Film Crew Positions and Who You’ll Need on Set for Your Film Production

The success of your music video, short film, or feature film production depends upon the quality of your film crew and their ability to make good decisions. A great film crew is punctual, flexible, productive, synergistic, knowledgeable, and experienced. But as someone with a great idea for a film or music video, who do you need to hire for your film crew?

If you are new to filmmaking and video production, it helps to be familiar with the various film crew professionals that you’ll see on a film set. If you’re working with a smaller budget, often your crew will be responsible for more than one role. Anyone working on an indie film set or film crew will tell you that most film crew members wear several hats.

We break down a few of the must-have crew member roles below. This isn’t an exhaustive list of film crew roles, we’ve just included the most essential ones to get you started. Once you have these key crew members, your producer can help you decide if you’ll need more film professionals to make your project a reality.

DIRECTOR

A director is someone who directs actors and talent. On a film set, they often also have a hand in casting and working with the scriptwriter. The director will also work directly with the Director of Photography to make sure the shots align with their vision.

A director holds the creative vision from pre-production to the final edit.

JuliustheRobot checks the shot list to make sure all shots have been captured.

PRODUCER

During pre-production, the producer (also called line producers on smaller budget sets) will generate the full production budget. They’ll also break down the script to generate a shooting schedule so the camera crew will have the details about what is being filmed, when, and where. This will include parking details and sometimes include the name of the closest airport and hospital. The shooting schedule will also include a call sheet to let the talent know when they need to arrive on set. The call sheet helps make sure the talent is fresh when they arrive and no one’s time is wasted. This also helps with the flow of extraneous people on set.

One of the producer's main jobs, once production begins, is to make sure that the production goes according to schedule and budget. If a scene or take is eating up too much time, a producer may try to find ways to hurry the crew along to make sure that the rest of the production stays on track and on budget.

A Producer acts as a timekeeper on set and ensures that talent and crew are prepared, on time, in the correct costuming, and on location according to their appointed call time.
On set, a producer may also supervise safety and will make sure everyone is well-equipped to handle their job. Sometimes that means calling the caterer or calling crewmembers out for meal breaks. A good producer is on-hand to put out fires so the director has less to worry about. They can help field questions and act as a liaison between the director and other crew members.

There are many different types of producers in the film world. Some producers handle staffing and casting, many deal with sourcing and securing financing, and others deal with more creative aspects of filmmaking. A great producer will do whatever it takes to ensure film production goes according to plan.

Behind the scenes with the film crew at Spivey Media on the set of the music video for Circe’s “Before + After”.

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS

A production assistant (PA) helps keep the cast, crew, and production staff organized and on track. This can include anything from taking out the trash, helping with meal pickups and setups, making sure the talent is where they need to be, running errands for various departments, and so much more. On a smaller crew, production assistants will also help set up and break down equipment, and assist with load-ins/load-outs.

Production Assistants can also double as a grip on set. A grip is a person who operates and sets up the equipment that supports the camera and lighting rigs (tripods, C-stands, dollies, cranes, tracks, etc.) according to the Director of Photography’s instructions.

Behind the scenes photo of Kim Bastian, sound recordist at Spivey Media. Photo by Ben Lindesmith.

LOCATION SOUND RECORDIST AND PRODUCTION SOUND MIXER

If your video has sound, a location sound recordist, affectionately often called the “sound guy” or “sound person,” has several tasks. Sound recordists are responsible for placing lapel mics on the talent (on set they are called “lavs”- short for lavalier microphone.) Your sound recordist will also make sure the lav mics are not visible on camera, and they’re place mics where they will get the best quality of sound.
Once the talent is mic'd up, they may also place plant mics (hidden microphones) on set. They will also operate the boom mic once the director is ready to run the scene.

A sound recordist will also run the sound recorder while monitoring sound and making adjustments if needed. A good sound recordist will also “turn knobs” to get the best quality mix for the film editor.
If available, your sound recordist will also manage any wireless audio devices, which are used for directors, producers, script supervisors, or anyone needing to hear dialogue while filming.

The sound recordist is arguably the most important role on set, as poor-quality sound can completely scrap a production when it comes time to edit the footage.

Two of our DOP friends in one shot! Here’s Ben Lindesmith and Britni Peel on location.

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

A director of photography (often called a DP or DOP) is responsible for establishing the visual aspects of the movie. The DP is in charge of the camera, the camera’s lighting, and the lenses. They’ll also be in charge of camera selection, shot selection, and other elements.

The director of photography will tell production the cost of camera and lighting packages that will be needed on the shoot. The director of photography’s creative decision-making can be vetoed by the director and sometimes by the producer.

JuliustheRobot reviews the dialogue for accuracy.

SCRIPT SUPERVISOR

A script supervisor is an important role on set. A script supervisor, lovingly nicknamed the “Scripty”, is responsible for making sure the script dialogue and shots are followed. They also annotate each take by recording any improvisation done by actors, and any notes from the director. The director may love the second take- a script supervisor will be sure to note that down for the editor. The script supervisor’s log is often forwarded to the film editor to help them with the cut.

On a lower budget set, they also help keep track of continuity. This includes making sure hair, makeup, props, set dressing, and wardrobe is consistent within the context of the film according to the script and shot list.

A NOTE ON HIRING A FILM CREW IN OKLAHOMA

So there you have it. We’ve told you all about the key roles that are essential to any film set. There are dozens of other film crew roles on larger, higher-budget crews. A few other important ones that we didn’t talk about are set designers, hair and makeup artists, costume designers, the art department, behind-the-scenes photographers, prop masters, safety coordinators, medics, and production caterers. These are often roles that again, aren’t exclusively designated to just one person on an indie film crew.

Once you hire a director and producer, you can talk to them about your production and ask them if they believe you’ll need to hire additional crew members or if they think the crew on hand is equipped and sufficient to successfully complete production. They may be able to offer a creative solution to help keep your production on budget while adequately staffed.

Another thing to keep in mind when hiring a film crew is that you’ll need to allot a budget to hire a video editor once your production wraps. You’ll need to hire at least one video editor to complete your film, video, or video advertisement.

On larger budget cuts, post-production roles can include assistant editors, visual effects editors, sound editors, colorists, foley artists, and more.

HIRING THE FILM PRODUCTION CREW AT SPIVEY MEDIA

Ready to dig in and begin pre-production of your next film project? We’ve got you covered. The professional creatives at Spivey Media can guide you from the planning stages of your film project, all the way through to writing, producing, and delivering your final commercial, music video, short film, or feature-length film.

Due to our connections in the Oklahoma City and Norman, Oklahoma areas, we also have a network of film crew members on call to lend a hand. We can connect you with experienced screenwriters, directors, film producers, location sound recordists, art department crew, production assistants, photographers, video editors, and just about any other crew position that you are looking to fill.

Contact us today and tell us about your idea. We will discuss your vision, needs, and budget and then get started developing a plan to make your dream film venture into a reality!