Assistant Director

The 1st Assistant Director is the director's right hand who manages all activity on set and ensures everything stays on schedule. During pre-production, ADs break down the script and determine the equipment, location, cast, and crew that will be needed. They are responsible for visiting different locations to assess their suitability for filming, as well as the equipment that will be required. Before stepping foot on set, ADs calculate how long each scene will take to film, and they develop a shooting schedule. During filming, ADs have an important role in ensuring everything goes according to plan, and everyone on set stays safe. They are constantly managing the time to ensure an efficient shoot, which includes constantly prepping for the next scene.

The Sound Mixer

The sound mixer has an important role in capturing the audio on set, which is predominantly dialogue, but also includes room noise and sound effects. They ensure that the radio and boom microphones are working properly, and the recorded audio is at a good level in every take. Although sound mixers work predominantly during production, they also have a role in pre-production, where they must collaborate with the director to discuss the best method of capturing sound. Before filming starts, they'll visit the locations to observe if there's any potential sound problems, like a nearby airport or road. If they observe an issue with sound during a take, sound mixers will communicate that to the director, who can decide whether to reshoot it or correct it in post-production.  

The Production Designer

The Production Designer has such an important role because they overlook the entire look of the film. In early pre-production, they get a copy of the script and meet with the director to imagine the screenplay. They research and collaborate with other heads of department to talk about color palettes, as well as the visual elements like lighting and costumes that will be used to achieve the intended feel. Production designers work closely with the art department to draw up a budget for the film, and they're responsible for allocating finances to members of the art team who are performing certain tasks. They're at the top of the chain of command in the art department, and a good portion of their work involves communicating with other positions on set to create the desired atmosphere and composition for each scene.  

Director of Photography

The role of a director of photography is so important because they're responsible for how each shot looks, including the proper lighting, camera movement, and framing. They read the screenplay and work closely with the director to visualize the shots and overall feel of the film, and they use those ideas to acquire the proper equipment and crew. During production, DoPs have a major role because they must prep each scene with the director, and make sure other crew members like gaffers and grips know of any special camera moves or lighting requirements. While filming, DoPs are responsible for making sure every shot is usable, and marking them if they have any issue. Once production wraps up, DoPs also play a role in post-production as they work with the director to view the raw footage, and add any necessary color adjustments alongside a colorist.    

The Chain of Command

The chain of command on a film set dictates who reports to who, and what positions should be consistently in communication with one another. Larger budget sets require more crew members, which creates a chain of command in each department. It's important that everyone knows the chain of command because if there are any problems, the proper people must be informed, which isn't always the director or producer. Usually, those lead positions are busy with other things, and the problem should be addressed to the head of the department. Also with the chain of command, it ensures that positions like the director of photography and the head audio engineer are always in communication with one another, which is vital for making sure everyone is on the same page, and production goes smoothly.    

The Role of a Director

The director has such an important role in the film because they are the creative leads, and work with the story from pre-production to the final edit. Once they've been employed, one of their first responsibilities is working with a script, and imagining it in visual form. They work closely with the producer to appoint the heads of each department, as well as develop the filming style and select actors with the casting director. Once on set, directors are responsible for blocking the actors, so they know the choreography for how they're going to be positioned, when to move, and how to deliver the dialogue. In addition, directors are constantly communicating with other crew members like lighting and wardrobe to ensure that the technical elements are up to par. After everything is shot, the director works closely with the editor to prepare a "director's cut," which will be reviewed by financiers before the final cut is signed off on.

The Role of a Producer

The production role is so important in film because they make the overall decisions, and are in charge of overseeing the whole process. A producer is usually the first to get involved, as they come up with ideas and work to secure rights to scripts that interest them. Their other major responsibilities include managing the budget of the film, collaborating with the director on creative ideas, and working with the commercial viability and distribution of the film. During production, they have ultimate legal responsibilities for the health and safety of the crew, so they work to promote a good working environment with constant communication. Since the production role consists of a lot, producers can often distribute responsibilities to line producers, and there's often an executive producer who leads the whole production.

Who's Who On A Movie Crew

A movie crew requires so many different jobs because there are so many components that go into a shot, including lighting, makeup, cinematography, and costumes. Each department often has several people within it to make the production go as smoothly as possible, and those people are responsible for delivering on their end. Also there are jobs that don't even involve touching camera equipment, like production assistants and producers, however they're still vital to the whole process. I've never heard of a Unit Production Manager, whose role is to break down scripts, manage schedules, and oversee all aspects of production like set construction. This role seems interesting because it doesn't appear to require the same technical skills that most jobs on set do, although it must be stressful to manage everything going on behind the scenes.

Best Practices On Set

Before every shot, it's important to follow production protocol in calling a shot so everyone's on the same page, and there's no disruptions later. The first step in calling a shot is asking to lock up the set, which the AD will call out. This ensures that no one accidentally enters the hot set, because it could ruin the shot and force everyone to start over. From there, the AD calls that the "picture is up" and asks everyone to be quiet, a message that the Production Assistants will usually relay to their location. To check that both the sound department and cameras are ready, the AD will call "roll sound" and "roll camera", which is a cue for each department to start rolling and respond with "sound speed" and "camera speed". From there, the 2nd Assistant Camera slates the shot and calls out the roll, shot, and take number, so post-production has an easier time identifying the footage. Next, the camera operator refocuses the camera and calls "set", and if there's people that'll be in the background, the AD asks them to start moving by calling "action background". When all that is done, the Director can call "action", and the actors can start the scene.

