11/05/2023

Director at work: an innovative market study commissioned by the Polish Directors Guild

The spectacular successes of Polish cinema over the past several years are the result of reforms carried out in the first years of the twenty-first century. The establishment of the Polish Film Institute in 2005, and earlier the adoption of the Act on Radio and Television Broadcasting and the Act on Cinematography, created conditions in which the production of artistically ambitious and commercially valuable film works became possible.

Alongside these positive changes, focused on securing the financing of film production, the discussion on the working conditions of creators remained outside the main current. A discussion that never took place, yet is necessary. The challenge underlying the research need was the necessity to diagnose and communicate to the public information about the working conditions of Polish film directors, both men and women.

The study was prepared with the assistance and participation of the Polish Directors Guild. The results described in this document constitute a summary of the analysis of letters prepared by members of the Guild, interviews conducted with five creators, and 82 questionnaires in which members of the Guild shared their opinions.

I place in your hands a report intended to be a voice in the discussion aimed at developing solutions enabling the improvement of the working conditions of this professional group. The objective of the study was to provide the commissioning body, the Polish Directors Guild, with objective data comprehensively describing the working conditions of Guild members, taking into account both the positive and negative aspects of the profession, the identified problems, and the proposed actions mitigating those problems.

download the Report pdf (Polish version only): PVS_Gildia_Raport_26032023

Conclusions

The study included 82 members of the Polish Directors Guild. Men constituted 67% of the sample, women 28%, while 5% did not provide an answer to the question about gender. The largest age group consisted of respondents between 41 and 50 years old. The majority of respondents were directors with formal professional education (71%), most often working in the profession for between 10 and 20 years. The lack of formal directing education was most frequently declared by those with less than 10 years of professional experience as a director. Most respondents (83%) had previously worked in the film industry, most commonly as screenwriters (44%) and/or assistant directors (32%). For fewer than half of the respondents (41%), directing constitutes their only professional occupation. Among those with formal directing education, every second respondent works exclusively as a director, while among those without such education only every fourth does so. The largest group of respondents (37%) devote between 81 and 100% of their total working time to directing tasks, or between 41 and 60% (23% of respondents).

The highest proportion of respondents decided to pursue directing already in their teenage years (41%), and slightly fewer in early adulthood (29%). Those with formal education tended to make this decision somewhat earlier than those without such education. The most frequently indicated motivations for becoming a director are the desire to tell stories, a love of cinema, and the possibility of creating films and shaping artistic visions. For many respondents, film constitutes a space for self-expression, the articulation of personal values and views, as well as engagement with socially significant issues and commentary on reality. For some, directing is a field that integrates all their interests and talents.

Most respondents (76%) had prior expectations regarding work in the directing profession, and for the majority of them (61%) the reality did not significantly diverge from these expectations. As the most important advantages of the profession, its positive aspects, respondents most often indicated the joy of creation and the mobilising tension accompanying the creative process. More than half of participants also pointed to the high variability of tasks (56%) and irregular working hours (52%). The negative aspects most frequently identified were lack of employment stability (78%) and stress (68%).

According to more than half of respondents (51%), opportunities for professional development are the same for women and men. Perceived inequality of opportunities depending on gender is reported more often by women. As many as 83% of female respondents believe that women are in a worse situation than men in this respect, whereas among men this share amounts to only 16%, and 65% of them state that opportunities for women and men are equal.

With regard to the possibility of making a directing debut, the majority of respondents assessed that it is currently easier for young creators to debut, due among other factors to public funding schemes, increased market demand driven by the emergence and popularity of streaming platforms, and wider access to technology.

Current working conditions of Polish directors are assessed as average. The largest group considers them neither good nor bad (39%), while equal proportions assess them as rather good and rather bad (26% each). At the same time, respondents most often state that these conditions have deteriorated over the past decade. Negative evaluations are justified by references to low fees, delayed payments, excessive workload, insufficient protection of directors’ interests, decreasing creative independence, and declining public interest in cinema. The perceived deterioration over the last ten years is additionally linked to a weakening of the director’s position in favour of the producer and to an increased pace of work. Those who observe improvement point to a greater number of job opportunities, public funding mechanisms, and the establishment of the Polish Directors Guild.

Among negative practices personally experienced in contacts with producers or their representatives, the most frequently indicated are the lack of access to the production budget (67%) and manipulative behaviours such as emotional blackmail (65%). Respondents also frequently point to delayed fee payments and manipulation as phenomena that may not always have affected them directly but are known to occur within the film industry.

Respondents believe that the Polish Directors Guild and the Polish Film Institute should publicly address issues concerning relations between directors and producers (94% and 70% respectively). They also indicate the need to secure directors’ interests in dealings with producers and their representatives, including through standardisation of contracts, strengthening the role of the Guild as a trade union, and reinforcing the protection of directors’ rights and interests by the Polish Film Institute.

Professional career path

The first set of questions addressed to respondents concerned their professional trajectory, including experience in directing, motivations for becoming a director, and expectations regarding the nature of the profession.

Almost half of the respondents (48%) have been working as directors for between 10 and 20 years, while 17% have practiced the profession for 21 to 25 years. A period longer than 25 years of directing experience was declared by 22% of all participants, including 7% who have been active as directors for more than 40 years. Those with the shortest professional experience constitute 10% of respondents. A total of 2% did not provide an answer to this question.

Figure 1. Number of years working as a director / percentage distribution of responses.

A clear majority of respondents (71%) possess formal directing education, 26% do not have such education, and 4% of respondents did not provide an answer to this question.

Figure 2. Possession of formal directing education / percentage distribution of responses

Figure 3. Possession of formal directing education by years of professional experience / percentage distribution of responses

All respondents whose directing experience amounts to 26–30 or 36–40 years possess formal education in directing. Among the most experienced group (more than 40 years of experience), as many as 83% have formal education in this field, while in the remaining groups the share of formally educated respondents ranges from 63% to 75%. The highest proportion of respondents without formal directing education (38%) is found in the least experienced group (less than 10 years of experience).

In the context of professional experience, respondents were also asked about positions previously held within the film industry. A total of 17% had not worked in the film sector before becoming directors. Among those with prior industry experience, the most common previous occupation was screenwriter (44% of all respondents). The second most frequently indicated role was assistant director, selected by one in three respondents, while one in four had previously worked as a second unit director. The least frequently indicated roles were lighting technician (4%), sound recordist (2%), production designer (2%), and script supervisor (2%).

Figure 4. Previously held positions in cinematography / percentage distribution of responses*

 

*Respondents could select more than one answer, therefore the percentages do not sum to 100%.

A total of 10% of respondents did not provide an answer to this question. Within the “other” category, where respondents could enter their own description, the following positions were indicated:

assistant production manager,
casting,
film approval committee member, Polish Film Institute expert,
documentary director,
director / television programme director,
storyboard artist (author’s note),
directing student,
VFX supervisor.

The distribution of responses by years of experience as a director is presented in Table 1.

