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Production3 min read

LESSON 111

Who does what on a film set

The departments, from director to dolly grip.

IN THIS LESSON

  1. Above and below the line
  2. Direction and production
  3. Camera, lighting and grip
  4. Sound and others
  5. Practice: roles on a tiny crew

Above and below the line

A film crew is the group hired to make the film, separate from the cast in front of the camera and from the producers, who hold a share of the rights or the company. Crews are split into departments, each with its own head. A useful distinction is between above-the-line people, such as the director, writer and producers, who join in development, and below-the-line technical crew, who join for production. The production stage itself has three phases: pre-production, principal photography and post-production.

Direction and production

The director usually has the highest authority on set, controls the artistic and dramatic side and guides cast and crew toward one vision. The producer creates the conditions for filming: raising money, hiring key people and arranging distribution. Assistant directors track progress against the schedule, arrange logistics, prepare the daily call sheets, check in cast and crew, keep order, and look after health and safety. The first assistant director carries the overall responsibility and supervises the second. Above them, line producers and production managers turn the schedule into budgets, bookings and paperwork.

Camera, lighting and grip

The director of photography leads the camera and lighting crew and decides with the director on lens, filter, light and composition. The camera operator runs the camera. The first assistant camera pulls focus and builds the camera each day; the second assistant operates the slate and handles media or film loading. The gaffer heads the lighting department and designs the lighting plan, helped by the best boy electric. Grips handle the non-electric side: flags, overheads, bounces and rigging. The key grip leads them, and the dolly grip lays track and pushes the dolly.

Sound and others

The production sound mixer heads sound on location, choosing microphones and mixing their feeds live to a recorder. The boom operator holds the boom microphone as close to the actors as possible without entering the frame. On digital shoots the digital imaging technician manages camera settings and data. Around them are the art department, costume, hair and make-up, special effects, stunts and, later, the editors and visual effects teams. Each department head reports to the director or the producer, and each runs a team that can be one person or dozens, depending on the size of the film.

Practice: roles on a tiny crew

This is working practice. On a crew of three or four, people double up, but the jobs still exist. Decide who is the director, who looks after picture and light, who owns sound, and who handles data and continuity. Write the names on the call sheet. Unclear roles cause more lost time on small shoots than broken equipment. Agree too who may call cut, who decides when a take is good for sound, and who signs off that the cards are safe before the crew packs up. A five-minute talk at the start of the day settles all of this.

Try it today

  1. 01List every job you did on your last shoot.
  2. 02Match each to a crew title from this lesson.
  3. 03Write a crew list for a four-person team with clear roles.
  4. 04Add who checks data and who checks continuity.
  5. 05Share the list before the next shoot day.