Confused.

[HPFAN 1]

I'm confused about some thing. The director chooses the camera angles, the kinds of shots he will use. But in a script there are things like Pan, Wide Shot, Tight on shot, Close up and other things that describe the angle of the camera, so is it the Director who chooses the angles or the writer?

[Hector J. Guzman 1]

I think the director and the director of photography do that, most of the time.

[Dole 17]

Many times a screenwriter will write all or many of the pans and angles etc. in the screenplay to help the director undertand the writer's vision or because the writer just wants more control over the final product but it is ultimately up to the director to make a final decision on all of that. Angles can also be chosen by the editor after filming is completed. A scene may be shot from several different angles and it is sometimes the editor's responsibility to choose which shots to use when, although again the director almost always has the final say. Really depends on the director though. Hitchcock used to storyboard every last shot of his film before the cameras rolled so he knew precisely what angles to shoot, when to zoom, etc. His Directors of Photo. and writers had almost zero say in those things.

Dole

[RomanticStrings 10]

We must remember that the directors also direct the actors, not just the camera. The directors job is so much more than angles.

~Conor

[Elmo Lewis 6]

In my opinion, the only job the director does by himself is writing the shooting script (a script where all the angles and other technical aspects in a scene, very similar to a composer writing on a pentagram). Once that is done, his job during pre-production, production and post-production is to listen to experts and decide which are their best ideas. That's essentially his job: to listen to experts (director of photography, actors, writers, composer, editor...) and choose what options, ideas, choices work the best in the movie (that is, what ideas work the best among the other ideas approved).

Of course, he also must fill in lack of ideas in any aspect. And he might have his own ideas, which (this is depending on his personality, or style) he might force into the movie, imposing his will over the expert's view. Of course, if his own ideas are much better than the expert in question, the expert, in theory, will accept that - which is how some movies in a director's filmpgraphy have a similar pattern: they look the same, or the scripts are similar in tone and style, or the editing is the same... Just compare Sixth Sense with Unbreakable and you'll instantly know which are M. Night Shyamalan's ideas and which are not.

[A24 4,346]

Hey, seems simply enough. I can do that! There's even no reason for me to be on the set. Great!!! I just listen and say: "Wow, go ahead, man. That's a good idea! Tell me when it's finished and then I come over." Sure, I can do that! Where do I sign???

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Alex Cremers

[Elmo Lewis 6]

Yes, Alex, it is very easy to have your film done by others. Like any other teamwork. Do you even know that word?

[A24 4,346]

Hmmm, you felt my sarcasm, didn't you.

What you're saying is true for a "fresh Hollywood new kid on the block hired gun newbie" director but somehow diminishes the work of the legendary directors with personality, vision, power and influence. Orson Welles, Hitchcock, Truffaut, Kubrick, Scorsese, Spielberg, just to name a few.

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Alex Cremers