Table 1. Previously held position by years of experience as a director / percentage distribution of responses

Stanowisko	Staż pracy jako reżyser
	mniej niż 10 lat	10-15 lat	16-20 lat	21-25 lat	26-30 lat	31-35 lat	36-40 lat	więcej niż 40 lat
Aktor	13%	20%	15%	7%	25%	0%	0%	0%
Asystent reżysera	25%	35%	40%	14%	50%	0%	40%	50%
Drugi reżyser	0%	25%	35%	29%	50%	0%	20%	33%
Montażysta	0%	25%	10%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%
Operator	0%	5%	20%	14%	0%	0%	0%	0%
Oświetleniowiec	13%	0%	5%	0%	25%	0%	0%	0%
Producent	0%	15%	20%	14%	25%	0%	20%	17%
Realizator dźwięku	0%	5%	5%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%
Scenarzysta	38%	50%	50%	43%	25%	0%	60%	50%
Scenograf	0%	5%	0%	7%	0%	0%	0%	0%
Sekretarz planu	0%	5%	5%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%
Nie pracowałem w branży filmowej	50%	15%	10%	14%	0%	0%	40%	17%
Inne	0%	15%	10%	21%	0%	67%	20%	17%
Brak odpowiedzi	0%	0%	10%	7%	0%	33%	0%	33%

 

In the group with the shortest professional tenure, respondents without prior experience in the film industry predominate, which is also related to the fact that these are the youngest participants, mainly aged between 31 and 40. Among those who did have earlier industry experience, the most common previous roles were screenwriter (38%) and assistant director. A similar pattern is observed among respondents with 10 to 25 years of directing experience and those with more than 36 years of experience, where screenwriter is likewise the most frequently indicated earlier occupation.

Respondents with 26 to 30 years of directing experience had most often previously worked as assistant director or second unit director (50%), and less frequently as actor or screenwriter (25% each). The group with 31 to 35 years of directing experience stands out, as it contains only “other” responses, listed in the earlier part of the report.

There are no significant differences between respondents with and without formal directing education in terms of previously held positions, as presented in detail in Table 2.

Table 2. Previously held position by possession of formal directing education / percentage distribution of responses

Stanowisko	Posiadanie formalnego wykształcenie reżyserskiego
	Tak	Nie
Aktor	12%	14%
Asystent reżysera	34%	29%
Drugi reżyser	28%	24%
Montażysta	7%	14%
Operator	5%	14%
Oświetleniowiec	3%	5%
Producent	16%	14%
Realizator dźwięku	2%	5%
Scenarzysta	47%	43%
Scenograf	3%	0%
Sekretarz planu	3%	0%
Nie pracowałem w branży filmowej	21%	10%
Inne	9%	33%
Brak odpowiedzi	10%	0%

In both groups, disregarding the “other” category, the most frequently indicated previously held positions are, in order, screenwriter (47% among those with formal education and 43% among those without), assistant director (34% and 29% respectively), and second unit director (28% and 24%). The three least frequently indicated, or not indicated at all, are likewise the same in both groups: production designer, script supervisor, and sound recordist.

Parallel professional activities

Professional experience is also associated with the simultaneous performance of directing work and other professional tasks. To the question of whether directing constitutes their only professional occupation, 41% of respondents answered in the affirmative, 56% in the negative, and 2% provided no answer.

Figure 5. Directing as the only professional occupation / percentage distribution of responses

The combination of multiple professional activities correlates with possession of formal directing education, as presented in Figure 6.

Figure 6. Directing as the only professional occupation by possession of formal directing education / percentage distribution of responses

The responses differ markedly between respondents with formal directing education and those without such education. In the first group, exactly half work exclusively as directors, whereas in the group without formal education only every fourth respondent (24%) does not combine directing with another professional activity. .

It is worth noting that even in the case of individuals working exclusively as directors, two parallel professional biographies tend to emerge. One is connected with the realisation of personal, author-driven projects, while the other makes it possible to use acquired skills as a source of income. As observed during one of the interviews:

• “One mainly lives off series or off television films. If one is not a fairly highly decorated creator, there is no chance of making a living from directing a feature film (…) when one works on such a film for a minimum of four years, there is no chance of making a living from it.”

Figure 7. Directing as the only professional occupation by number of years working as a director / percentage distribution of responses

Responses to the question about combining directing with other work also vary depending on years of professional experience. A distinct group is formed by respondents with 26 to 30 years of directing experience, among whom all work exclusively as directors. The next highest shares of respondents working only as directors are found among those with 31 to 35 years of experience and those with more than 40 years of experience, at 67% in each group. The lowest proportions of respondents for whom directing is the sole professional occupation occur in the groups with 36 to 40 years of experience and with 10 to 15 years of experience (20% and 25% respectively). In the remaining groups, those not performing any other professional work constitute between 36% and 50%.

Respondents who answered negatively to the question “Is directing currently your only professional occupation?” (56%) were asked an additional question about what other activities they combine with directing. Those combining multiple professional roles most frequently also work as:

• lecturers at the Film School in Gdynia, the Film School in Łódź, and the Wajda School (15 indications in total),
• screenwriters (14 indications),
• writers (5 indications),
• producers (3 indications).
• Single indications also appeared for combining directing with work in music, editing, business, journalism, editorial work, as well as serving as a curator or cinematographer.

Time devoted to directing within total working time

All respondents were asked what share of their total annual working time they devote to directing. The distribution of responses is presented in Figure 8.

Figure 8. Share of total working time devoted to directing / percentage distribution of responses

The largest group of respondents (37%) declared that directing occupies between 81 and 100% of their total working time on an annual average. As many as 62% devote more than half of their total working hours to directing. A further 23% allocate approximately half of their working time (41–60%) to directing tasks. Fifteen percent perform directing work for 21–40% of their total working time, while 16% devote 61–80% of their time to it. Four percent did not provide an answer to this question.

The table below presents how the share of time devoted to directing varies depending on years of professional experience as a director.

Table 3. Share of working time devoted to directing by years of experience as a director / percentage distribution of responses

Staż pracy	Procent czasu poświęcany pracy reżysera
	mniej niż 20%	21-40%	41-60%	61-80%	81-100%	Brak odpowiedzi
mniej niż 10 lat	0%	13%	38%	0%	38%	13%
10-15 lat	5%	15%	25%	30%	25%	0%
16-20 lat	5%	20%	15%	10%	50%	0%
21-25 lat	7%	14%	14%	14%	50%	0%
26-30 lat	0%	0%	25%	25%	50%	0%
31-35 lat	0%	33%	33%	0%	33%	0%
36-40 lat	0%	20%	60%	20%	0%	0%
więcej niż 40 lat	33%	0%	17%	17%	33%	0%

Among respondents with 16 to 30 years of experience, the response indicating 81–100% of total working time devoted to directing clearly predominates. In the two least experienced groups, the same proportion of respondents allocate 41–60% and 81–100% of their total working time to directing tasks (38% among those with less than 10 years of experience and 25% among those with 10–15 years of experience).

In the group with the longest professional experience (more than 40 years working as a director), responses are divided into three equal parts: one third devote less than 20% of their time to directing, another third between 41% and 80%, and one third more than 80% of their total working time.

Table 4. Share of working time devoted to directing by possession of formal directing education / percentage distribution of responses

Posiadanie formalnego wykształcenia	Procent czasu poświęcany pracy reżysera
	mniej niż 20%	21-40%	41-60%	61-80%	81-100%	Brak odpowiedzi
Tak	3%	12%	26%	19%	38%	2%
Nie	14%	24%	19%	10%	33%	0%

The share of time devoted to directing varies slightly depending on possession of formal directing education. Although both respondents with and without such education most frequently indicated that they devote more than 80% of their total working time to directing, those with formal education selected the responses “less than 20%” and “21–40%” significantly less often than those without formal training.

Based on the table above, it can be concluded that directors with formal directing education devote more time to directing work than those without formal professional education in this field.

