Short answers, pulled from the story.
A film director controls the artistic and dramatic aspects by visualizing a screenplay for an entire production. They choose cast members, oversee production design, and guide every creative decision in cooperation with producers.
Steven Spielberg represents one path among many to becoming a director alongside Sri Lankan filmmaker Chandran Rutnam. Some directors began their careers as screenwriters, cinematographers, producers, editors, or actors before directing their own films.
John Badham stood on a London location in 1974 giving last-minute direction to his cast and crew while filming The Godchild. This moment captures the core of what a film director does regarding controlling artistic and dramatic aspects.
James Cameron and Steven Spielberg earned between $133.3 million and $257.95 million in 2011 representing the top tier of Hollywood compensation. Average United States film directors and producers made $89,840 in 2018 according to industry data.
A 2018 report from UNESCO revealed that only 20% of films in Europe are directed by women despite higher female enrollment rates. Forty-four percent of graduates from European film schools are women yet they comprise only 24% of working film directors in Europe.