Learn what movie directors do and how a person can become one.
Teaching Objectives:
- Students will be able to list the professionals with whom a movie director works and describe what each does.
- Students will be able to explain the various aspects of a movie director’s job.
- Students will be able to explain what is meant by “blocking” a scene.
- Students will be able to explain how a person can become a movie director.
Suggested Grade Level
5th – 8th Grade
Lesson Excerpt:
If you enjoy movies, you may have wondered how a movie is made. There are many things that happen before the movie is ready to be shown on the big screen, and most of these things are managed by a movie director. The director’s job is to guide all of the other people that work on the movie. These people include screenwriters, who write the play, cinematographers, who film the scenes, editors who put the scenes of the movie together and check for mistakes, and actors, who play the roles in the movie.
One of the jobs of a movie director is to “block” the scenes in the film. Each scene is filmed separately, and the director decides how the scene should be filmed and from what angle or “perspective.” They also decide when a scene should include a close-up and when it should be shot from a distance. Movie directors also set the schedule for the cast and crew. They decide which scenes will be filmed on which days and in what locations. The scenes of a movie are not filmed in order from beginning to end. Instead, they are grouped according to the location of the scene and the actors that are in the scene. Directors must also be sure that the expenses for a movie do not go over the movie’s budget.
