Being a film director is both glamorous as well as a responsible job. Unlike many 9 to 5 jobs, film direction is more creative in nature and requires specific skill sets. Film direction has several different streams like ad-film making, documentary films, animation films, feature films, etc. Hence, one should have clear understanding of the scope and possibilities of each stream of direction and start direction in a stream that they are comfortable with. He or she should be able to visualize before physically directing a scene.

A film director is the central figure in the entire film-making process. He is an individual who has to co-ordinate and control all aspects of film making. Some of the important areas in which a film director needs to concentrate more are as follows.

• Idea, story and theme: He / she should be clear with the story that is intended to be presented to the audience. Director should plan the locations, sets, timings etc. based on the ideas in the story.
• Screenplay / Script: One should ensure that the screenplay is incorporating all the ideas associated with a story. He / she should work with a script writer in tandem and should see to it that dialogues of each and every character are as per the film’s requirement.
• Casting: A film’s success depends on the decision of casting. A film director should choose only those actors who can properly fit into a given character without any trouble. A film director should always have the final say as far as casting process is concerned.
• Cinematography: The film director should have proper understanding of the camera angles, camera movements, type of shots, the lighting, etc. These things needs to be well coordinated with the camera-man, they are the ones that primarily decide how professional a film looks on a big screen.
• Music: Music plays a very important role in the success of a movie, even more so, if it’s a musical. A director should ensure that the background music is appropriate for each scene in a movie.
• Editing / Mixing: He / she should know how to edit a developed film. It is an important stage during which a director decides about scenes which are superfluous and need to be deleted.

A film director is like the CEO of a company. He / she has to literally direct each department involved in film making, to produce a well orchestrated film.