James Leigh

Creative

Cast

Management

Editing

Sets

Camera

Lighting

Music

Art Department

Sound Production

Direction

Camera crews need to be very vigilante but also gentle with the equipment they use. They are a vital part to creating a film and they work with the lighting department so the lighting and the camerawork works well together. They are very creative and they are fluent with the camera shots they use; the camera crews make a camera movement almost invisible. Camera crews work with a lot of other specialists such as crane operators to create the perfect shot. There are four people on one camera, all doing different jobs. As well as these, there are other job roles:

Director of Photography

Script Supervisor

Camera Operator

1st Assistant Camera

2nd Assistant Camera

Camera Trainee

Steadicam Operator

Aerial Director of Photography

Aerial Camera Pilot

Aerial Camera Assistant

Marine and Diving Crew

Crane Operator

Video Assist Operator

The Director of Photography works with every department to make sure each scene is the best possible quality they can make it.

The Camera Operator makes sure everything is in working order and it is ready for the next scene; they also work with the 1st Assistant Camera man who focus the camera and the 2nd Assistant Camera man who helps to move the camera during a shot. The Camera Trainee does everything the others don’t want to do which is filing out camera reports and making tea or coffee etc.

The rest of the job roles include: Taking shots in the air from helicopters or planes such as Aerial Camera Pilots which need a lot of expertise to do this. A Crane Operator for other shots that are in the air.A Marine and Diving Crew for underwater filming and other specialists.

The lighting crews are also very important in creating a film but not only are they important, the light of day and the artificial light is also important. The lighting crew set up different lighting equipment to change the mood or the atmosphere; if the lighting crew get it wrong then it could destroy the mood and the scene. The lighting department work on ideas that the director, the designer, costume department etc. Then the lighting team choose their equipment working around the brief they have been given. The lighting department are trained to work safely with electricity and the dangers they have; therefore, most of the lighting department are qualified electricians. As well as the lighting department, the other job roles are:

Director Of Photography

Gaffer

Best Boy

Lighting Technician

Moving Light Operator

Practical Lighting Technician

Console Operator

Apprentice Lighting Technician

Generator Operator

The Director Of Photography makes sure that the film has got its look; they make sure that everything the lighting department do, is correct such as, the way the lighting falls on an actors face. Gaffers are in charge of the whole electrical work on a production; the gaffer also leads the technicians to create the desired effect. The Best Boy or Assistant Chief Technician co-ordinate the light technicians and do all the paperwork etc. relating to the role. The Lighting Technician’s provide the relevant lighting to a scene, they set it up and test it. The Moving Light Operator creates the automated sequence for lights to move and they make sure it is working properly. The Practical Lighting Technician makes sure there is a suitable power supply for the lighting at a certain location as well as making sure all the equipment is safe.The Console Operator operate all the generic, conventional or fixed lights; they also operate the Dimmer Board to mix the lighting effects. The Apprentice Lighting Technician becomes familiar with all the equipment, learns how to use it, tests it etc. The Generator Operator fixes and maintains the generators that they use during productions on the road for lighting etc.

Music can play a main role in genres such as musicals and dramas; however, they can also be in the background that could change the atmosphere of a scene. Music can be diegetic or non-diegetic depending on what the scene is; music can change the scene completely through the pace, mood etc. The music department can also choose any music that will fit into the genre of the scene as well as the mood of it. Feature films can have their own soundtrack’s created but they can also use soundtrack’s already created.

Key Roles

Composer

Music/Composer Agent

Music Supervisor

Other Roles

Musicians Contractor

Music Researcher

Music Arranger

Orchestrator

Copyist

Song Writer

A Composer writes the music that is appropriate to a film or scene; composer’s increase the reaction of the audience and impact of the film as well as giving the atmosphere through the music they create.

The Music/Composer Agent work for the composer and they secure deals and contracts on films so the composer can do the music for the production.

The Music Supervisor acts as a mediator for the production team and composers and they negotiate the deals.

