The Composition And Description Of Film Crew Jobs

By Sally Delacruz


Production of films is a very long process that involves a lot of manpower. A lot of film crew jobs are, therefore, available for grabs in so many companies. The crew is not the same as the cast. The cast is made up of people who stand in front of the camera to enact events in the storyline of the movie. In audio productions, they provide their voices. Producers are not categorized as being members of this team; most of them are owners of the companies or own the intellectual property of their films.

This team is made up of various departments; each with its duties and responsibilities. The mandates of each department have, however, been changing over time. The duties performed by a member of a certain department in the past are not necessarily the ones done by somebody with the same title in this industry today.

Three phases that complement each other are involved in producing motion pictures. They are the pre-production phase, the principal picture shooting section and the post-production session. Every activity in the process of movie production is affiliated to any of the three areas. It is also common to divide the team into below the line and above the line crews.

The director is often considered as not belonging to any of the crew departments. He is in charge of the content and chronology of events in the plot of the movie. He instructs actors, organizes them and chooses the setting for every scene. He also controls other details like where cameras should be placed, the amount of light needed and all issues concerning sound.

Another important element in filming is production. Most people do not consider it a department on its own. They always consider it a series of responsibilities. This area is made up a producer, an executive producer, a manager of production, producing coordinators and their deputies, some assistant directors, accountants and location managers. All these people compose the front office.

The production section is also made up of individuals known as line producers and vice producers. The former have the responsibility liaising with budgeting officers and the producing studio. They are referred to as a line producers due to their duties of lining up every material needed in producing a film. Production assistants help in handling general responsibilities in production.

The accounts department is also an important part in filming. Officers in this department are in charge of all financial matters. They ensure that every participant gets his/her salary, and all matters involving money are accomplished as per the budget. In Hollywood, there is a single accounting department that manages finances in all movies.

The locations department led by a location manager, deals with securing place settings for the team. They clear the places before granting permission for using them. They have other junior members under them. These are the assistant location manager, location scout, location production deputy and location assistant.

The last area we shall discuss is that charged with providing continuity. These people follow every single scene keenly to ensure that actors do their parts as planned. In case of any deviation, they prompt people responsible for corrections. There are many people involved in filming, and these are only few of them.




About the Author: