导演，狭义指的是在戏剧演出、影视制作团队中，集成全部艺术元素的艺术生产负责人。

导演一词英文为Director，从意思来说，就是指引方向的人，但从具体职能来说，往往其主要能力则是沟通。因此在一个公司的总监职位，与导演共用同一个英文单词Director，虽然中文翻译有所不同。

简言之，导演是用剧情和演员表达自己思想的人。

电影导演同时运用了演员的身体及情绪／视线的选择／光线的调度／画面的构成／剪接的逻辑／音声的搭配，将某个剧本呈现于影像屏幕上，从而将这个剧本（以及如果有的话：它的思想）表现给观众的人。

电影工业涵盖多元的专业技术，从制片，摄影，灯光，美术指导，场务，演员，录音，混音，后期特效等，十分庞杂。绝大多数现代电影导演无法广泛专精以上各项专业技术，但他／她仍可以支配旗下所有各该部门的专业人士，依照他／她的意志工作。

A theatre director or stage director is a director/instructor in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production (a play, an opera, a musical, or a devised piece of work) by unifying various endeavours and aspects of production. The director's function is to ensure the quality and completeness of theatre production and to lead the members of the creative team into realising their artistic vision for it. The director therefore collaborates with a team of creative individuals and other staff, coordinating research, stagecraft, costume design, props, lighting design, acting, set design, stage combat, and sound design for the production. If the production he or she is mounting is a new piece of writing or a (new) translation of a play, the director may also work with the playwright or translator. In contemporary theatre, after the playwright, the director is generally the primary visionary, making decisions on the artistic concept and interpretation of the play and its staging. Different directors occupy different places of authority and responsibility, depending on the structure and philosophy of individual theatre companies. Directors use a wide variety of techniques, philosophies, and levels of collaboration.