Films can be located anywhere; creating the visual world or setting for a film is the role of the Art Department. The look of sets or locations transports audiences into the world of the story, and is an essential element in making films convincing and evocative. These settings are rarely left to chance by film makers; a great deal of work and imagination goes into constructing appropriate backdrops to any story. The Art Department usually employs the largest number of people on any film crew. On big budget fantasy, period drama or sci-fi films, the Art Department Offices, and Drawing and Construction Studios can occupy a vast area and employ hundreds of talented people.

Production Designer

Art Director

Supervising Art Director

Standby Art Director

Assistant Art Director

Set Director

Production Buyer

Specialist Researcher

Storyboard Artist

Production Designers are major heads of department on film crews, and are responsible for the entire art department. They play a crucial role in helping directors to achieve the film's visual requirements.Art Directors act as project managers for the biggest department on any film, the art department. They facilitate the production designer's creative vision for all the locations and sets that eventually give the film its unique visual identity. Supervising Art Directors have a primarily organisational role on big budget films which require a number of sets and involve large art departments. They manage the budget and schedule, enabling production designers to translate their vision into reality. Standby Art Directors monitor the art department's work on set during filming on behalf of the Production Designer. Assistant Art Directors translate ideas into practical realities, initial sketches become worked-up drawings from which a variety of craftsmen build sets or adapt locations.Set Decorators provide anything that furnishes a film set, excluding structural elements. Production Buyers provide administrative support to set decorators, and carefully monitor and control the set decorating budget to avoid overspending. Specialist Researchers work closely with the production designer, the supervising art director, art director and set decorator, but also provide backup in the form of detailed research to the entire art department. Storyboard Artists translate screenplays, or sequences from screenplays, into a series of illustrations in comic book form.

The best known role within the Direction department is clearly the Director, this is the person who is responsible for the creative vision and overall style of a feature film; the Director is also supported by a number of Assistants, who ensure that the Director’s ambitions are achieved during the filming process by providing logistical, organisational and time-management support.

Film Director

First Assistant Director

Second Assistant Director

Third Assistant Director

Floor Runner

The Director is the driving creative force in a film's production, and acts as the crucial link between the production, technical and creative teams.The First Assistant Director is the director's right hand person, taking responsibility for a number of important practicalities so that the director is free to concentrate on the creative process. The Second Assistant Director is the first assistant director's right hand person.The Third Assistant Director supports and assists the first and second assistant directors in whatever ways are necessary on the set or location.The Floor Runner is the accepted and conventional entry-level position within the film production industry - the first rung on the ladder.

Recording all sound on set or on location is the work of the Production Sound Crew which includes Production Sound Mixers, Boom Operators, and Sound Assistants; on bigger films, Sound Trainees may also be employed. Ensuring that the dialogue recorded during film shoots is suitably clear is a complex job; most film sets are challenging for the Sound Department because there are often unwanted noises to deal with, or the desired camera shots and the placing of microphones get in the way of each other.

Sound Designer

Production Sound Mixer

Sound Assistant

Boom Operator

Music Editor

Sound Designers are responsible for providing any required sounds to accompany screen action. Production Sound Mixers are responsible for the difficult job of recording sound, dialogue and ensuring that dialogue recorded during filming is suitably clear. Sound Assistants are the third members of the Production sound crew and provide general back up and support to the production sound mixer and the boom operator. Boom Operators are responsible for placing the microphone in the best position, without impeding camera operation, or hampering actors' freedom to perform. Music Editors help directors to achieve their musical ambitions on films, and provide a crucial link between the film and the composer.

Casting

Costume

Hair and Make Up

Performing

Scripts

Good casting is vital if films are to be successful and if the audience will find the films successful. Ensuring that the most suitable actors are cast requires a lot of knowledge about the available actors and the best candidates.  Directors often work with the same Casting Director on many films, entrusting their taste, imagination and ability to deliver the best possible casts. Depending on the style of the film, Directors may be prepared to take creative risks by using non professional actors; this can require months of research and auditioning by Casting Directors.  They also play a crucial role in contacting A-List stars and negotiating deals.

Casting Director

Casting Assistant

Casting Directors organise and facilitate the casting of actors for all the roles in a film.