Decision to choose the profession

The largest proportion of respondents (41%) decided to become directors at an early stage of life, during their teenage years, while nearly every third respondent made this decision in early adulthood. The detailed distribution of responses is presented in the figure below.

Figure 9. Stage of life at which the decision to become a director was made / percentage distribution of responses

Below is the distribution of responses by years of professional experience as a director.

Table 5. Stage of life at which the decision to become a director was made by years of experience as a director / percentage distribution of responses

Staż pracy	Etap życia, w którym zdecydowano o zostaniu reżyserem
	W dzieciństwie	We wczesnej młodości (w wieku nastoletnim)	W okresie wczesnej dorosłości	W wieku dojrzałym	Nie pamiętam	Brak odpowiedzi
mniej niż 10 lat	13%	38%	38%	13%	0%	0%
10-15 lat	10%	45%	25%	15%	5%	0%
16-20 lat	15%	50%	25%	0%	10%	0%
21-25 lat	7%	29%	50%	14%	0%	0%
26-30 lat	0%	75%	25%	0%	0%	0%
31-35 lat	0%	0%	33%	33%	33%	0%
36-40 lat	20%	20%	40%	0%	0%	20%
więcej niż 40 lat	33%	67%	0%	0%	0%	0%

Respondents with 10 to 20 years, 26 to 30 years, and more than 40 years of professional experience most often decided to become directors in early youth, whereas in the remaining groups the decision was more frequently made in early adulthood. In the group with the shortest experience, early youth and early adulthood were indicated with equal frequency, each selected by 38% of respondents.

Those with 31 to 35 years of directing experience chose the profession at a mature age markedly more often than other groups, with this response indicated by 33% of respondents in that category. The timing of the decision to choose the profession also varies depending on education level, as presented in detail in Table 6.

Table 6. Stage of life at which the decision to become a director was made by possession of formal directing education / percentage distribution of responses

Posiadanie formalnego wykształcenia	Etap życia, w którym zdecydowano o zostaniu reżyserem
	W dzieciństwie	We wczesnej młodości – w wieku nastoletnim	W okresie wczesnej dorosłości	W wieku dojrzałym	Nie pamiętam	Brak odpowiedzi
Posiadający formalne wykształcenie	14%	48%	28%	3%	5%	2%
Nieposiadający formalnego wykształcenia	10%	29%	33%	24%	5%	0%

Among respondents with formal directing education, the decision to enter the profession most often occurred in early youth or the teenage years (48%), which is associated with the need to choose an appropriate educational path at that stage. Among those without formal education, the most frequent answer was “in early adulthood,” indicated by one third of respondents. In addition, respondents without formal education decided to become directors at a mature age significantly more often (24%), a difference of 21 percentage points.

Motivations for choosing the profession

In an open-ended question, respondents were asked to explain why they decided to become directors. The most frequently recurring motivation was the desire to tell stories.

“To tell important stories through images and sounds.”
“I wanted to tell stories to make sense of the chaos of feelings and emotions I was experiencing.”

Some initially intended to tell stories through screenwriting, but their career paths shifted:

“I was interested in storytelling, and film was the path I considered most appropriate for this deep inner need. At first I saw myself as a screenwriter, but very early in my career I realised that no one was interested in producing my ideas. In my writing they did not see the story I wanted to tell – in fact, rarely did anyone read the story at all. I was an aspiring debutant, without achievements or connections, condemned to rejection by gatekeepers who did not assess projects on their substantive merits; this is how the world of Polish cinema revealed itself to me. I understood then that to exist in this world I had to direct my own stories.”

Many answers referred to a love of cinema or fascination with specific films:

“I love cinema. I wanted to be part of it.”
“It was a revelation. Truly. Like a bolt from the blue. My love for the films I saw created the right atmosphere, and then came that incredible impulse.”
“Out of fascination with cinema and from observing others who practised this profession.”
“Because I saw Jurassic Park. I wanted to travel in time, and directing is that time machine.”

Other responses emphasised the act of making films or creating art more broadly:

“Because I wanted to be part of the whole process, from the first idea to the finished film. I wanted, and want, to make my own films.”
“Because I wanted to create art.”

Motivations also included the possibility of creation understood as world-building:

“Because I like creating worlds.”
“At first I wanted to create worlds and stories on the border between dream and reality, later film became a tool for getting to know the world, including the inner one.”

For many respondents, film is a medium for self-expression, engaging with socially important issues, commenting on reality and entering into dialogue:

“To master the material of film and express myself through it.”
“I wanted to share important matters, my worldview and my values with people. To show beauty in film frames.”
“A desire to tell stories, to create visual worlds. To address socially important topics.”

Some respondents chose directing because it combines many of their different interests and abilities:

“Because it brings together many, or even all, of my interests and skills into one; many aspects of art accumulate in film. Because it is the best tool for storytelling and for creation.”
“This work is a combination of the skills I possess.”

Others pointed to family influences, for example: “my brother was an actor and my father worked as an official in cinematography.” A few respondents stated that their professional path was determined by chance.

Image of the directing profession

Three quarters of respondents declared that they had a prior vision of what working as a director would be like, 21% stated that they had not, and 4% did not provide an answer to this question.

Figure 10. Having a prior vision of working in the directing profession / percentage distribution of responses

Figure 11. Having a prior vision of working in the directing profession by possession of formal directing education / percentage distribution of responses

Responses to this question do not differ significantly depending on possession of formal education. In both groups, the majority declared that they had a prior idea of what directing work would look like. At the same time, most respondents (61%) stated that their expectations regarding the nature of the directing profession corresponded to how this work actually looks in practice.

Figure 12. Fulfilment of expectations regarding the nature of directing work / percentage distribution of responses

Those whose expectations about the nature of the work were not met were asked in what way reality differed from their earlier vision. The responses referred primarily to three areas.

First, the diminishing role of auteur cinema in favour of the repetition of established, more profitable and more marketable formats:

• “It is very difficult to obtain financing for one’s own, original films. I have the impression that worse wins over better, that auteur cinema is disappearing. It is very hard to get work as a director if you have not previously achieved a spectacular success. Series that producers and broadcasters want to make are often quite simple, appealing to the lowest common denominator of audience taste, while more interesting and original proposals are not approved for production.”
• “There is little auteur cinema. Production has been taken over by large corporations with ready-made recipes for a film product.”
• “Hard work and talent are of no importance in this profession. There has been a dramatic commercialisation.”
• Second, remuneration perceived as inadequate to the workload and responsibility:

“I have only been working for three years as a feature film director and screenwriter. Earlier, apart from a short film, I worked on short commercial forms and earned decently in that segment. Now I am very surprised by the earnings of a feature director (feature film, series for a VOD platform). Taking into account the artistic input and the time spent in pre-production, during shooting and in post-production, my average monthly income amounts to the level of the national average salary. I have no insurance, I will have no pension. I receive no royalties from VOD and the internet.”

Third, strong dependence on networks of contacts, industry relationships and administrative decisions:

• “It turned out that this is not primarily creative work, but mainly about functioning appropriately within the film community in order to be able to make films.”
• “I do not have a clear-cut answer. Directing is a profession I love and in which I have often felt fulfilled. The biggest problem is its direct connection with the financial sphere, with the ability to obtain money for production, and the dependence of that sphere on administrative decisions, often linked to current politics.”

