Career In Film Making: Courses, Colleges, Jobs, Salary

• Film Studios
• Advertising Agencies
• Government Departments
• Production Houses
• Self-employment through marketing of personal skills

Film making careers can be direct or indirect. Direct careers are actually involved in film projects, whereas indirect careers include critics, archivists and distributors.There are no real single filmmaking courses.

• Producer: The producer’s main job is to make sure that everybody else is doing theirs. He chooses the story, manages resources, appoints the cast and crew including the director, chooses locations, manages legalese etc. He can even direct. The post is usually held by Mass Comm. graduates from film and television institutes.

• Director: He is the producer’s right hand man. It’s him that most people will have to work with; his will that translates the producer’s vision. The choreography, the costume, the music and crew all rely on him.

• Editor: Films get made in a long and jumbled mess; it’s the editor’s job to put everything in sequence. He has to work very closely with the director and the producer to keep their visions true. He chooses what must be re-shot and what need to be cut away. He does special effects and synchronizes the sound track.

• Screenplay Writer: Books and stories have to be formatted for the screen; the screenwriter bring his creative and visualization talents to translate between these mediums. A literature graduate or anyone with creative writing skills can pick this up.

• Actor: Powers of empathy, mimicry and memory best serve the actor. Good physical attributes and charisma can only be learned up to a degree, but degrees in acting do help hone skills.

• Animator: This, the creation of moving images, requires more formal tangible technical skills; cartoons, commercials, games etc can all use an animator. Fine arts, graphic design and animation design graduates are perfect here.

• Cinematographer: Working closely with the director, the cinematographer compiles scenes for visual impact; he decides lighting, camera angles – a job with high technical expertise requirements.

• Cameraman: This is the cinematographer’s right hand man; must have high technical proficiency and an in-depth knowledge of cameras.

• Lighting Technician/Operator: Turning day into night, or shifting moods with just the change of colour; this job requires high technical skill and experience.

• Soundmen: A degree in audiography/Electronics with  a high school science background helps a lot here – recording, dubbing, sound mixing and effects … AND keeping all that in sync with the video.