Program Directors

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To craft an entertaining production takes both creative vision and leadership skills. Based on a writer’s script, producers and directors create movies, videos, television shows, live theater, and commercials. Producers make the business and financial decisions for a production. They raise money and hire the director and crew. Producers set the budget and approve any major changes to the project. They make sure that the production is completed on time, and hold the responsibility for the final product. Directors make the creative decisions. They select the cast, run rehearsals, and guide actors’ portrayal of their characters. At early phases, directors work closely with costume and set designers and location scouts to set the right scene. After a film is shot, they consult with the film editors and music directors to ensure the final product matches their vision. For live performances, stage directors support a consistent, strong performance. Work hours in these fields are often long and irregular, and pressure to finish projects on time is constant. Employment may be temporary, and travel is common… whether to tour with a theater production, or shoot a TV show or movie on location. A combination of a bachelor’s degree and several years’ related work experience is the usual path to enter these fields. A background in acting, film and video editing, or cinematography are typical.