Positive and negative aspects of the profession

Positive aspects of directing work

A clear majority of respondents (90%) indicated the joy of creation as the main positive aspect of working as a director. This response received 33 percentage points more indications than motivating tension, which ranked second in frequency. Third place was taken by the high variability of tasks during the work process, only one percentage point behind motivating tension.

Figure 13. Positive aspects of directing work / percentage distribution of responses*

*Respondents could select more than one answer, therefore the percentages do not sum to 100%.

Public recognition was indicated least often as an advantage of the directing profession. Two percent of respondents did not provide an answer to this question. Within the “other” category, additional advantages were mentioned, including:

• the possibility of telling important stories that provoke discussion and explore the mystery of life,
• a high degree of independence and freedom in choosing subject matter,
• opportunities to meet talented people and engage in creative exchange with them,
• continuous personal and professional development and self-confrontation,
• working with and within a group of people,
• working in an environment of mutual acceptance,
• building relationships with the audience.

Negative aspects of directing work

Respondents were also asked about the negative aspects of the profession. The most frequently indicated problem was lack of job security (78%), followed by stress (68%) and irregular working hours (26%), which received 42 percentage points fewer indications than stress. The detailed percentage distribution is presented in the figure below.

Figure 14. Negative aspects of directing work / percentage distribution of responses*

*Respondents could select more than one answer, therefore the percentages do not sum to 100%.

Statements in the “other” category referred to:

• a decreasing influence on the final shape of the film,
• the necessity of accepting compromises with producers and distributors whose priorities and ideas are often different from, and sometimes contrary to, the director’s vision,
• dependence on grants, on the producer, and on decisions made by others regarding whether a film will be produced at all,
• financial issues, including low earnings in relation to the time invested and the level of
• responsibility, general financial instability, delayed payment of fees, and lack of payment during the preparation phase of a film.

Choice of the directing profession for a close person

When asked whether they would like a close person (for example a child or partner) to become a director, half of the respondents gave an ambivalent answer, neither yes nor no. Among the remaining half, slightly more respondents (25% in total, a difference of 2 percentage points) chose a negative response: rather not (20%) or definitely not (5%). Two percent did not provide an answer to this question.

Figure 15. Willingness for a close person to become a director / percentage distribution of responses

Respondents who would not like a close person to choose the directing profession were additionally asked to justify their choice. They argued that directing involves excessive stress and uncertainty, is psychologically demanding, and does not provide financial stability. Some also stated that being in a relationship with another director could generate unhealthy competition. One respondent explained this position as follows:

“I would prefer them to be a scientist. It would certainly be easier for my child to become a director, since both parents work in film-related professions, but in my opinion that easy start could make them complacent; it might prevent them from properly sharpening their perception of reality, which happens when one is an underdog, and that sharpness of vision is necessary in the work of a director or screenwriter. The world of science, on the other hand, appears to me as a world in which the privilege of origin is not as decisive for a high-level career as it is in film. In film, with the right backing, projects are realised regardless of their quality. There, as I see it, my child would have a greater chance of fair competition.”

A close person working in the Polish film industry in a profession other than directing

Figure 16. Willingness for a close person to work in the film industry but in a profession other than directing / percentage distribution of responses

Respondents were also asked a broader question of whether they would like someone close to them to work in the Polish film industry at all. As in the case of the directing profession, the most frequent answer was neutral, neither yes nor no, indicated by 51% of respondents. Thirty-five percent would like a close person to start working in the industry, while 10% expressed reluctance (5% chose rather not and 5% definitely not). Justifications for negative answers repeated themes noted earlier: employment instability, stress, and a high degree of dependence on the decisions of others.

Working conditions and their change over time

The study also addressed the working conditions of Polish directors and how these have changed in recent years. The overall assessment of current working conditions is not strongly positive. One third of respondents (32%) rate them as bad, while 27% rate them as good. The most frequently selected response was neither good nor bad, indicated by 39% of participants.

Figure 17. Assessment of current working conditions of directors in Poland / percentage distribution of responses

In justifying ratings of rather bad and definitely bad, respondents most often referred to:

• financial issues, including low fees, lack of standardised rates, delayed payments and difficulties in assembling a production budget,
• excessive workload and time pressure, such as too many scenes scheduled per day, lack of free Sundays, and absence of standardised working hours and compensation for overtime,
• a declining level of public interest in cinema,
• insufficient protection of directors’ interests, including legal protection,

and a decreasing level of creative independence, illustrated by the following statement:

• “The strength of Polish cinema was built on so-called auteur cinema, on its originality. I have the impression that the position of the director has recently been diminished in favour of the producer, who more and more often wants to have decisive influence over the artistic shape of the film. This producer’s point of view frequently limits the director’s artistic vision and often turns their relationship into a battlefield, which usually leads to compromise solutions that do not serve the film. The position of the director, also as a result of administrative decisions (for example the removal from directing contracts by the Polish Film Institute of the right to final cut), reinforces the producer’s dominance over the director. This is a very dangerous and conflict-generating phenomenon.”

Figure 18. Assessment of current working conditions of directors in Poland by gender / percentage distribution of responses

 

Comparing overall assessments by gender shows that men evaluate working conditions considerably more positively than women. Thirty-three percent of men rate them as good, compared to only 17% of women, while 26% of men and as many as 43% of women assess them as bad.

Table 7. Assessment of current working conditions of directors in Poland by years of professional experience / percentage distribution of responses

Staż pracy	Ocena aktualnych warunków pracy reżyserów w Polsce
	Zdecydowanie dobre	Raczej dobre	Ani dobre, ani złe		Raczej złe	Zdecydowanie złe	Brak odpowiedzi
mniej niż 10 lat	0%	50%		50%	0%	0%	0%
10-15 lat	0%	45%		30%	25%	0%	0%
16-20 lat	5%	15%		45%	25%	5%	5%
21-25 lat	0%	29%		14%	36%	14%	7%
26-30 lat	0%	0%		75%	25%	0%	0%
31-35 lat	0%	0%		33%	33%	33%	0%
36-40 lat	0%	0%		80%	20%	0%	0%
więcej niż 40 lat	0%	0%		50%	33%	17%	0%

Respondents from four experience groups, namely 16–20 years, 26–30 years, 36–40 years and more than 40 years, most often selected the neutral assessment. Participants from the two least experienced groups evaluated working conditions somewhat more positively, with a higher or equal share of rather good and neutral responses, while those with 31–35 years of experience more often than others assessed them as bad.

Change in directors’ working conditions in Poland over the last 10 years

Regarding changes in the working environment over the past decade, respondents most frequently stated that conditions have deteriorated; this view was expressed by 41% of participants. The share of respondents who believe that conditions have improved and those who believe they have remained unchanged is identical, at 26% each. Seven percent did not provide an answer to this question.

Figure 19. Assessment of changes in directors’ working conditions over the last 10 years / percentage distribution of responses

In justifying positive assessments of changes in working conditions, respondents most often referred to increased opportunities. They pointed to a greater number of jobs resulting from the higher volume of film and series production, driven in part by streaming platforms and easier access to technology: “The number of films made each year has clearly increased, technology has dropped to a level available in an electronics store, which means anyone can make a film.” They also mentioned public funding through the Polish Film Institute, the establishment of the Polish Directors Guild, and improved day-to-day relations with producers and film crews: “Things have improved a bit. There is less outright rudeness from producers, although it still happens. Crews no longer abuse alcohol and other substances.”

