refers to someone who does visual editing. See also Motion Picture Editors Guild.

Electrician

The person or grip in charge of and familiar with the electrical equipment on the set. Gripping the wrong electrical connection can be a bad idea, so as with editors, use gloves or a computer. Usually anonymous for cultural anthropological, social injustice, and class warfare reasons that will not be corrected until the third millenium.

Executive Producer

AKA: Executive in Charge of Production
A producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the filmmaking process, but who is still responsible for the overall production. Typically an executive producer handles business and legal issues. See also associate producer, co-producer, line producer.

Extra

A person who appears in a movie where a non-specific, non-speaking character is required, usually as part of a crowd or in the background of a scene. Extras are often recruited from wherever they are available. Contrast with non-speaking role.

Fake Shemp

AKA: Shemp
Anyone appearing on screen whose face is not seen (either because of heavy makeup or camera angles) and who has no lines; can include stand-ins and extras. The term originated with Sam Raimi and his colleagues, who borrowed it from Hollywood lore about a stand-in used to finish Three Stooges films after Shemp Howard's death.

First Assistant Camera

AKA: 1AC
See focus puller.

This is the only job in movies that you get fired if you fail the first time. Pulling focus takes good eyes, concentration and patience. It also waste's $2000 a film load if you mess up. This job is a computer chip in CCD cameras.

Foam Technician

AKA: Foam Runner

A person responsible for creating foam latex prosthetic appliances from a sculpture created by a makeup artist. Different methods can be used for this, including getting sassy at the Sundance bar in Arizona. The results are usually the same.

Foley Artist

AKA: Foley Operator
A serious artist who creates foley sound effects. Named after an early practitioner. Not to be confused with foam technician.

Foley Editor

Edits the sounds created by a foley artist. Derek Trigg is one badass foley editor. If he gets fussy, a foam technician is promptly called to the set. Visit his web site here.

Foley Mixer

A sound mixer who works with a foley artist to record sound effects. This foley mixer worked on Star Wars. Note the smile.

Gaffer

AKA: Chief Lighting Technician
The head of the electrical department, responsible for the design and execution of the lighting plan for a production. Early films used mostly natural light, which stagehands controlled with large tent cloths using long poles called gaffs (stagehands were often beached sailors or longshoremen, and a gaff is a type of boom on a sailing ship). In 16th Century English, the term "gaffer" denoted a man who was the head of any organized group of laborers. Same hall of fame as construction managers. Gaffer's tape is also available in black cloth and makes an excellent lining for sport jacket's when funds run low.

Greensman

AKA: Rastafarian

A member of the crew who procures, places, and maintains any vegetation on a set. Also called vegetable material maintainer or bongsman.

Grip

In the USA, a grip is a person responsible for the adjustment and maintenance of production equipment on the set. Their typical duties include laying dolly tracks or erecting scaffolding. In the UK, grips work exclusively with equipment that the camera is mounted on. Contrast with swing gang, see also key grip.

Hairstylist

AKA: Hairstyles, Hair stylist, Hairdresser, Hair dresser, Hair Styles
Person responsible for maintaining actors' hairstyles during filming.

Lighting Technician

A member of the electrical department that is responsible for operating lights and lighting equipment on a set.

Line Producer

A producer such as Amy Segal of Anna and the King fame, who is responsible for managing every person and issue during the making of a film. Line producers only work on one film at a time. See also: unit production manager, associate producer, co-producer, executive producer.

Location Manager

AKA: Assistant Location Manager
A person, such as Andrew Peterson, who manages various aspects of filming on location, such as arranging with authorities for permission to shoot in specific places.

Music Arranger

Someone like Roger Ballenger, who adapts a musical composition for voices, instruments, and/or performance styles other than those for which the music was originally written.

Music Editor

A person like Mike Higham who performs editing on the score of a movie.

Music Preparation

The person, such as John Curtin, who prepares printed parts from the composer's score for the musicians to play from at the score recording sessions.

Music Supervisor

AKA: Musical Director, Musical Direction, Music Director, Music Direction
A person who coordinates the work of the composer, the editor, and sound mixers. Alternately, a person who researches, obtains rights to, and supplies songs for a production. A cloth bag is helpful for carrying CD's.

