The composer (in the case of "The Da Vinci Code," it's Hans Zimmer) writes the music, the themes for each character and scene. The orchestrator takes what the composer writes and arranges it for each member of the orchestra.
This difference in job descriptions raises a point about moviemaking: There are a lot of people involved, and they all have specific jobs to perform.
My editor recently emerged from her daily 14-hour schedule of meetings (the break is a rare sight, like whales breaching the ocean's surface) to suggest I write a column about the arcane job titles one sees in film credits. So here's a glossary (with research help from Wikipedia and Frederick Levy's 2000 book Hollywood 101: The Film Industry) of some of those behind-the-scenes people:
Director: God incarnate.
Producer: The person who signs God's paycheck. Also the person who found the story, hired the screenwriter to develop it, and hired everybody else to get it made.
Executive producer: Usually the financier or studio honcho who makes sure God's paycheck will clear. Sometimes an executive producer may be someone who came attached to a project (for example, author Dan Brown is one of the executive producers of "The Da Vinci Code").
Line producer: The producer's designated person overseeing the set, with more creative input than the production manager.
Production manager: This person oversees the personnel, budget and schedule on a film shoot.
Associate producer: Often someone who helped the producer develop the material. Sometimes it's a title given to friends or family. In David Mamet's "State and Main," the producer (played by William H. Macy) gave associate-producer credits to secretaries in lieu of raises.
Co-producer: A half-step up from associate producer.
First assistant director: This person assists the director and the production manager, and handles the day-to-day logistics of cast and crew.
Second assistant director: The first AD's assistant.
Focus puller: The person who keeps the camera in focus as it is shooting. Also maintains the camera during shooting. Sometimes called the "first assistant camera operator."
Set dressers: The people who put up (and take down) the furniture, carpet and whatever else would be found on a location.
On-set dresser: The one set dresser who works while the crew is shooting. (The others, known as the "swing gang," work before and after shooting.)
Greensman: A set dresser whose specialty is plants and growing things.
Production buyer: The person who finds and buys (or rents) items for the set. The No. 2 person in the set department.
Gaffer: Head electrician.
Best boy: The gaffer's lead assistant.
Key grip: The head lighting and rigging technician.
Best boy grip: The key grip's lead assistant.
Dolly grip: The grip who operates the camera dolly, which is a wheeled platform on a track (for tracking shots).
ADR editor: The person who edits the ADR, which stands for "automated dialogue replacement": the process of recording voices over the film after shooting (more commonly known as "dubbing").
Foley artist: The person who records sound effects. Often this person is the one who uses coconuts to simulate horse hoofbeats, or crunching celery to simulate broken bones. Possibly the most fun job in a movie.
Floor runner: Essentially, a gofer.
Production assistant: Also a gofer.
Critic: The person who can dismiss the collective work of all of the above in 500 words or fewer.
---
Check out my daily blog, "The Movie Cricket," at http://blogs.sltrib.com/movies. Send questions or comments to Sean P. Means, movie critic, The Salt Lake Tribune, 90 S. 400 West, Suite 700, Salt Lake City, UT 84101, or e-mail at movies@sltrib.com.
www.sltrib.com