Those who viewed the changes of the past decade negatively most often pointed to a reduced status of the director in favour of producers, with the director becoming more of an executor than an author, amounting to a general devaluation of the profession. They also cited an accelerated pace of work and shorter preparation periods, far-reaching commercialisation prioritising profit over artistic value, and the politicisation of the sector through the influence of public institutions that could otherwise support ambitious auteur cinema.

One statement captures this assessment succinctly:

• “Producers and distributors have an ever greater influence on the shape of the film and the director’s vision. Extreme commercialisation on the one hand, excluding the idea of film as a work of art, and on the other hand the politicisation of the Polish Film Institute, public television and state institutions that could finance ambitious artistic cinema. This politicisation in practice means that decision-makers expect directors to practise self-censorship when choosing subjects.”

Here again, women and men responded differently. The figure below presents how the assessment of changes in working conditions over the last decade varies by gender.

Figure 20. Assessment of changes in directors’ working conditions over the last 10 years by gender / percentage distribution of responses

 

As in the assessment of current conditions, men again expressed a clearly more positive view when evaluating changes over the last decade. They indicated that conditions had deteriorated almost half as often as women (31% compared to 61%). The response stating that no change had occurred, either positive or negative, was also selected more frequently by men, with a gender difference of 18 percentage points.

Figure 21. Assessment of changes in directors’ working conditions over the last 10 years by years of professional experience / percentage distribution of responses

Staż pracy	Ocena zmiany warunków pracy w ostatnich 10 latach
	Poprawiły się	Pozostały bez zmian	Pogorszyły się	Brak odpowiedzi
mniej niż 10 lat	25%	13%	38%	25%
10-15 lat	40%	15%	40%	5%
16-20 lat	35%	35%	30%	0%
21-25 lat	21%	21%	43%	14%
26-30 lat	25%	75%	0%	0%
31-35 lat	0%	33%	67%	0%
36-40 lat	0%	0%	100%	0%
więcej niż 40 lat	0%	33%	50%	17%

When responses are analysed by years of directing experience, three groups stand out in particular.

• Those with 10–15 years of experience assessed the changes equally often as positive and negative.
• Those with 16–20 years of experience assessed them equally often as positive and neutral.
• Respondents with 26–30 years of experience most frequently of all groups indicated that no change had occurred in directors’ working conditions over the past decade. In the remaining experience groups, the prevailing opinion was that conditions had deteriorated.

The tendency of the most experienced respondents to indicate a lack of change may be influenced by their memory of how the industry functioned in the 1990s. Compared to the profound transformations that took place at the beginning of the twenty-first century, the evolution of the last decade may appear relatively minor. During the interviews it was repeatedly emphasised that the 1990s were an exceptionally difficult period for Polish cinema:

• “That decade from 1989 to 2000, Polish cinema really… well, it simply did not exist. It was in a black abyss.”
• “People say it was a so-called lost generation, those who graduated in 1989 for example had no chance, there was nowhere for them to make films.”

Difficulties in the film creation process

Respondents were asked to indicate the level of difficulty of different stages in the creation of a film work. The stage most frequently identified as the most difficult was developing the idea for the film (34%), followed by production (29%) and soft prep (11%), while post-production was selected least often (7%).

Figure 22. Most difficult stage of the film creation process / percentage distribution of responses

 

For each category in the response list, respondents were asked to justify why they considered a given stage to be the most difficult element of the filmmaking process. Selected statements are presented in the table below.

Table 8. Justifications for indicating a given stage of the film creation process as the most difficult

Developing the idea for the film	“The purpose and meaning of creative work are always the most difficult.” “The most time spent in solitude, in great uncertainty. Work without money, without any guarantee that the idea will be realised.” “It is the creation of an immaterial world in the imagination and the ability to convey this vision precisely to those who decide about its materialisation. A difficult balance between creative exaltation and the rationalisation (and even ‘selling’) of one’s own vision.”
Production	“Because there is no turning back from the decisions that have been made.” “Because it involves too much work in a short, often far too short, period during shooting, squeezing every possible ounce out of each day.” “Reconciling the budgetary reality of the film with the artistic vision. A large number of overtime hours on shooting days and pressure from the producer to avoid overtime, even though it is often physically impossible to achieve the planned goals without it.”
Soft-prep	“The greatest uncertainty combined with the largest amount of work, which may turn out to be unnecessary if the project collapses.” “Securing financing is difficult. Adapting the idea to the producer’s expectations can also be difficult.”
Hard-prep	“Excessive interference from the producer.”“The necessity of compromises, insufficient resources, the primacy of production issues over artistic ones.”
Post-production	“Editing. It verifies all visions.” “The hardest part is to sell the film and make the whole world see it.” “Because this is where the producer shows the greatest lack of awareness and arrogance.”

During the interviews attention was also drawn to the challenge of working with a team which, in film production, is very large and highly diverse. The director must not only coordinate the activities of this team but also inspire and motivate its members:

“He has to inspire them to give their all to the film, and he also needs the ability to build a good team that believes in the project and in the director’s vision; that is the foundation which allows many obstacles to be overcome.”

“On a film set you arrive in the morning and there are a hundred people looking at you, and from your initiative and your energy depends whether it will happen at all, how it will happen and with what quality it will happen, and that is something one really has to know how to do.”

Table 9. Most difficult stage of the film creation process by possession of formal directing education / percentage distribution of responses

Posiadanie wykształcenia formalnego	Który z etapów powstawania dzieła filmowego jest najtrudniejszy?
	Wymyślanie idei filmu	Produkcja	Soft-prep	Hard-prep	Post-produkcja
Posiadający wykształcenie formalne	33%	31%	12%	7%	7%
Nieposiadający wykształcenia formalnego	38%	29%	10%	14%	10%

Respondents’ answers do not differ significantly depending on whether they possess formal directing education. Both those with and without such education most often indicate developing the idea for the film as the most difficult stage (33% and 38% respectively), followed by production (31% and 29%). Respondents with formal education more frequently pointed to soft prep as particularly difficult, while those without formal education more often indicated hard prep. Post-production ranked last in both groups (jointly with hard or soft prep).

Opportunities for the professional development of women directors in Polish cinema

In the context of ongoing changes in the Polish film industry, respondents were asked about the professional development opportunities of women directors and about changes in the possibilities for a directing debut over the last 20 years.

More than half of respondents (51%) state that opportunities for professional development in directing are the same for women and men, 10% believe that women are in a better situation, while 35% assess their situation as worse than that of male directors.

Figure 23. Assessment of professional development opportunities for women directors in Polish cinema / percentage distribution of responses

Respondents were asked to justify their opinions. Those who believe that women have better opportunities for professional development referred mainly to top-down gender parity mechanisms, for example on streaming platforms, and to broader social change:

“Because that is the spirit of the times and historical justice. A current is coming to us from the West that lifts women up and even favours them to a certain excess. Of course, the indicators do not yet reflect this, but it is only a matter of a short time, very soon the roles will reverse.”

One respondent based this assessment solely on the rapidly increasing number of women directors observed in the professional environment.

Those who consider women to be in a more difficult situation justified their views by pointing to the persistence of patriarchal structures and stereotypes, lower trust from producers in the competence of women directors, exclusion of women from the most lucrative productions, harsher critical reception of their films, pejorative associations attached to so-called women’s cinema as dealing with supposedly less important subjects, and the difficulty of reconciling directing work with motherhood.