Negative Cutter

A person who matches the negative of a movie and conforms (matches) it to the final version of the film as decided by the filmmakers. From this negative the prints are made.

Off-line Editor

A person who performs the off-line work, completing preliminary editing done in a lower-cost editing facility, to prepare a list of edits for the final, or on-line editor

Opaquer

An artist who colours in the individual cells of an animated film. Many animators, such as Joe Meridith, start as opaquers.

Post-Production Supervisor

A person such as Stefan Haslbeck, here overseeing the post-production of 1080p editor Roland Hofmeier. They report directly to the producer and/or the studio in charge of the feature. Working side by side with the director and editor, the supervisor has the responsibility of finishing the film on time and on budget while satisfying the wants of the director. Post-production supervisors have authority over post-production co-ordinators. Typical duties include: Controlling all activities with vendors such as optical houses, sound facilities, inserts, ADR, reshooting, CGI, score, delivery requirements to domestic and international distributors, legal clearances, preview screenings, color timing, video mastering and budgeting the movie through the completion and delivery.

Producer

AKA: Prod
The chief of a movie production in all matters save the creative efforts of the director. A producer, such as Jerry Bruckheimer shown here is responsible for raising funding, hiring key personnel, and arranging for distributors. See also associate producer, co-producer, executive producer, line producer, Producer's Guild of America.

Production Accountant

AKA: Accountant
The person responsible for managing finances during the production. Anonymous and powerful, part of the dark shadow of film production. Wears a cape and can materialize and demateralize staff, sets, props and productions instantly.

Production Assistant

AKA: Set Production Assistant, PA, Gopher, Personal Assistant, Assistant To, Assistant To Producer

A person responsible for various odd jobs, such as stopping traffic, acting as couriers, fetching items from craft service, etc. Production Assistants are often attached to individual actors or filmmakers.

Production Buyer

A person who purchases supplies, equipment, and property necessary for a production

Production Coordinator

The Sally Crawford responsible for overseeing practical matters such as ordering equipment, getting near-location accommodations for the cast and crew, etc. Nevermind what the director says, the order is "God, Production Coordinator, everybody else".

Production Illustrator

AKA: Storyboard Artist, Illustrator

A person responsible for drawing the storyboards and anything else that needs to be drawn during the production of the movie. This role is critical as it helps define the look and feel of a film.

Production Manager

AKA: PM

Reporting to the film's producer, Lilly Antonecchia supervises the budget, hires the crew, approves purchase orders & time cards, and generally makes sure all departments are doing their respective jobs within the parameters of the budget.

Prompter

AKA: Prompt

In The Prompter, Hege Schøyen stars as the person who supplies actors with the correct lines from the script if they forget. I might forget my lines, but I could never forget Hege.

Property Master

AKA: Prop Master, Props, Property, Assistant Property Master

In Romeo and Ethel, Charles "Oz" Dilmann is the person responsible for buying, acquiring, and/or manufacturing any props needed for a production. The property master is responsible for all aspects of prop use on the set and, in conjunction with the script supervisor, for maintaining set continuity. Contrast with set dresser.

Publicity Director

AKA: Publicity Executive
Person employed by a studio to conceive and oversee the publicity campaign that opens a movie. In many cases, this person never even appears on the set -- especially if the movie is a pickup and didn't have a releasing studio at the time it was produced. In other cases, this person is frequently on the set and directly supervises the efforts of the unit publicist.

Puppeteer

Someone, such as Rick Lyon, with a cookie eating disorder, who operates puppets; these may be either physically controlled (e.g., worn), cable operated, or radio controlled. This may also refer to remote-controlled portions of a costume.

Pyrotechnician

A member of the crew with expertise in fire or explosions.
I received a certificiation for pyrotechnics with spacecraft, but I can only help you if you are on your way to Mars.