The Casting Assistant help the casting directors in good casting, this is crucial to making characters credible on screen, and is fundamentally important to a film's success.

The Costume Department is responsible for the: design, fitting, hire, purchase, manufacture, continuity and care of all costume items on feature films. The Costume Department is also responsible for: jewellery, footwear, corsetry, hosiery, millinery and sometimes wig-work. Costume is integral in defining the overall image of the film. It provides the audience with information about the period, culture and society the Actors inhabit and, on a more subtle level, the underlying themes of the film itself.

Costume Designer

Wardrobe Supervisor

Costume Supervisor

Costume Maker

Costume Design Assistant

Costume Daily

Costume Assistant

Costume Designers start working on costumes for TV, films and theatre at the beginning of pre-production. They are in charge of designing, creating, acquiring and hiring all costumes for actors and extras. Wardrobe Supervisors start work on productions shortly before shoots begin. Costume Supervisors are responsible for translating designers' ideas and designs into practical reality. Costume Makers for feature films interpret designs, and fit, manufacture and alter costumes that for some reason cannot be bought or hired.Costume Design Assistants start work on productions shortly after Designers, and liaise with the entire costume department.Costume Daily are employed on films on a day-to-day basis as temporary staff, rather than as part of the core costume team.Costume Assistants are responsible for carrying out any tasks allocated to them by costume designers, costume design assistants, costume supervisors and wardrobe supervisors.

The Hair and Make-up Department is responsible for the design, application, continuity and care of hair and make-up during feature film production. They are a key component in the overall design of a film.

Make-Up and Hair Designer

Make-Up Artist

Hairdresser

Prosthetics Artist

Assistant Hairdresser

Assistant Make-Up Artist

Make-up and Hair Designers usually work on feature films and high budget television dramas and must be proficient in both make-up and hair techniques. Make-up Artists work on feature films and on some commercials and pop promos, working for the Chief Make-up Artist. Hairdressers work on feature films and on some commercials and pop promos. They liaise closely with colleagues in the hair, make-up and costume departments, as well as with directors, actors and extras. They prepare performers' scalp and skin and create hairstyles to suit production requirements. Prosthetics Artists work on feature films and in television on commercials, pop promos, corporate productions, light entertainment programmes, documentary dramas, etc. Prosthetics are appliances made of rubber, plastic, gelatine, silicone, or any other material that can be affixed to an Actor's face or body, in order to change their shape and/or appearance.Assistant Hairdressers work on feature films and are responsible to hairdressers, chief hairdressers and/or designers. Their responsibilities vary depending on the size of the production.Assistant Make-up Artists work on feature films and on some commercials, and are responsible to make-up artists, and chief make-up artists and/or designers. Their responsibilities vary depending on the size of the production.

Film Actors work with the Director to create believable characters. They must be able to learn their lines quickly, while sometimes repeating the same scene many times over, for re-takes, and while scenes are shot from different angles. Actors should also know their fellow Actors' lines, so that they can respond to them appropriately, with the correct lines and in the correct time. They need to remember their exact positions and movements at any given time during the performance, to assist with continuity. They must also be able to continually hit their marks on set, without looking down to locate them.

Actor

Agent

Choreographer

Singer

Puppeteer

Stunt Performer

Supporting Artists

Film Actors work with the Director to create believable, natural characters expressing the appropriate emotions, based on the Scriptwriter's words. Agents find work for their clients; they co-ordinate their contracts, and secure appropriate deals for them. Choreographers work with directors, producers, designers and other members of the production team to plan, create and realise the dance or movement design concept. Singers must perform the music given them to the best of their ability. Most singers specialise in one genre, but some may work across several disciplines.Puppeteers bring inanimate objects to life in order to make them perform and interpret scripts with the same degree of integrity as actors. Stunt Performers are employed to take actors' places when dangerous or specialised actions are specified in the script, or to perform roles requiring specific skills.Supporting Artists are employed to provide background action on film and television productions.