Figure 24. Assessment of professional development opportunities for women directors in Polish cinema by gender / percentage distribution of responses

 

Responses differ markedly depending on the gender of the respondents. Women overwhelmingly (83%) assess their professional development opportunities in Polish cinema as worse than those of men, while men in the majority (65%) see no difference in opportunities between genders. Men also more often than women state that women are in a better position in terms of professional development. Assessments also vary according to years of experience as a director, as presented in detail in Table 10.

Table 10. Assessment of professional development opportunities for women directors in Polish cinema by years of professional experience / percentage distribution of responses

Staż pracy	Możliwości rozwoju zawodowego kobiet reżyserek są w polskiej kinematografii są:
	Lepsze od sytuacji mężczyzn-reżyserów	Takie same	Gorsze od sytuacji mężczyzn-reżyserów	Brak odpowiedzi
mniej niż 10 lat	0%	5%	17%	33%
10-15 lat	38%	29%	17%	0%
16-20 lat	13%	26%	24%	33%
21-25 lat	38%	10%	21%	33%
26-30 lat	13%	7%	0%	0%
31-35 lat	0%	7%	0%	0%
36-40 lat	0%	5%	10%	0%
więcej niż 40 lat	0%	10%	7%	0%

 

Three experience groups stand out for assessing women’s professional development opportunities more negatively than the others: the least experienced respondents (less than 10 years), those with 21–25 years of experience, and those with 36–40 years of experience. Among respondents with 31–35 years of directing experience, not a single person observed differences in development opportunities between women and men.

Changes in professional development opportunities for women directors in Poland over the last 20 years

According to the majority of respondents (83%), the professional development opportunities of women directors have improved over the past two decades. This view is shared to an almost identical extent by women and men (83% and 84% respectively). Detailed distributions of responses are presented in Figures 25 and 26.

Wykres 25 Ocena zmian możliwości rozwoju zawodowego kobiet reżyserek w ostatnich 20 latach/procentowy rozkład odpowiedzi

Wykres 26 Ocena zmian możliwości rozwoju zawodowego kobiet reżyserek w ostatnich 20 latach w zależności od płci/procentowy rozkład odpowiedzi

 

Table 11 presents how changes in professional development opportunities for women in the film industry are assessed by respondents with different lengths of professional experience as directors.

Table 11. Assessment of changes in professional development opportunities for women directors over the last 20 years by years of professional experience / percentage distribution of responses

Staż pracy	Jak możliwości rozwoju zawodowego kobiet reżyserek zmieniały się w Polsce na przestrzeni ostatnich 20 lat
	Poprawiły się	Pozostały bez zmian	Brak odpowiedzi
mniej niż 10 lat	88%	0%	13%
10-15 lat	85%	10%	5%
16-20 lat	85%	10%	5%
21-25 lat	57%	29%	14%
26-30 lat	100%	0%	0%
31-35 lat	100%	0%	0%
36-40 lat	80%	20%	0%
więcej niż 40 lat	100%	0%	0%

The 21–25 years of experience category stands out as the only one in which the share of responses indicating improvement is below 80%. In this group, a relatively large proportion selected the answer no change (29%), alongside a noticeable share of non-responses. In addition, the 36–40 years experience group is the second category in which respondents comparatively often perceived no change in this area, with every fifth respondent indicating that conditions had remained unchanged.

Changes in opportunities for a directing debut in Poland over the last 20 years

Changes in the possibilities of making a directing debut over the past two decades were also assessed positively. As many as 72% of respondents stated that it is now easier for young creators to make their debut, while only 7% took the opposite view and considered it more difficult today.

Figure 27. Assessment of changes in opportunities for a directing debut over the last 20 years / percentage distribution of responses

In this question respondents were also asked to justify their opinions. Those who believe that it is currently easier for young creators to make their debut pointed primarily to public funding mechanisms of the Polish Film Institute, including microbudget schemes, increased demand on the audiovisual market driven in part by streaming platforms, greater accessibility of technology, including lower financial barriers to its use, broader availability of funding from both public and private sources, and the role of dedicated development programmes and training initiatives such as Studio Munka and the Wajda School.

Those who consider a debut today to be more difficult referred mainly to reduced financing for auteur and more challenging artistic projects, as well as to the perceived necessity of graduating from a formal film school.

Figure 28. Assessment of changes in opportunities for a directing debut over the last 20 years by gender / percentage distribution of responses

 

Women indicated deterioration in opportunities for a directing debut far more often than men: 17% of women chose this answer compared to only 2% of men. Men, in turn, more frequently pointed to the maintenance of the status quo. At the same time, in both groups roughly three quarters of respondents believe that a directing debut is currently easier to achieve.

Table 12. Assessment of changes in opportunities for a directing debut over the last 20 years by years of professional experience / percentage distribution of responses

Staż pracy	Możliwości debiutu reżyserskiego w ostatnich 20 latach
	Poprawiły się – młodym twórcom jest obecnie łatwiej zadebiutować	Pozostały bez zmian	Pogorszyły się – młodym twórcom jest obecnie trudniej zadebiutować	Brak odpowiedzi
mniej niż 10 lat	50%	25%	13%	13%
10-15 lat	70%	10%	20%	0%
16-20 lat	80%	20%	0%	0%
21-25 lat	64%	21%	0%	14%
26-30 lat	100%	0%	0%	0%
31-35 lat	67%	33%	0%	0%
36-40 lat	80%	20%	0%	0%
więcej niż 40 lat	83%	17%	0%	0%

Regardless of years of experience as a director, respondents most often stated that over the last two decades a directing debut has become easier.

Dominant model of cinema in contemporary Polish cinematography

The majority of respondents (79%) consider present-day Polish cinematography to be closer to a producer-driven model. Seventeen percent assess it as closer to the auteur model, while 4% believe it lies exactly between these two ideal types.

Figure 29. Dominant model of cinema in Polish cinematography / percentage distribution of responses

Negative phenomena in contacts with producers or their representatives

Respondents’ personal experiences

Respondents were asked about relations between directors and producers or their representatives. The first question concerned their own negative experiences, while the second referred to knowledge of such phenomena occurring in the industry even if they had not affected the respondent personally.

The most frequently encountered problem was the lack of access to the production budget, indicated by 67% of respondents. The second, also affecting more than 60%, was manipulation, for example the use of emotional blackmail (65%). At least half of respondents had also experienced delayed payment of fees (52%) and asymmetrical contract terms (51%). Discrimination on the grounds of gender, age, sexual orientation or other factors was reported by approximately 17%. Sexual violence was indicated least often, and none of the respondents declared having experienced physical violence.

The detailed distribution of responses is presented in Figure 30.

Figure 30. Negative phenomena in contacts with a producer or their representative experienced personally by the respondent / percentage distribution of responses*

 

*Respondents could select more than one answer, therefore the percentages do not sum to 100%.

Within the “other” category, where respondents could describe problems not included in the predefined list, the following issues appeared:

lack of a contract at the initial stage of work,
threats of legal action,
attempted fraud and false statements,
shifting responsibility onto the director for difficulties and errors beyond their control (for example no time reserve for bad weather during outdoor shoots or failure to respect legal limits on children’s working hours on set),
lack of understanding of the vision of the creative departments.

Additional insight into director–producer relations emerged from interviews with Guild members, who pointed to a lack of professionalism on the part of some producers, resulting in late-stage interference in the work:

“When a producer cannot properly assess things at the stage of the materials they are watching or the issues we discussed before shooting, then it is obvious (…) most conflicts in our industry appear in editing, because it turns out that people did not really understand what we had been talking about earlier.”