Shots vs. Setups

A shot is a series of frames that captures a unique camera angle or frame, whereas a setup is a configuration of lighting, props, set-dressing, and actors to get that certain shot. Changing setups takes time because you have to move your equipment, like adjusting the entire lighting unit to illuminate different parts of the set. Often times you won't have as many setups as shots, because shots that are similar can be composed from the same setup. This is incredibly important to remember when going to shoot a scene because you want to maximize your time, and making the most out of every set-up makes the process efficient, organized, and keeps everyone happy. With this said, some scenes will have to be shot out of order, but that just allows you to minimize the number of turn-a-rounds so you can get all the shots in a reasonable time.

Coverage

Coverage is the amount and kind of shots that a cinematographer uses to capture a scene. Triangle coverage is one of the simplest forms, but it still provides a great foundation to build around with a master shot and two singles. A filmmaker can also add extra coverage to highlight some objects, which is useful for the editor because he can use the footage as insert or cutaway shots. Coverage is so important when shooting because only having one shot of the talent would make the scene drag out too long, as well as create a sense of detachment from the characters. Also without enough coverage, you can't control the pacing, which is very important in certain genres like comedy when you rely on timing to create the best visual story.  

Creating A Shot List

A shot list is a document that gives you an idea of every shot you foresee being in your movie. It's formulated by going through the script scene by scene and writing down every single shot you plan on shooting within each scene. Eventually you should have a list of every shot in the film, and you can translate that to "grocery list" of shots on a separate piece of paper. Each shot should be labeled with an abbreviation that conveys its framing, angle, or movement, like OTS for an over the shoulder shot. Having a shot list is so important because it allows a film crew to move quickly and be efficient, as they have a reference to every shot that needs to be captured. Without one, time is wasted on set making decisions, and the production altogether looks disorganized.

Storyboarding

Storyboarding is so important for planning your film because it allows you to visualize what your scenes will look like before going on set. It essentially serves as a reference manual where you know what the final product needs to look like, so you don't accidentally forget a shot. Also, storyboarding saves time in the long run because you know the types of shot you need before using any equipment, so you don't have to waste time figuring that out. In essence, the storyboard is an extended version of the script that visually shows how different scenes will be filmed. The storyboard can include written commentary, but it is mainly made up of drawn images that can directly correlate to different scenes in the script.

3-Act Structure

The three act structures consist of a setup, a confrontation, and a resolution. The setup introduces the main characters, the world that they live in, and a conflict that will drive the story forward. It needs some sort of hook or exciting scene that grabs the audience's attention, and should end with a major plot point that completely changes the course of the story. For Act II or the confrontation, the writer has to figure out what elements to include to keep the story moving and audience entertained, before the resolution. Often times a subplot is introduced to give a different perspective on the characters that's still relevant to the overall narrative. Similar to the setup, Act II should end with another plot point, only the stakes must be higher, and it should appear that all hope is lost. The resolution includes the final confrontation of the story, whether that be in a battle scene or a clash between good and evil. It includes a denouement, so that loose ends in the overall plot are summed up, and a resolution is offered for all of the subplots.    

How To Write A Treatment

A treatment is a multi-page document that includes the synopsis of your story, and is easy to understand by any executive or producer that might be reading it. Treatments generally focus on telling the story that happens in the screenplay, and they don't necessary require complete dialogue. To create an effective one, it's important to break the treatment into separate segments, like the characters, opening scene, different acts, and final scene. Also, the writer should refrain from too much dialogue because it will likely change, and you don't want a decision to be made solely on the fact that it's not captivating enough. In addition, it's important to remember that there aren't any definitive rules, and different screenwriters have different approaches, like spending more time on the characters or building the logic of the setting.

Outline, Synopsis, or Treatment

Both an outline, synopsis, and treatment are different elements from the pre-production process, however entirely different. An outline is often the first thing written about an idea, and it includes key plot points, story and character arc, and a breakdown of the major beats of each scene. The outline generally changes over time because often times characters take different routes than originally intended. The outline is the most similar to a treatment, however the latter is more in depth and resembles a short story version of the script. It's written in present tense and requires an active voice to give more details into the characters and story. The final confused document, a synopsis, is often shown to producers and it's basically a paragraph or page description of the overall premise of your film or show.

The Pitch

To create a great pitch, I learned that it's important to never try to tell the whole story, to begin by telling the motivation behind the story, and to finish by telling the title, log line, and posing a question. Since you generally have less than two minutes to pitch your idea, I learned that trying to cram everything in from visual descriptions to set pieces can confuse the prospective buyer, and make the entire pitch seem rushed altogether. With this said, it's important to reveal only the essential elements, like revealing how you came up with the idea, because it's a better start to the pitch than a title that means nothing yet to the listener. In the final moments of the pitch, I learned that it's smart to  throw in the title and a single sentence that summarizes it all, as the prospective buyer now knows the essence of the story. Also, it's smart to finish the log line with a question, because it encourages them to discuss your idea further, or possibly request a script.