BREAKALEGG

Its IMPERATIVE that you know each of these positions before you actually work on set if you dont want to sound amateur at work. Learn them, memorize them, and mainly respect them. These are the people that ultimately make you look good…or not.

Producer: This guy (or gal) is the big boss.  Generally speaking, the person with this title bears overall responsibility for the production. However, the bulk of their time is spent dealing with ‘above the line’ issues.  ‘The line’ is the divider between what are considered ‘fixed’ costs (below the line costs include things like the crew, non-starring actors, locations, food, equipment, travel and the like) and ‘variable’ costs (the above the line stuff like the screenplay, the principle actor salaries as well as the producer and director’s salaries.)  They can hire and fire everyone on set and are in charge of both the ‘front office’ (the room where the administrative functions of the shoot are handled) and production (the actual physical production of the movie or show.)

Unit Production Manager (UPM): This person generally oversees the ‘front office’, and their focus is usually on the ‘below the line’ expenditures.  They are basically the accountants of the show and as such, their primary job is to say ‘no’, or ‘find a cheaper way to do it.’ Seriously.  They report to the producer.

Director: This person is in charge of ‘production’ and their duty is to actually make the movie.  Part of their job is to constantly ask the unit production manager for money, to which the UPM will say ‘no’.  See previous example.  Seriously though, they hire the production crew and oversee all aspects of production before, during and after photography.

Assistant Director (AD): For all intents and purposes, they are traffic cops.  The AD is responsible for getting people where they need to be on set.  This includes doing the daily ‘call sheets’ (the list that breaks down what actor needs to be where and when) and keeping track of the shooting schedule.  They report to the UPM when they are not yelling
at someone.

Director of Photography (DP): Sometimes referred to as a ‘cinematographer’ (it’s a point of contention that I won’t get into here) this person is in charge of the camera crew and reports to the Director. They are responsible for actually ‘shooting’ the movie.

Camera Operator: They are responsible for the technical aspects of using the camera equipment, and as such, they actually run the camera. He or she reports to the DP.

Focus Puller / 1st Assistant Camera Operator: This person maintains all of the camera equipment and it’s associated accessories.  They are also responsible for ‘pulling focus’, which is to dynamically set the focus on the lens when a camera or subject is moving.

Clapper / Loader: Sometimes called a ‘2nd Assist’, they load the film and keep records on all the film stock, whether exposed or not.  They ‘mark’ (place reference markings on the ground to tell an actor where to stand) actors and ‘slate’ (an audio / visual reference board that details the broad production information and features a ‘clapper’ at the top which makes a sharp noise when closed quickly) scenes.  The 1st and 2nd Assists report to the DP

Gaffer: Sometimes called the ‘Chief Lighting Technician’, is in charge of the electrical department and implements (and sometimes designs) the lighting requirements of the shoot.  They oversee the Electricians and report to the DP.

Lighting Technician: Places all of the lights and fixtures that will be utilized during filming.  Responsible for the generator and providing electricity for all work lights on set and in support areas (like the catering area, or your trailer.)

Key Grip: This person is in charge of the grip department, which is responsible for ‘rigging’ (mounting a camera or lighting equipment to stands, poles, cars, people…whatever lights and cameras need to be attached to) lights and equipment.  They too report to the DP.

Grip: Under the supervision of a Key Grip, the Grips are basically responsible for rigging equipment and on-set safety in regards to things falling over.  Many specialized grips will operate cranes, boom arms (stationary camera platform used to elevate a camera), and dollies (mobile camera platform on wheels.)  It is of some note here that the grips may set up the rigging for the lights, but only the lighting tech or the gaffer will actually place and / or focus them.

Script Supervisor: This person is responsible for the script and ensures that everyone on set has a current copy.  They are also responsible for maintaining physical continuity (ensuring specific physical conditions of the actors and / or set are recorded and thus, able to be repeated) on set.  They coordinate with the 2nd Assistant Camera and the Production Sound Mixer (see below) to ensure accurate slate information as well as producing the ‘line script’ (a version of the script which denotes what film rolls have covered which portion of the script.)  They are also responsible for the daily reports to the ‘front office’ regarding what material has been shot, the actual times and breaks during shooting and any ‘wild’ (without any specific synchronous relation to the film) tracks.  They work mainly with the Director and are somewhat of a liaison between the director and the front office.

Production Sound Mixer: Responsible for recording sound on set, including all dialogue, wild tracks and sound effects.  They run the sound equipment and monitor for problems in the sound recordings. They report to the Director.

Boom Operator: Assistant to the Sound Mixer, this person is responsible for microphone placement and will sometimes use a manual ‘fish pole’ type device to place the microphone at a distance, or a larger, mechanical version called a ‘boom’.

Sound Technician: Generally responsible for running the cabling on the sound equipment, they will often be called on to perform the tasks of the Boom Op or the Sound Mixer.

Production Designer: They are in charge of the overall ‘look’ of the production.  The Production Designer establishes everything from wall color to costume design.

Costume Designer: Designs the costumes (not to be trite.)

The Art Department:
• Art Director: Supervises set construction and all associated people in that realm (painters, plasterers, landscapers, sign makers, greens people, etc.)
• Set Decorator: Is responsible for choosing interior set decoration including things like furniture, wall hangings, light fixtures and the like.
• Set Dresser: These people actually ‘dress’ the set by setting up the furniture, wall hangings, light fixtures and the like.
• Property Master: Is in charge of all ‘props’ used during production.  They provide most items an actor will interact with during a shoot, including magazines, food, sports equipment and even firearms.

Location Manager: This person is primarily responsible for locating (sometimes known as ‘location scouting’) and making arrangements for the use of any ‘off the lot’ (not on a property under the Studio’s
control) locations.

Production Assistant: Not to be disparaging, but basically a gopher. As in, ‘gopher this, gopher that…’ Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.  They carry out basic administrative functions and do little odd jobs around set.  Be nice to them, it’s good karma!   These are the bulk of the people you will be interacting with on a day- to-day basis.  There are (obviously) many more people that factor in making a film come to life, but they aren’t generally people you will be interacting with regularly as an actor.  Some of those jobs are the editor, sound designer, and sound and dialogue editors.
Bear in mind here that most of these people work on film sets on a regular basis.  They know their jobs inside and out and have (probably) been doing them for years.  They will (rightfully) expect the same from
you.  Don’t forget that…

Posted on November 12th, 2008 under Business • Tags: Business, SET. •  Email This Post • RSS 2.0 feed • Leave a response, or trackback