Introduction to the Film Industry

Background knowledge:

Before we get into the specifics of the film industry and first hand accounts of certain positions held on set and in the studio, I've constructed this post as a quick crash course would be helpful to lay foundation for those of you who may be new to the world of film. 

Look beyond the film:

When we watch movies, we are focused on the story, characters, and actors who play those characters. Which is exactly what the filmmakers expect from an audience. But there is something that is even more interesting than a good plot or great acting; the people that stand behind what the camera captures. Depending on the size and budget of the shoot, there can be a few people, or even a few hundred people. Their job is to make the final product as close to the Director's vision as possible, and it takes a lot of teamwork to do this. Everyone plays a small part, and those small parts come together in the end to make us believe in an entirely different world or bring a story to life visually. It truly is one of the most complex and time consuming forms of art.

Jobs on the film set:

The amount of jobs on a film set is incredible, each job has someone that has specifically dedicated themselves to that task. Below is a link to a PDF file that depicts a majority of the essential roles and a brief description of each one. 

Roles of the Film Set

History of Film:

Filmmaking dates back to the 1890's, with the introduction of the motion picture cameras and the emergence of companies who would start to use the new technology. However, Hollywood motion pictures came a little later. The first Hollywood motion picture was made in 1910, with sound being introduced in 1927. It's quite an understatement to say that we have come a long way with the technology used and techniques employed to build a story into a moving image. 

For a more visual representation of the evolution of film, here is a quick video that depicts the life of filmmaking thus far.