Television technical directors often handle live productions.
Technical directors can operate in a variety of fields, but are often a combination of project manager and technical specialist. If you want to become a technical director, you need to hone your managerial skills, be a quick decision maker, and most importantly, an expert in one of the four main fields. In the fields of film, television, software, and theater, technical director jobs share certain elements, but are drastically different in many ways.
If you want to become a technical director in the film industry, you usually need to be an animation or special effects assistant. You’ll need a good education, usually in film or animation, and many years of experience working multiple jobs on a set. You’ll help plan each step of the animation or effects, solve problems along the way, and manage the team. Your experience in animation or special effects is essential, because only the director of the film is above you, and your main responsibility is to facilitate this process.
If you want to become a television technical director, your roles are a little different. You are still the on-set expert and problem solver, but your roles often include live television scenarios such as the nightly news or sporting events. His work revolves around all the on-screen effects like text and graphics overlaid on the action. It should also have the ability to edit the action in real time, choosing to switch the feed from camera to camera at the appropriate moment. You must have at least a bachelor’s degree in broadcasting and many years behind a camera or in a director’s chair to do this job.
You will need to focus less on technical aspects and more on management if you want to become a CTO in the software industry. His job will be to keep the production team up to date with planning and adjusting the work needed based on the progress of the project. He must be an expert at all levels of software development, and that talent comes from an education based in computer engineering or software design, combined with years of experience in the field.
Finally, if you want to become a theater technical director, you must be a prop master. Theater requires its technical directors to be able to build sets and props on a tight budget, but also to be able to handle things like lighting and sound. There is a great deal of preparation and management involved in directing a crew during a theatrical production. A strong background in the theater, at school and in the professional world, is essential, along with a keen artistic sense.