Where a video and motion picture director can go next
12 destinations recorded, ranked by how much of the target role a video and motion picture director already meets. The closer to the top of Table 1, the less there is to learn.
Video and motion picture directors are responsible for the overall production of a movie or television program. They edit and translate the script into audiovisual images. Video and motion picture directors supervise and manage the film crew. They convey their creative vision on the actors, audio and video equipment operators, lighting technicians, etc and direct them. Video and motion picture directors also supervise the editing of the footage.
Also known as film director, director, film maker, animation supervisor, film-maker, TV director, series director, television and motion picture director, animated movie director, video director, adventure film maker, television director.
Professionals 44 skills on file 12 career moves 1 above 60% overlap Closest: script supervisor, 62%
- 70% and above · short step
- 50 to 70% · real move
- Below 50% · substantial retraining
Table 2 · A bigger jump
Possible, but expect real retraining rather than a sideways step.
- camera operator 44% covered · difficulty 62.5
- stage director 40% covered · difficulty 59.6
- stand-in 38% covered · difficulty 60.3
- storyboard artist 33% covered · difficulty 66.3
- set buyer 32% covered · difficulty 63.9
- production designer 31% covered · difficulty 69
- boom operator 30% covered · difficulty 66.9
- animation layout artist 29% covered · difficulty 75
- post-production supervisor 29% covered · difficulty 65.8
- assistant video and motion picture director 28% covered · difficulty 65.6
Table 3 · What the job itself asks for
A video and motion picture director needs 21 required skills and areas of knowledge. These 10 are the ones fewest other jobs share, so they say the most about the work.
- tell a story communication, collaboration and creativity
- watch scenes communication, collaboration and creativity
- work with pre-production team communication, collaboration and creativity
- lead cast and crew management skills
- work with playwrights communication, collaboration and creativity
- work with motion picture editing team communication, collaboration and creativity
- study relationships between characters information skills
- cinematography arts and humanities
- adapt designers’ work to the performance venue communication, collaboration and creativity
- study media sources information skills
Table 4 · Jobs that lead here
The reverse view: occupations whose skills already cover much of what a video and motion picture director does. The figure is how much of this job each one brings.
- director of photography 74% covered · difficulty 33.2
- art director 53% covered · difficulty 54.8
- camera operator 46% covered · difficulty 60.3
- script supervisor 42% covered · difficulty 63.5
- performance lighting director 32% covered · difficulty 72.1
- production designer 30% covered · difficulty 73.7
- location manager 28% covered · difficulty 75.7
- set buyer 22% covered · difficulty 80
- stage director 20% covered · difficulty 81.3
Look up another occupation
Video and motion picture director is filed under Professionals, ISCO major group 2. The full index lists all ten groups.
How these figures were compiled
Overlap is how much of the target role is already part of a video and motion picture director’s work. It is directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. Every entry above opens the full comparison for that move: what carries over, what is missing, and where to start. The full method.