A film-maker is a professional from the movie industry who, as the name indicates, makes a movie, he is the responsible for the creation of the film.
However, as is commonly known, it is hard if not impossible for a single individual to make a movie, at least in a professional environment, and the current movie industry has a clear division of tasks that are interconnected, originating the final product, a story that is told through moving images. In this sense, and in spite the fact that sometimes the producer of the movie can be considered the film-maker, what is most common and generally accepted is to entitle the director of the movie as the film-maker, since his decisions will be decisive to the final product, he is the responsible to define the narrative and aesthetics of the movie.
Normally, the film-maker takes part in all the stages of the development of the movie, from the first idea for the narrative and following writing of the script (this can be done by the director himself or it can be written by a screen writer, whether it is an original script or an adaptation of another work), to the pre-production stage, when the cast, sets, technical crew, scenarios and all props and costumes are chosen and prepared. Later, the film-maker will then assume his most relevant function during the production of the movie, i.e., he will guide the team during filming, he is the one responsible for the definition of the scene and camera movements, he gives valuable indications to the actors and he has to make sure that the story is being filmed in a way that will allow viewers to understand the narrative. Finally, and most of the times, the film-maker is also present and supports the stage of post-production, during the editing of the movie, so that the movie that will be presented to the public is able to transmit the original idea that appeared even before the pre-production.
The film-maker can then be seen as the “father” of the movie, the final product that is exhibited in movie theatres is his responsibility, since he needs to have a clear definition of the movie to be produced, and is in charge and accompanies all the stages of its evolution, being then the main responsible for the success or failure of the movie.
