Director - Career Profile

What does a Director do? Where does a Director work? ACR takes a look:

About Directors

Directors or “series directors” work with filmmakers to manage the entire production. The animation director and all other workers on the production answer to the director and filmmaker. In some cases, the director is the creator of the project, so he may provide the vision and determine the visual style of the production. If the director has not already written the piece, he will work closely with the filmmaker, screenwriter, designers, and producers to come up with a final design and direction for the piece before production begins.

Director Jobs

Directors have a lot of responsibility. The final product is largely in their hands and it must be delivered according to clients’ desires. If the piece is the directors own creation (from screenplay to final product), he still has to answer to investors, meaning, the final product must be good enough to turn a profit. In addition to producing a film, television series, commercial, or video that sells, directors must also handle management, budgeting, scheduling, hiring, and firing.

Directors work for animation studios, television production studios, film production studios, gaming companies, and advertising agencies. Some directors work on a project to project basis as independent contractors.

Director Salaries

Director salaries vary greatly based on experience, the size and type of company, location, production, and other factors. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, median annual wages of directors were $64,430 in 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $41,890 and $105,070. Median annual wages were $85,940 in the motion picture and video industry and $55,380 television.

It is important to keep in mind that some animation directors earn (or in their day earned) millions of dollars per year. Ron Clements (Aladdin, The Little Mermaid), John Musker (Aladdin, The Little Mermaid), and Tim Burton (A Nightmare Before Christmas) are just a few examples.

Becoming a Director

Directors are extremely creative, driven, disciplined, focused, and intense. They are elite members of the most competitive industry in the world. The hours are long and grueling, so stamina is at the top of the list of requirements to make it in this field. Rising to the top is quite difficult, so if you’re interested in becoming a successful director, be sure that, just for starters, you have all of the qualities listed above.

In addition to creativity, drive, and stamina, many directors have a degree in film, art, or drama. Directors in the animation industry may have a degree in animation, computer animation, fine art or other related degree. Directors typically have a proven track record in the industry and have worked in it for years. They also have proven leadership abilities, and many have business and financial skills.

Directors rarely graduate from college and go right into directing. They might work their way through various departments for years before catching a break.

Job Trends for Directors

Employment for directors (and producers) is expected to grow by 10 percent for the 2008-2018 decade. The workforce consists of more than 98,600 artists. By 2018, this figure is expected expand to 108,300. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Expanding cable and satellite television operations and increasing box-office receipts of major studio and independent films will increase the need for workers. Additionally, a rising demand for U.S. films in other countries should create more employment opportunities for directors.