Filmmaking Careers
Filmmaking Careers (2:02)
“It really does take a whole team of people to make something come to life on the screen. From the directing to the camera, to the production design, it’s all craft, and it’s something that you have to practice. And it all comes together to make the movie that you see on the screen.”
Role models in order of appearance: Julie Dash, Alison Greenberg, Angelica Perez-Castro, Cidney Hue, Shauna Williams, Jamila Glass, Day Permuy, Rumi Tominaga, Nandi Bowe, and Emily Wiedemann.
1) When you think about a career in filmmaking, there are many types of jobs to consider. Which careers from the video were the most interesting to you? What parts of those careers made them interesting?
2) To work in any career, you need to prepare yourself and begin gaining knowledge while you are still in school. What steps could you take now to prepare for a future career in the film industry? What kind of knowledge will you need to gain?
3) Listeners learned that through filmmaking you can “transport people to other worlds… and [cause them to] view our world through a different lens that they might not have thought of before.” What makes this transformation such a powerful part of being a filmmaker? Have you ever watched a movie or TV show that caused you to think about something differently? Explain your answer.
4) One role model told us that with a career in filmmaking, “You’re up close to the action; you’re seeing the story evolve in front of your eyes.” Being a storyteller is important to a career in filmmaking. What does it take to be a good storyteller? What skills do good storytellers have in common?
5) Many of the role models explained that a rewarding part of working in film is the ability to tell stories and share ideas with the world. What ideas or stories do you have to share with the world? Would you find this part of a film career rewarding? Why or why not?
6) According to one role model, “It really does take a whole team of people to make something come to life on the screen.” Teamwork is an important part of many careers. Think about the last time you worked on a team or were part of a group project. What went well? What could have gone better? How can you improve your own skills to prepare to work on teams in your future career?
I write and direct movies, independent films, movies for television.
I produce documentary films. I’m currently working on a number of TV shows, and I also produce narrative films.
I’m a documentary filmmaker and a video journalist.
I’m a cinematographer and a camera and Steadicam operator.
I’m a sci-fi director and a filmmaker.
I am a production designer for film and TV.
I am a freelance film and video editor.
I am a production manager for Motion Pictures and occasionally for television.
I am a line producer and an art director.
What I love about film production is the breadth of storytelling.
To be able to not control worlds as much as recreate worlds, recreate reality.
Using your imagination to create this 3D environment for the actor to actually play in.
Behind the scenes is where it happens. That’s where the movie gets made. That’s where the TV show gets made, and that’s where the power is.
You’re up close to the action. Literally, you’re seeing the story evolve in front of your eyes.
The most rewarding thing for me is just having a voice and telling stories that I want to tell.
I think every person has a story. Every person has opinions. Every person has things that they like and they don’t like.
I can really transport people to other worlds with me and take them to different situations and view our world through a different lens that they might not have thought of before.
It really does take a whole team of people to make something come to life on the screen. From the directing to the camera, to the production design, it’s all craft, and it’s something that you have to practice. And it all comes together to make the movie that you see on the screen.
Independent Learning Guide: This all-purpose guide can be used by educators, parents, and mentors to jumpstart a lively discussion about careers in the film industry.
Do you love telling stories? Is writing scripts or creating film your dream? Maybe you’re not sure yet and you want to gather more information. Find out what it’s like to have a career in filmmaking from the role models in this video who work as directors, producers, and more.
Classroom Lesson Plan: This step-by-step lesson plan is available to guide a more in-depth “before, during, and after” learning experience when viewing the video with students. This lesson plan is also suitable for use in after-school programs and other educational settings.
Use Empowerment Activities as a fun way to reinforce the video topic and build community with your students.
Related Empowerment Activities:
Fun Page Activity: Explore careers in filmmaking by learning the job descriptions for common film careers. Match the description to the career.