Different film industry jobs are often based on the stage of production in which someone wants to work. The pre-production stage begins with a screenwriter creating the screenplay for a film, the producers and director meeting to establish the overall direction for a film, the hiring of actors and other crew members, location scouting, and the creation of sets and props. Production of a film includes the actual making of the movie and involves crew members working in departments such as camera operation, lighting, sound recording, and hair and makeup. There are also a number of film industry jobs largely involved in post-production, such as film editing, special effects, sound editing, and score composition.
Due to the scope and size of many film productions, there are many different film industry jobs involved in many different aspects of making a movie. Pre-production usually begins with a screenwriter creating the screenplay for a movie, based on original ideas or a contract from a studio. Producers are typically involved with a great deal of the production process, beginning with pre-production, and oversee the filming schedule, budget, and hiring process for major elements of a production. The director of a film also usually joins a movie during pre-production and works to coordinate various elements throughout the entire process. Other pre-production film industry jobs include set designers, pre-visualization artists at special effects companies, costumers, and prop makers.
Film industry jobs involved in the actual production of a movie often carry over from pre-production, though certain crew members are more involved with production. Lighting designers and riggers are involved in lighting a set or location, while camera operators and crew handle the specific duties of using cameras to capture a scene. Sound recording usually begins on set, and microphone operators capture sound from a production. There are also film industry jobs for those interested in hair and makeup, usually beginning with designs in pre-production and realizing those designs during production. Actors and actresses also do the majority of their work during the production phase of a film.
During post-production, after a film has been shot but prior to release, there are also a number of film industry jobs available. Work on special effects for a movie can begin during pre-production, but often escalate in scale during post-production. The score, or musical soundtrack, for a film is also typically written and recorded after a movie has been filmed. Editing of both audio and video for a movie occurs during post-production, and there are film industry jobs for editors in both mediums. This process can include recording new audio to be used in the movie, as well as taking the raw film itself and creating the completed movie.