The screenplay provides a written blueprint for the entire film making process. The script development process starts either with a Screenwriter writing a screenplay for sale to a production company, or with a Producer hiring a Screenwriter to write a screenplay based on: a concept, a true story, an existing screen work, or another literary work. An interesting, well-written, well-structured, and properly formatted screenplay does not guarantee a good finished film. Experienced Screenwriters and Production companies therefore spend many years developing stories and perfecting screenplays, and many more screenplays are developed than actually produced.

Screen Writer

Development Executive

Script Editor

Script Reader

Screen Writers are responsible for researching the story, developing the narrative, writing the screenplay, and delivering it, in the required format, to development executives. Development Executives have the primary responsibility for seeking out interesting screenwriters and stories, developing screenplays for production, and managing their organisation's development slate.Script Editors provide a critical overview of the screenwriting process, and liaise between the producer or development executive and the screenwriter. Script Readers must have specific skills in analysing screenplays. They evaluate screenwriters' work, and make recommendations about the next stage in the process.

Accounts

Health and Safety

Locations

Distribution

Exhibition

Transport

This is exactly the same for production companies as it is for any business, a film production's financial resources must be carefully managed and controlled by skilled Accountants.  In the film industry their role is particularly critical; because large sums of money need to be accumulated and spent within a relatively short period of time, and continuous changes to budgets occur throughout: development, pre-production, production and post-production.

Production Accounting

Financial Controller

Production Accountant

Assistant Accountant

Film Production Accountants need to understand not only the principles of accurate book keeping and accountancy, but also those of the wider film making process. There are two types of Financial Controllers who perform different roles depending on the specific circumstances of film productions.Production Accountants are responsible for managing finances and maintaining financial records during film production. Assistant Accountants are experienced bookkeepers who assist Production Accountants and Key Assistant Accountants to control finances during feature film production.

Under health and safety legislation, the main responsibility for health and safety lies with the employer involved and the organisation/s in control of the premises and facilities. In the film industry this may be: the investor/client, producer, production company, contractor, designer, supplier, facilities company or studio. All film occupations have a health and safety element attached to them, but the following specialist staff are also hired to ensure protection for cast and crew.

Health and Safety Advisor

Paramedics

Unit Nurse

Health and Safety Advisors in the film industry give advice on health and safety management systems within each film or production, reviewing each company's health and safety policy, and ensuring that health and safety arrangements and the appropriate personnel are in place.Paramedical practitioners work on an occasional basis, and must have relevant qualifications and experience in the medical field, and ideally some experience within the film or creative media industries.Unit Nurses provide first aid cover and primary healthcare to the cast and crew on a film production.

Very few films are shot entirely in studio sets. Even the most fantasised stories may use real locations to bring the characters and stories to life.  Location Managers must understand the Director's ideas for a film in order to find the most suitable locations.  The search for the right location can take months of research.  Once the location has been found, careful negotiations must be carried out about: costs, access, noise, parking and permissions.  On big films involving many locations, excellent logistical expertise is required of the entire Location department.

Unit Manager

Location Manager

Assistant Location Manager

Unit Managers liaise between the film crew and the location, making sure that the property's residents or landlords are kept informed and happy so that filming can progress quickly. Location Managers' primary role is to identify and find ideal locations for a film shoot, reporting to the Producer, Director and Production Designer.The work of Assistant Location Manager's is logistical, providing back up to the Location Manager.

Film distribution involves launching and maintaining films in the marketplace.  Film Distributors must connect each film they release with a wide range of audiences; because every new title is distinctive and different, Distributors must be strategic and knowledgeable about promotion and publicity in order to attract and interest audiences to see their films.

Distributor

Marketing and Publicity Manager

Publicist

Marketing Assistant

Sales Agent

Distributors must aim at different audiences about the films they release, in order to help filmmakers to realise their full potential. Marketing and Publicity Managers oversee the creation and planning of film marketing campaigns, once distributors have identified the target audiences and potential revenue.Film Publicists assist distributors in determining how to advertise films in order to maximize audience numbers. Marketing Assistants are involved in the development and implementation of marketing projects and schemes related to film releases. Film Sales Agents represent filmmakers who are looking for distribution deals for their films.