Re-recording Mixer

A member of the sound crew responsible for mixing the final sound elements (dialogue, music, sound effects and foley). In most feature films and some television shows there is a crew of three re-recording mixers (one for dialog, one for sound effects and foley and one for music.) Sometimes in television the music mixer mixes the foley for expediency. There are also two-person crews in which the dialog mixer (generally considered the lead mixer) mixes music as well, with the other person mixing sound effects and foley. Here several rerecording mixers are mixing with their Oscars.

Screenwriter

Back in the day, a screenwriter was a writer who either adapted an existing work for production as a movie, or created a new screenplay.

More recently ScreenWriter is a program that helps you become a screenwriter, that is a person can now become a thing. Why do you think they call it movie magic anyway?

Script Supervisor

A person who tracks which parts have been filmed, how the filmed scenes deviated from the script; they also make continuity notes, creating a lined script.

Here, Terri Carrey works on her own American Nightmare.

Seamstress

A person who makes the costumes, whether male or female. It is here that the Best Boy gets her comeuppance.

Set Decorator

AKA: Set Decoration

A person who has total charge of decorating the set with all furnishings, drapery, interior plants, and anything seen on indoor or outdoor sets. The set decorator has authority over a leadman. See also set dresser.

Set Designer

The person responsible for translating a production designer's vision of the movie's environment into a set which can be used for filming. The set designer reports to the art director, listed above, who furnishes a sketch that the set designer must turn into reality.

Set Medic

The set medic provides for the medical needs and emergency medical logistics of the entire cast and crew and is the safety liason between production/construction and various agencies. This person may be an emergency medical technician, paramedic, nurse, or physician. Most often the set medic is involved in the production from the beginning of preproduction or construction through filming or production through striking the set or post-production. Dan Schlund is a set medic, stuntman and pyrotech. Dan heal thyself.

Sound Designer

The conceptual chief of a movie's soundtrack, responsible for designing and creating the audio component of a movie.

If your sound designer is squinting, he may be turning Japanese. You may want to check that the knob isn't turned up too high.

Sound Editor

A member of the sound crew who performs editing on the soundtrack. See also dialog editor. This sound editor is working in Kosovo.

Sound Effects Editor

A sound editor who specialises in editing sound effects. Like a screenwriter, a sound effects editor is becoming a program as much as a person.

Sound Mixer

An audio engineer who works with a boom operator to record the production sound on the set at the time of the shooting. Time of the shooting may be a poor choice of words. Here Ovaline Edwards sits at the helm of a portable mixing unit.

Special Effects Supervisor

AKA: Special Effects Co-Ordinator
The chief of a production's special effects crew.Special effects people are a cool breed all their own. Many are computer graphics geniuses and pioneers such as Lance Williams, Dennis Muren, Jim Blinn, Alvy Ray Smith. SFX people like math.

Standby Painter

A scenic artist available during filming for last minute changes.

Steadicam Operator

A camera operator who operates a Steadicam. See also Steadicam Operators Association.

Carl Wiedemann owns and operates his own Steadicam. He makes using it look fun. He can carry up to 35 pounds of 16 mm 35 mm or video gear.

Technical Advisor

AKA: Consultant
A person with expertise in a particular field who provides advice for the production. Van Warren is a technical advisor for science and technology. You can visit his web site here.

Unit Publicist

Member of the publicity department who works on location during the production of a movie. Duties includes working with the residents of the location where the film is being made, as well as setting up press visits and electronic press kit interviews. In addition, the unit publicist assembles the biographical materials and notes about the making of the movie that are later turned into the movie press kit. Unit publicists are itinerant -- they move from production to production and are on the production payroll. They report to the filmmakers and, if the film has a releasing studio, they also report to the publicity directors. Once principal photography is over, the unit publicist moves on to another job. Abbe Buck is a publicist with HighViz. She knows what to do.

Wrangler

AKA: Animal handler
A person who is responsible for the care and control of entities used on a set that can't be spoken with. They will sometimes slap the animal around when the humane society isn't looking. This person is typically a professional, certainly with expertise in handling the item, often with expertise in handling the item on a movie set. The item comes in various sizes.

Standard definitions excerpted from imDB.
Fair use Images excerpted from Google.
Artists credited where noted. Thank You.


Derivative work ©MMIII WDV