Table 13. Negative phenomena in contacts with a producer or their representative experienced personally by the respondent, by gender / percentage distribution of responses

Doświadczane trudności	Płeć
	Kobieta	Mężczyzna
Brak możliwości zapoznania się z budżetem produkcji	83%	62%
Manipulacje (np. stosowanie szantażu emocjonalnego)	78%	58%
Nieterminowe wypłaty honorarium	65%	45%
Niesymetryczne charakter umów (faworyzujący jedną ze stron)	61%	47%
Brak kontaktu lub utrudniony kontakt (np. nieodbieranie telefonu, nieodpowiadanie na wiadomości)	61%	45%
Brak możliwości ingerencji w treść umowy (negocjacji jej warunków)	70%	35%
Wymuszanie rozpoczynania pracy przed podpisaniem umowy	57%	35%
Brak możliwości lub ograniczona możliwość wyboru kluczowych współpracowników	39%	38%
Przemoc psychiczna	57%	27%
Nieuprawione ingerencje w ostateczny kształt dzieła (mimo gwarancji final-cut dla reżysera)	43%	25%
Zwiększanie zakresu pracy (np. liczby dni zdjęciowych) bez dodatkowego wynagrodzenia	30%	24%
Seksizm, ageizm, homofobia, ksenofobia lub inne formy dyskryminacji	39%	9%
Nierówność stawek kobiet i mężczyzn zatrudnionych na analogicznych stanowiskach	52%	2%
Brak możliwości zapoznania się z harmonogramem produkcji	22%	7%
Przemoc seksualna	13%	25%

 

For both women and men, the two most frequently experienced problems in relations with producers are lack of access to the production budget and manipulative practices. However, women report certain problems much more often than men. Twice as many women declare having encountered the impossibility of influencing the content of the contract (70% compared to 35%), delayed payment of fees (65% compared to 45%), and pressure to begin work without first signing a contract (57% compared to 35%).

At the same time, a higher share of men (25%) than women (13%) declared having experienced sexual violence.

Table 14. Negative phenomena in contacts with a producer or their representative experienced personally by the respondent, by possession of formal directing education / percentage distribution of responses

Doświadczane trudności	Posiadający formalne wykształcenie reżyserskie	Nieposiadający formalnego wykształcenia reżyserskiego
Brak możliwości zapoznania się z budżetem produkcji	67%	71%
Manipulacje (np. stosowanie szantażu emocjonalnego)	69%	57%
Nieterminowe wypłaty honorarium	55%	43%
Niesymetryczne charakter umów (faworyzujący jedną ze stron)	55%	43%
Brak kontaktu lub utrudniony kontakt (np. nieodbieranie telefonu, nieodpowiadanie na wiadomości)	50%	43%
Brak możliwości ingerencji w treść umowy (negocjacji jej warunków)	48%	43%
Wymuszanie rozpoczynania pracy przed podpisaniem umowy	41%	43%
Brak możliwości lub ograniczona możliwość wyboru kluczowych współpracowników	34%	52%
Przemoc psychiczna	41%	24%
Nieuprawione ingerencje w ostateczny kształt dzieła (mimo gwarancji final-cut dla reżysera)	34%	29%
Zwiększanie zakresu pracy (np. liczby dni zdjęciowych) bez dodatkowego wynagrodzenia	33%	10%
Seksizm, ageizm, homofobia, ksenofobia lub inne formy dyskryminacji	17%	19%
Nierówność stawek kobiet i mężczyzn zatrudnionych na analogicznych stanowiskach	17%	10%
Brak możliwości zapoznania się z harmonogramem produkcji	7%	19%
Przemoc seksualna	7%	0%

 

Respondents do not differ substantially depending on possession of formal education. Although particular answers are not indicated with exactly the same frequency in both groups, their ranking is similar. For example, lack of access to the production budget is the most frequently indicated problem among those without formal education and the second most frequent among those with such education. One of the abuses, sexual violence, was declared only by respondents with formal directing education.

Table 15. Negative phenomena in contacts with a producer or their representative experienced personally by the respondent by years of professional experience as a director / percentage distribution of responses

Doświadczane trudności	mniej niż 10 lat	10-15 lat	16-20 lat	21-25 lat	26-30 lat	31-35 lat	36-40 lat	więcej niż 40 lat
Brak możliwości zapoznania się z budżetem produkcji	75%	65%	85%	64%	50%	33%	80%	33%
Manipulacje (np. stosowanie szantażu emocjonalnego)	50%	65%	60%	86%	100%	33%	40%	67%
Nieterminowe wypłaty honorarium	38%	60%	55%	50%	25%	33%	60%	50%
Niesymetryczne charakter umów (faworyzujący jedną ze stron)	25%	35%	70%	57%	75%	33%	80%	33%
Brak kontaktu lub utrudniony kontakt (np. nieodbieranie telefonu, nieodpowiadanie na wiadomości)	50%	50%	65%	36%	75%	0%	40%	17%
Brak możliwości ingerencji w treść umowy (negocjacji jej warunków)	63%	45%	35%	50%	75%	33%	60%	33%
Wymuszanie rozpoczynania pracy przed podpisaniem umowy	25%	45%	60%	43%	25%	0%	20%	33%
Brak możliwości lub ograniczona możliwość wyboru kluczowych współpracowników	38%	35%	45%	57%	25%	0%	20%	33%
Przemoc psychiczna	50%	40%	30%	36%	50%	0%	40%	33%
Nieuprawione ingerencje w ostateczny kształt dzieła (mimo gwarancji final-cut dla reżysera)	13%	15%	30%	50%	25%	67%	60%	50%
Zwiększanie zakresu pracy (np. liczby dni zdjęciowych) bez dodatkowego wynagrodzenia	0%	20%	45%	50%	0%	0%	20%	0%
Seksizm, ageizm, homofobia, ksenofobia lub inne formy dyskryminacji	13%	20%	20%	29%	0%	0%	20%	0%
Nierówność stawek kobiet i mężczyzn zatrudnionych na analogicznych stanowiskach	13%	10%	20%	21%	0%	0%	40%	0%
Brak możliwości zapoznania się z harmonogramem produkcji	13%	15%	10%	0%	0%	0%	20%	17%
Przemoc seksualna	0%	5%	15%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%

Across most experience groups, the difficulty encountered most often is either lack of access to the production budget or manipulative practices such as emotional blackmail. In the group with 36–40 years of professional experience, both lack of access to the production budget and asymmetrical contracts favouring one party were indicated by 80% of respondents. The group with 31–35 years of experience stands out in particular, as the most frequently reported problem there was unauthorised interference in the final shape of the work.

Negative phenomena occurring in Polish cinematography in relations between producers and directors

When asked about problems that occur in producer–director relations in general, even if they had not experienced them personally, respondents most often pointed to delayed payment of fees (59%), manipulative practices (52%), and lack or limitation of the possibility to choose key collaborators (49%).

The detailed percentage distribution of responses is presented in Figure 31.

Figure 31. Negative phenomena in contacts with a producer or their representative known to the respondent, although not personally experienced / percentage distribution of responses*

 

*Respondents could select more than one answer, therefore the percentages do not sum to 100%.

