P2

DIRECTOR

A) KEY FUNCTIONS OF THE ROLES WITHIN THE PRODUCTION TEAM 

The main role of the director is to ensure that everything runs smoothly and that every little job gets completed to produce an overall product successfully. They are also in charge of the important elements in any production (e.g. casting actors). 

For example, Tod Phillips is the director for the film 'Joker'. His contribution to the production process was to ensure that every job got done to produce a film which would be appealing for the target audience. His role would have also been to hire the relevant actors for each character (e.g. the Protagonist was played by Joaquin Phoenix who was decided by the director). 



B) EQUIPMENT USED 

The equipment used by the director each have their own purpose and are used to make the entire film process easier for the director/the team while being on set. Equipment includes: 

Directors View Finder (this is used to see how your footage will look through different lenses/different angles without actually having to move the camera)

Light Meter (This is used to measure how much light is coming into the scene)

Wireless Monitor (This is used to watch the scene in progress without getting into the camera crews way)

DSLR (This is used to film rehearsals to see what angles you would like to experiment when filming the real thing)


C) SKILLS NEEDED TO CARRY OUT EACH ROLE 

Being a director is something which requires a wide variety of skills however it is also a role which can improve many skills which people already have. Skills include: 

Communication (able to communicate with everyone on set)

Leadership (ability to take charge to ensure the work gets done)

Responsibility (ability to be responsible and dependant to ensure the work gets done) 

Critical (ability to give constructive feedback and receive criticism) 

SOUND DESIGNER

A) KEY FUNCTIONS OF THE ROLES WITHIN THE PRODUCTION TEAM 

The main role of the sound designer is to create all the relevant sounds which are needed in the production (e.g. sound effects) as well as setting up the relevant sound equipment while ensuring that whoever is going to control the equipment knows exactly what they are doing and know how the equipment works. 

For example, Alan Murray was the sound designer for the film 'Joker'. His contribution to the production process would be to ensure that all the relevant sound was recorded to a high quality and met the standards which the director expected. 


B) EQUIPMENT USED

The equipment used for a sound designer also have their own purpose and are used to ensure the production is smooth and professional. Examples include:

Audio Interface (This is used to ensure that whatever sound is being recorded, it goes onto the computer in a high quality)

Microphones (These are used to record the audio files whether that's dialogue or sound effects)

Field Recorders (These are used to record sound when you are out and about)

Studio Monitors (These are used to hear the audio which has been recorded to see whether they sound good)



C) SKILLS NEEDED TO CARRY OUT EACH ROLE

Being a sound designer is something which requires a wide variety of skills however it is also a role which can improve many skills which people already have. Skills include: 

Technical skills (ability to use software and technical equipment) 

Creativity (ability to be creative to produce sound which sounds realistic/gives off the desired effect)

Enthusiasm (ability to be enthusiastic when creating the sounds - especially sound effects to ensure they sound realistic)

Good ear (ability to hear well to ensure that sounds sound accurate and realistic to the human ear) 



COMPARISON

In any form of production, both these roles are very significant, however they both have a range of similarities and differences which are sometimes not easy to recognise.

Similarities

- Both of these roles are required to create an overall product (without the director, everything wont run smoothly/work wont be complete and without the sound designer, the product will have no sound and will be silent throughout). 

- Both roles must communicate with each other to ensure the product is complete to a high standard (the director must communicate with the sound designer by telling them what sound they want and the sound designer must communicate with the director by giving ideas and suggestions of sound which can be used)

Differences

- The director has more responsibility than the sound designer (the director needs to focus on every little job whereas the sound designer only needs to focus on everything sound related). 

- The director has to communicate more (the director needs to communicate with everyone on set however the sound designer only needs to communicate with a selection of people)

- The director is more experienced (since the director needs to focus on every little job, this means that they have a form of experience in every field of job on set, however the sound designer is mainly only experienced in everything sound related)


Impact on the Production Process

The director's impact on the production process is important in all aspects. Without the director, the entire production process would take much longer to complete and chances are it would not be completed to a high standard since the director is a form of team leader and without this guidance, the other members on set would not be motivated to complete the work. 

In comparison, the sound designers impact on the production process is important, however it is only important in the sound aspect. Without the sound designer, the production of sound would take longer to achieve and may not be completed to a high standard since the sound designer has the experience and skills to create realistic, high quality sound.