Film Crew Positions – Who’s Who on the Film Crew
Filmmaking is fundamentally a very collaborative process. Among the experts, you’ll find on a professional film crew are directors, producers, writers, cinematographers, camera operators, carpenters, electricians, and a wide range of designers.
Film Crew: The Methods Used in Making Movies
The fact that the movie industry in Hollywood is referred to as “The Industry” is not a coincidence. Filmmaking has always been an industrial process, dating back to its inception in the studio system.
Preproduction, production (primary photography), and postproduction make up its three main stages.
Depending on the scale and breadth of the movie, different persons are involved at different stages of the production timeline, which might take weeks, months, or years. For a modest, indie movie, a crew might number a few dozen individuals, but for a big Hollywood blockbuster, it might number thousands.
Comparison of Above and Below the Line
Film Crew personnel is split into two groups in the industry: “below the line” and “above the line.”
The most powerful individuals, those who have control over production, are those who are above the line. They consist of the director, producers, writers, and the main talent in the production firm (actors or stars). They obviously make the most money.
The rest of the production team, which is typically organized into divisions based on profession, is located below the line workers. Typically, union contracts govern their wages and working conditions.
Crew for Preproduction
The period of filmmaking prior to the start of principal photography is referred to as preproduction. When a studio, production firm, or group of investors approves a script or pitch for production, which means they agree to pay for it, the process begins.
Here are the important film crew positions in pre-production:
Production Management
- The shooting script is finalized by the writer and director.
- Creates the shooting schedule as the first assistant director (1st AD).
Production Department:
- Executive producers: Executive producers are in charge of finances and significant production components.
- Producer: Oversees the production and its staff. Producers come in a variety of forms.
- Line producers: Line producers oversee the production’s budget and schedule.
- Production manager: The production manager is in charge of making daily choices on the budget, the schedule, and the crew. The PM often works under the line producer’s direction and is in charge of the production coordinator.
- Production coordinator: The production coordinator organizes all of the cast, crew, and equipment logistics.
- Production assistants: Production assistants serve as gofers and utility players on a production and are the lowest-level crew personnel. They participate in every stage of the production.
Art Department
- Production designer: Creates the movie’s visual representation (settings, costumes, makeup).
- Production designer: The production designer collaborates with the art director to develop and outfit sets, find items, and help establish the overall aesthetic. This person doubles as the set designer on a smaller crew.
- Location Manager: Locates and secures every location, and handles licenses.
Sets:
- Set designer: Set designer collaborates with the director and the art department to develop and design all production-related exterior and interior structures.
- Set Dresser: Hired to work on the set before, during, and after filming by the location manager. The general duties include showing up early at the location to give the set dressers access to the set for setup, keeping the location areas clean throughout filming, handling complaints from neighbors, and making it appear as though the film team was never there at the end of the shoot. Typically, one to three assistants are working on a shoot at any given moment.
Costumes:
- Costume Designer: Designing costumes that fit the characters and the environment.
Crew for principal photography and production
The time when everyone is on location filming the movie is known as principal photography.
Here are the important film crew positions you will see during film production:
Production Management
- Director: The top dog.
- First Assistant Director (1st AD): Manages the crew and keeps things on schedule for the movie.
- Second Assistant Director (2nd AD): Assists the first AD in managing the set and dispersing vital papers such as scripts and call sheets. There might even be a third AD, depending on the size of the crew.
- Special/Visual Effects Supervisor: Manages the technical and creative aspects of a project’s special or visual effects. Special effects are on-set, practical (i.e., physical) effects that are produced and then photographed, like puppetry or fire. In post-production, visual effects are added, like computer-generated imagery.
Continuity:
- Screenplay / Script Supervisor: The person in charge of keeping track of all shots, even any that deviate from the original script. In charge of ensuring that blocking, dialogue, costume, and props all match up from shot to shot.
Light and Camera:
- Cinematographer: The director of photography (DP) collaborates closely with the filmmaker to choose the lighting, framing, and overall aesthetic of the film.
- First Assistant Camera (1st AC): Also known as the focus puller, this person makes sure that every shot is sharp and in focus.
- Second Assistant Camera (2nd AC): Responsible for the slate (shot and take numbers) and holds it in front of the camera prior to each shoot.
- Camera Operator: Controls the camera under the DP’s guidance.
- Film Loader: The film loader handles the film before and after exposure, makes sure it is transported safely and monitors the film stock during production.
- Steadicam Operator: A specially trained camera operator who operates a camera setup that is motion-stabilized.
- Gaffer: The chief lighting technician is also known as this. accountable for creating the lighting design for a show.
- Best Boy or Best Babe: Assists the gaffer or key grip (see below), handling matters pertaining to the electric truck, rentals, personnel, and other electrical concerns.
- Lighting Technician: Installs and manages electrical power and lighting equipment on set.
Grips:
- Key Grip: In collaboration with the lighting department, grips are technicians who move and set up non-electrical equipment including flags, overheads, and bounces. The official in charge of grips on set is the key grip.
- Dolly Grip: In charge of positioning and moving cranes, dollies, and other large machinery on which cameras and camera operators are mounted.
Sound:
- Production sound mixer: Assures that the sound is mixed and recorded correctly on location. Additionally, they choose microphones, run sound recorders, and occasionally combine audio signals.
- Boom Operator: This person controls the positioning and movement of the boom microphone while recording. They make sure the microphone is not visible in the picture. The production sound mixer may do this task on smaller sets.
Property:
- Props Master: In charge of locating and cataloging all the on-screen props that enhance realism.
Costumes:
- Costume Supervisor: The costume supervisor coordinates the on-set attire with the costume designer. formerly known as the wardrobe manager.
Makeup and Hair:
- Cosmetics Artist: Picks out and uses the right makeup on the actors.
- Hairdresser: The hairdresser maintains and styles the actors’ hair. The makeup artist and hairstylist are typically one and the same for a low-budget production.
Stunts:
- Stunt Coordinator: Selects and oversees performers for stunts. Together with the director and DP, creates and oversees all on-set stunts.
Catering:
- Caterer: The caterer sets up a craft services table, lunches, and snacks for the cast and crew.
The Post-production team
The video from principal photography is edited, and sound, music, and visual effects are added during this last phase of the filmmaking process.
Here are the important film crew positions you will see during film post-production.
Editing:
- Editor: The post-production industry’s creative leader who collaborates closely with the director to put together and edit the principal photography into the finished product.
Sound:
- Sound Designer: A sound designer collaborates closely with the director and is in control of a movie’s post-production sound. Likewise known as Supervising Sound Editor.
- Sound Editor: All sound effects are assembled and edited by a sound editor.
- Foley Artist: Those who work as foley artists provide post-production sound effects in time with a movie’s final cut.
Visual Effects:
- Visual Effects Editor: Adds post-production visual effects to final cuts of live-action sequences while working under the direction of the Visual Effects Supervisor.
Music:
- Composer: The person who creates, performs, and incorporates the musical score into the finished film.
- Music Supervisor: Assists in deciding on the soundtrack for the movie. Helps manage any music licencing and locate a composer.
Conclusion
We’re only beginning to scrape the surface of prospective film crew employment because the world of media production is so big and complex, even among those involved in the production stage of a project.
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About the author: Trent (IMDB | Youtube) has spent 10+ years working on an assortment of film and television projects. He writes about his experiences to help (and amuse) others. If he’s not working, he’s either traveling, reading or writing about travel/film, or planning travel/film projects.
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