Building a Crew: Essential People to Have on Set

Everyone knows filmmaking is a group effort, but do you really know what goes into building a crew? This article dives into the essential roles that will help make your set successful.

Above the Line vs. Below the Line

In filmmaking, you’ll often hear the words “above the line” or “below the line” when referring to different positions. What does this actually mean? “The line” is an administrative and accounting line on a budget sheet that delineates the division between people on a fixed rate versus the people who are paid by varying hourly or daily rates. For example, a producer on the film gets paid a fixed amount of money based on a pre-negotiated contract regardless of how many hours they put in. A camera operator, on the other hand, will receive a day rate or an hourly rate that is dependent on the amount of hours or days they work.

Who Do You Need on Set?

Director and Producers

The director is your on-set creative leader — they guide the project through everything creative and make the creative decisions for the project.

Producers keep your set organized, on budget, and on time. They are responsible for making sure the project has adequate funding, and they are responsible for the budgets. They complete high level organizational tasks that keep the project running smoothly, on budget, and on time.

An assistant director is also crucial for scheduling and timing. They are considered below the line, and they are responsible for scheduling and coordinating. They are the ones who send out call sheets, ensure the production is on schedule for the day, and they work with the producers and director to readjust the schedule if things don’t go as planned on set.

Camera and Lighting

The cinematographer, or director of photography, is in charge of your lighting and camera teams. They are also responsible for executing the director’s vision for the visuals of the film, as well as working with the director to come up with a shot list and storyboard.

The lighting team will also be led by a gaffer, and reporting to the gaffer are the grips. Grips are divided into key grip and other grips in terms of hierarchy, but the number of grips on set is dependent on how large your production is.

Your production might also require camera operators, if there are multiple cameras going and the cinematographer can’t control all of them. You may also have 1st and 2nd assistant camera roles (AC) that will help pull focus and stabilize the camera for the cinematographer.

Sound

Your sound team is led by a sound recordist or a sound mixer who works alongside audio engineers on set, in the editing room, and in studio to produce sounds outside of recording the visuals for sound effects done through foley sound.

Underneath the sound mixer, you will find boom operators who are responsible for capturing the sound by operating large boom mics that can get right in the action during takes.

Script and Art Team

Although most of the script and production design work will be planned out during preproduction, having a script supervisor and art team on set are essential creative and logistical elements. Having your production designer and art team on set allows for a quick setup and strike.

A script supervisor keeps track of dialogue and the scenes, and they ensure that there is continuity between takes and between shots. They note down improvisations and notes on takes, which is then passed on to the editor to make their job easier.

Other People on Set

Production Assistants are key to have on set. They can work for any department, but their whole job is to assist that department’s leader in whatever tasks they may need done. Often PAs will be found wrangling background actors, getting coffee, or running errands for the AD or other high level departmental leaders.

If the set has special scenes such as intimate scenes, battle scenes, or action scenes, you will find more specialized crew members such as intimacy coordinators, weapons wranglers, or stunt coordinators.

Need Help Finding A Crew?

Auteurnet’s Crew Allocation Tool (CAT) can help connect you with filmmakers around your area or the area that you are filming in. Simply make an account at auteurnet.com, build your profile, and sign up for the CAT. Once you’re signed up, you can find crew members for your own crew through a simple questionnaire that searches the platform for filmmakers in your area that meet your criteria, and you can let other people find you to join their crews in a city near you.

Learn more about Auteurnet and how we can help you build your creative community.