film crew organization

FilmCrew Organization

Matt Sawyers

The Sequence of Events

• Script - 1st step is coming up with an acceptable script*– Producer engages writers to rewrite, adapt &

develop

• Key People– Director - key decision maker– Production Manager (PM)– Director of Photography (DP) (cinematographer)


– Production Designer (PD)- begins preliminary work to determine the overall design approach of the film

• Independent/ Students, unable to afford the costs of renting expensive studio space & creating sets, frequently do all work on location


• Casting– Students/ Indi

• Informal• Non-union• Sometimes lack talent

– Commercial• Huge undertaking• Agencies

– Unions (SAG & AFTRA)» Rules


• Casting (cont.)– Action

• Students/ Indi.– “cattle calls”

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• Casting – Action

• Students/ Indi. (cont.)– Information

» Upfront» Roles» Scheduling

– Auditions• Different interpretations of reading• 10-15 mins.


• Casting – Auditions (cont.)

• Don’t let appearance determine character

– Callbacks- needed for final decision• Talent commitment• Work longer & larger parts of script• Sense hesitation or condescending attitude

– Inexperienced – Maturity

» Tardiness– Talent vs. Reliability

» Less vs. more


• Rehearsals - Arranging as much time as possible for rehearsals is a good idea, but in reality they are rarely afforded as much time as the talent and the director would desire.– Bonus

• Location Scouting - location scouts– They have explicit descriptions of the features of

desired environments.• A list of needed locations and their desirable features

– Once suitable possibilities are found, the director, DP, and sometimes PD will visit the locations and evaluate their visual and technical appeal.


• Location Scouting (Cont.)– Larger Cities

• Permits

– Smaller cities/markets• Advantages

– Free

• Disadvantages– Damage– Injury– (Money)– No “Welcome Mat”


• Location Scouting– Smaller cities/markets (cont.)

• Always get permission

• Location– Students/ Indi.

• Conform

– Commercial feature• Manipulate

The Production Crew

• The Production Crew - Most film crews are put together from scratch, with skill positions being filled from a pool of experienced freelancers.

The Production Crew

• Catch 22• Free- taking advantage

– After 2-3 jobs w/o pay

• Freelancers (self)– Deductions

• Taxes• Social Security• Health insurance• Retirement

The Production Crew

• Team Spirit– Creativity or suffer– Crew Committing– Chronic complainers = poison

• grant their wish• Unproductive -> door

– Crew is there to maximize efficiency– Major Concerns for Independents

• With overwhelming technical and logistical considerations frequently detracting from what is occurring in front of the camera.

The Crew’s Responsibilities

• Responsibilities - beginners may find themselves in the role of grip/boom operator/ part-time script supervisor or some similarly outrageous combination. This much multitasking is discouraged, certainly, but it represents the reality of working with limited resources.

The Crew’s Responsibilities

• Professionals– Must for certain cues

• Union Rules– Dictate what can or can’t be done

• “Pitch in & get it done”– Students/ indi

• Yes

– Commercial• No

The Producer’s Team

• Producer - supervisor - usuallypresent before the project starts to long after it ends.

• Production Manager (PM) - responsible for the general organization of crew as well as practical planning & scheduling of the film.

• Assistant Director (AD) - responsible to scheduling the daily operations of the crew.


• Production Management– Production Board

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• Craft Services– Food & Small Amenities

• Exe.

– Preferences

The Director’s Team

• The Director’s Team reports to the director personally.– First-time crew members

• Think director is rude

• AD with Caveat– AD is responsible for communicating wuth all the

departments, making sure the production is progressing– AD also works hand in hand with the PM in scheduling all

the needed elements for each scene.– The AD’s major responsibility is making sure that all crew

members are on the same wavelength, pursuing the same goals


• Talent– Working can be difficult for inexpireienced

director’s• Translating words in the script into recognizable human

behavior• Inexperienced actors

– Due to no pay


• Production Assistants (PA) - do all the general running around on the setand behind the scenes. – Responsible to the AD and as such are actually

part of the producer’s team– Do last minute tasks– Experienced & knowledgeable PAs can be a

valuable asset on a set

The Camera Crew

• Camera Operator - does the actual shooting– First assistant Cameraperson (1st AC) - everything having

to do with film, camera, & lenses– Second Assistant Cameraperson (2nd AC) - also known as

clapper/loader• Marking the scene• Loading magazines• Filling out camera reports

The Camera Crew

• Director/ DP Relationship– Few directors shoot their own films, a fact that surprises

many newcomers.– Directors must focus on the performance when the camera

is rolling. Rather than watch the performance, DPs tend to treat the entire field of camera vision as an abstract space, focusing on the movement of form & shape.

– Shooting & directing at the same time• Commercials

– More attention is paid to each image and less to issues of performance, continuity, and marshaling the many resources that it takes to make a feature.

The Camera Crew

• Grip/Electric– Gaffer - the head of the electric crew

• Responsible for locating all sources of electricity and firecting the setup of the instruments

– Key Grip - head of the grip crew– Best Boy - gaffer’s right hand– Electricians– Grips - the jacks-of-all-trades on the set

• The great practical problem solvers– Expatiate filming greatly

• “They do just about everything under the sun”

The Camera Crew

• The Art Department– Art Director - an expert in materials and building and is responsible for executing the

productions designer’s plans– Set Decorator - plans the small items on the set, the details that make the space look

realistic• Set dresser• Costume designer• Props master• Hairstylists• Makeup

• Production Values– General term referring to the

overall quality of the image

film crew organization

Documents

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