These are the roles we will be evaluating in the film we are about to watch.

Screenwriter: While the dialogue in a film may seem natural to the viewer, it is carefully crafted by a writer. The screenwriter does far more than provide dialogue for the actors. He or she also shapes the sequence of events in a film to ensure that one scene leads logically to the next and the film tells its story in a logical and interesting way. When using a novel or play as a starting point, the screenwriter inevitably rearranges, adds or eliminates scenes to make sure the final order or sequence of scenes makes sense when presented on the screen. The screenwriter also includes descriptions of settings and often suggests movements or gestures for the actors. Like the producer, the screenwriter’s role is generally overlooked by the movie-going public, yet is essential to the completion of any film. If there is no script, there is no movie.

Production Designer & Art Director: Before one inch of film is shot, the production designer is the first artist to translate the script into visual form. He or she creates a series of storyboards that serve as the film’s first draft. A storyboard is a series of sketches, paintings or watercolors arranged on panels to show the visual progression of the story from one scene to the next. The production designer determines the palette of colors to be used and often provides important suggestions about the composition of individual shots. Creating this sketch of the film on storyboards also ensures the visual continuity of the film from start to finish. Storyboards serve as the director’s visual guide throughout the production.

Director: The individual primarily responsible for overseeing the shooting and assembly of a film. He or she is most directly responsible for the picture’s final appearance. The director is sometimes referred to as the author or auteur of a film because of his or her essential involvement with its creation. While the director might be compared to a novel’s author as a film’s primary visionary, he or she would not be able to make the film without the help of numerous other artists and technicians. In fact, the notion of the director as author is misleading, because it assumes the director does everything—just like an author writes an entire book—which is not the case. A director works at the center of film production, but is inextricably linked with dozens of other people to get the job done.

Cinematographer: After the production designer, art director and costume designer have finished their work on the film’s physical elements, the director of photography, or DP, is responsible for capturing their handiwork on celluloid. The DP is an expert in photographic processes, lighting and the camera’s technical capabilities. When the director wants a shot to achieve certain visual or atmospheric qualities, the DP achieves it through his or her choice of lighting, film stock and careful manipulation of the camera. During shooting, the director and cinematographer work closely to shape each shot, using the storyboards created by the production designer as a guide. This craft is referred to as cinematography.

Editor: Shortly after shooting begins, the editor begins to organize the footage—known as the daily rushes—and arranges individual shots into one continuous sequence. Even in a single scene, dozens of different shots have to be chosen and assembled from hundreds of feet of film. The editor’s choices about which shots to use and the order in which to place them have a profound effect on the appearance of the final film.

Sound Designer & Composer: Music has been an integral part of movies since their invention in the 1890s. Even the simplest silent films were accompanied by a piano or organ player. The silent movie palaces of the 1920s were equipped with elaborate organs and orchestra pits to accommodate large groups of live musicians. When sound was integrated into the film-making process, music, sound effects and dialogue became essential tools for enhancing a film’s visual qualities. Writing movie music has been a full-time profession since the 1930s and is still a critical component in filmmaking.

Actors: For the audience, actors are the most visible and tangible part of the production. While they are obviously essential to any film, they are pieces in a much larger puzzle. Behind every actor is a director guiding his or her performance, a cinematographer creating the perfect light and film exposure, a screenwriter providing plot and dialogue, an art director designing the physical environment and a costume designer providing the proper attire. Considering an actor’s role within this larger context also suggests that his or her job is much more difficult than just appearing on the set and reciting lines.