Table 16. Negative phenomena in contacts with a producer or their representative known to the respondent, although not personally experienced, by gender / percentage distribution of responses

	Kobieta	Mężczyzna
Nieterminowe wypłaty honorarium	70%	55%
Manipulacje (np. stosowanie szantażu emocjonalnego)	48%	53%
Brak możliwości lub ograniczona możliwość wyboru kluczowych współpracowników	43%	53%
Brak kontaktu lub utrudniony kontakt (np. nieodbieranie telefonu, nieodpowiadanie na wiadomości)	48%	47%
Nieuprawione ingerencje w ostateczny kształt dzieła (mimo gwarancji final-cut dla reżysera)	57%	42%
Brak możliwości zapoznania się z budżetem produkcji	52%	47%
Brak możliwości ingerencji w treść umowy (negocjacji jej warunków)	61%	42%
Niesymetryczne charakter umów (faworyzujący jedną ze stron)	48%	42%
Przemoc psychiczna	43%	44%
Wymuszanie rozpoczynania pracy przed podpisaniem umowy	57%	36%
Zwiększanie zakresu pracy (np. liczby dni zdjęciowych) bez dodatkowego wynagrodzenia	57%	33%
Seksizm, ageizm, homofobia, ksenofobia lub inne formy dyskryminacji	43%	36%
Nierówność stawek kobiet i mężczyzn zatrudnionych na analogicznych stanowiskach	48%	27%
Przemoc seksualna	35%	20%
Brak możliwości zapoznania się z harmonogramem produkcji	35%	20%
Przemoc fizyczna	22%	24%

 

Differences between women’s and men’s answers are not large overall, although women more often pointed to several specific negative practices. These include unauthorised interference in the final shape of the work (57% of women and 42% of men), lack of the possibility to influence the content of the contract (61% and 42%), pressure to start work before signing a contract (57% and 36%), extension of the scope of work without additional remuneration (57% and 33%), and unequal pay rates for women and men (48% and 27%).

Table 17. Negative phenomena in contacts with a producer or their representative known to the respondent, although not personally experienced, by possession of formal directing education / percentage distribution of responses

	Posiadający formalne wykształcenie reżyserskie	Nieposiadający formalnego wykształcenia reżyserskiego
Nieterminowe wypłaty honorarium	60%	52%
Manipulacje (np. stosowanie szantażu emocjonalnego)	48%	62%
Brak możliwości lub ograniczona możliwość wyboru kluczowych współpracowników	47%	52%
Brak kontaktu lub utrudniony kontakt (np. nieodbieranie telefonu, nieodpowiadanie na wiadomości)	43%	62%
Nieuprawione ingerencje w ostateczny kształt dzieła (mimo gwarancji final-cut dla reżysera)	47%	48%
Brak możliwości zapoznania się z budżetem produkcji	43%	57%
Brak możliwości ingerencji w treść umowy (negocjacji jej warunków)	52%	33%
Niesymetryczne charakter umów (faworyzujący jedną ze stron)	41%	52%
Przemoc psychiczna	47%	43%
Wymuszanie rozpoczynania pracy przed podpisaniem umowy	41%	43%
Zwiększanie zakresu pracy (np. liczby dni zdjęciowych) bez dodatkowego wynagrodzenia	41%	38%
Seksizm, ageizm, homofobia, ksenofobia lub inne formy dyskryminacji	41%	33%
Nierówność stawek kobiet i mężczyzn zatrudnionych na analogicznych stanowiskach	33%	29%
Przemoc seksualna	26%	24%
Brak możliwości zapoznania się z harmonogramem produkcji	26%	14%
Przemoc fizyczna	22%	24%

The answers of respondents with and without formal directing education are relatively similar. The largest difference concerns the lack of possibility to influence the content of the contract, which is observed more often by formally educated directors. In this group the most frequently indicated problem is delayed payment of fees (60%), whereas respondents without formal education most often point to manipulative practices and lack of contact or obstructed communication in relations with the producer.

Proposed changes

Public voice on producer–director relations

In the context of the diagnosed problems and challenges related to improving the working conditions of Polish directors, respondents were asked who, in their opinion, should publicly address the issue of relations between producers and directors. An overwhelming majority believe that the Polish Directors Guild should take the floor on this matter (94%, a lead of as much as 24 percentage points over the next most frequently indicated option). According to 70% of respondents, the Polish Film Institute should also publicly present a position, while third place is occupied by the answer directors themselves. The smallest share of respondents consider that no external body should intervene in producer–director relations.

Figure 32. Public statements on producer–director relations by institutions and third parties*

 

*Respondents could select more than one answer, therefore the percentages do not sum to 100%.

Among respondents who chose the “other” category (7%), the following actors were mentioned as potential public voices in this matter: producers’ guilds, the National Chamber of Audiovisual Producers, film trade unions and other professional unions, the Polish Filmmakers Association, and film schools educating directors and producers. One respondent used this category to emphasise the particular role of the Polish Film Institute: “The Polish Film Institute should definitely have a unit supporting directors, since it is primarily on them whether a film will be more or less successful.”

Methods of protecting directors’ interests in contacts with producers

Respondents pointed to the need for stronger protection of directors in their relations with producers and their representatives. Several recurring proposals emerge from their statements.

One is the creation of detailed and standardised contracts. These would eliminate abusive clauses, guarantee a minimum set of rights for directors, and ensure legal assistance in disputes. Proposals include approval of a standard contract by the Polish Film Institute, linking the transfer of economic copyright to full payment of the fee, mandatory access for the director to the budget and cost estimate, and model contracts accepted by the public funder.

Another frequently mentioned solution is transparent and regulated remuneration. Respondents call for minimum pay rates, regulated minimum durations of pre-production and post-production, and full budget transparency, supported by the collective bargaining power of a professional union.

A further proposal is the introduction of a code of professional ethics and a set of good practices governing working time on set, realistic scheduling, payment deadlines, contract signing before work begins, equal rights of creative intervention for director and producer, legal safeguards in contracts, and clear rules for VOD royalties. Some respondents go further and suggest annual public evaluations of producer–director cooperation, with sanctions such as exclusion from public funding for producers who violate agreed standards.

A strong theme is the reinforcement of the Polish Directors Guild as a trade union body with legal standing. Suggested measures include Guild-appointed specialised lawyers, voluntary or mandatory contract consultations, mediation in disputes, and active intervention when good practices are breached.

Many respondents also see a key role for the Polish Film Institute in enforcing standards when public money is involved. Proposed tools include a legally guaranteed final cut for the director in publicly funded projects, approval of contracts by the Institute, giving directors formal standing before the Institute in case of abuse, appointing project supervisors who also communicate with the director, and allowing directors to review contracts and budgets of their own projects.

Some individual suggestions point to giving directors a small production share, even symbolic, to secure access to full production documentation and a say in the final cut. Others argue that directors should expand their competences towards producing, adapting to the evolving structure of the industry rather than relying solely on systemic protections.

There is also a call for an independent, safe and anonymous reporting body that would collect information about abuse and warn other creators about dishonest or violent practices by producers.

Profile of respondents in the quantitative study

The survey included 82 participants. Men constituted 67% of respondents, women 28%, and 5% declined to answer the question about gender.

Wykres 33 Płeć respondentów/procentowy rozkład odpowiedzi

Wykres 34 Wiek respondentów/procentowy rozkład odpowiedzi

The largest share of respondents (33%) were aged 41 to 50, while the smallest group consisted of those over 60 years old. The youngest group, aged 31 to 40, accounted for 22% of all respondents, whereas participants aged 51 to 60 constituted 27% of the sample.