The Exhibition Department provides the final link in the film production, and they are responsible for bringing the finished product to its audience. It provides a vital service to the industry, because without faultless projection to the appropriate audience no film, can be deemed a success. Exhibition Departments may be employed in a variety of different organisations, ranging from small, art-house cinemas to large multiplexes, and from regional film festivals to national or international events.

Programmer

Projectionist

Programmers are responsible for selecting a range films either for a specific venue or, if they work for a film festival, for all the films presented during the festival.Projectionists are responsible for ensuring that films and any associated advertisements are shown at the correct time, and without any technical problems.

The Transport Department provides crucial support to a film production. Even the lowest budget feature is likely to require at least one person to oversee the transport of cast, crew and equipment to the location of the film shoot.

Transport Manager

Transport Co-ordinator

Transport Captain

Unit Driver

Unit Minibus Driver

Facilities Driver

Transport Managers are in charge of managing all the large vehicles on a film production. Transport Co-ordinators are employed to work on very large-scale feature films, which have major transportation requirements. Transport Captains are responsible for the daily transportation schedule of the cast and key crew during a film shoot.Unit Drivers are employed during film production to drive artists, directors, producers and/or crew members, to and from the film location. Unit Minibus Drivers work during a production as part of the driving team that transports cast, extras and crew to and from locations and unit bases.Facilities Drivers are responsible for driving, and looking after, the vehicles hired from a facilities company for use during a film shoot.

Editing and Post Production

Construction

Props

Post Production is the term for the final stage during the creation of the film when the raw material is edited together to form the completed film.  The processes involved in Post Production include: picture editing, sound editing, composing and recording the score, music editing, adding visual special effects, adding audio sound effects.

Editor

Post Production Supervisor

Assistant Editor

Second Assistant Editor

Titles Designer

The highly creative job of an Editor is to work closely with the director after the filming is completed, select shots and edit them into a series of scenes, which are in turn assembled to create a sequence of scenes in order.Post Production Supervisors are responsible for the post production process.Assistant Editors are responsible for running and maintaining Editing systems. 2nd Assistant Editors are only employed on very big budget films. They assist 1st assistant editors and editors in the picture editing department.Title Designers design the opening titles for films, the captions that appear in the film giving details of time, place etc., and the end credits.

Construction Department workers play a vital role in determining the look of films: they are responsible for building, painting and plastering all the sets required for productions.  They work closely with the art and design department to ensure that the director's and the production designer's ideas are visually realised on sets. 

Construction Manager

Plasterer

Model Maker

Sculptor

Rigger

Carpenter

Painter

Construction Managers supervise the construction of sets and stages for film productions. They co-ordinate the entire process of set building, from initial planning through to the final coat of paint on the finished sets. Plasterers working in film production are skilled craftsmen, with traditional solid plastering abilities. Model makers specialise in designing, creating and producing three-dimensional scale models and miniatures for use on film productions. Sculptors on film productions design and create special features, such as statues or complex props. Riggers install and assemble rigging gear such as scaffolding, cables and ropes. Carpenters on film productions are key members of the construction team, and they must be very skilled at their craft. Painters apply paint, varnish, wallpaper and other finishes to props, scenery and sets on film productions.

The Properties Department is responsible for the creation, operation and maintenance of all props used on feature films; props refers to any moveable item, which is meant to be visible on film.

Props Master

Prop Maker

Armourer

Greensman

Props Storeman

Dressing Props

Standby Props

Props Master’s oversee, and are responsible for, the procurement or production, inventory, care and maintenance of all props associated with productions, ensuring that they are available on time, and within budgetary requirements.Prop Makers work in the properties departments of feature films, making any props that are not being bought in, or hired. Armourers are responsible for the transport, storage and use of all weaponry and firearms on film sets.Greensmen are responsible for procuring, placing, and maintaining any vegetation on film sets.Props Storemen organise the transport, installation, storage and return of all props for film productions.Dressing Props install props on sets and locations before film crews arrive to shoot scenes. Standby Props work on set during the filming of a scene, overseeing the use of props, and monitoring their continuity.