PCC CINEMA PROGRAM

FILM CREW JOB DESCRIPTIONS

This is a partial list and explanation of typical roles on the filmmaking team.
By Noel Paul,with modifications by Lindsey Jang
with the exception of the descriptions of the UPM, 1st AD, and 2nd AD;
which come from The Film Directors Team by Silver and Ward.

To the lay person (a.k.a. civilians), learning about the vast number of jobs on a motion picture
project can be astonishing. It can help to group them by department. For the cinema production
student, it can be helpful to view them by the craft areas that can are typically taught in school.
Writer/writing
e.g. Ben Hecht, Charles Brackett, Michael Wilson, William Goldman, Paddy Chayefsky, Robert
Benton, Jane Campion, Wes Anderson, Joel & Ethan Coen, Nora Ephron, Quentin Tarantino
Producer/producing
e.g. Gene O. Selznick, Jerry Bruckheimer, Joel Silver, Scott Rudin, Harvey Weinstein.
Director/directing
e.g. Orson Welles, Billy Wilder, Ang Lee, Lee Daniels, James Cameron, Katharine Bigelow
Cinematographer, a.k.a. Director of Photography/cinematography
e.g. Gregg Toland, James Wong Howe, Conrad Hall, Januz Kaminski, Maurio Fiore, Robert
Richardson
Film or Picture Editor, a.k.a. Editor/editing
e.g. Dede Allen, Walter Murch, Sally Menke
Production Sound or Sound Designer/Sound Editor
e.g. Walter Murch, Ben Burtt, Gary Rydstorm, Steve Flick.
There are many more positions and they are often learned either through specialized private
programs, e.g. script supervision, make-up, or through direct experience/apprenticeship, e.g.
production design, art direction, hair & make-up, set decoration, property master.

PRODUCTION STAFF:
PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT:
Producer
A film producer creates the conditions for making movies. The producer initiates, coordinates,
supervises and controls matters such as fundraising, hiring key personnel, and arranging for
distributors. The producer is involved throughout all phases of the filmmaking process from
development to completion of a project.
Casting Director
Works closely with the director to cast the film. Specific duties will include:
Assist in the organization and administration of casting calls and auditions
Assist in the recruitment and hiring of cast
Unit Production Manager
The UPM, under the supervision of the Exec Producer, coordinates, facilitates, and
oversees the preparation of the production unit, including: all off-set logistics, day to day

production decisions, locations, budget schedules and personnel. Specific duties will
include:
Prepare script breakdown and preliminary shooting schedule with the 1st AD
Prepare and coordinate the budget
Oversee search and survey of all locations and the completion of business arrangements
for the same
Assist in the preparation of the production with a mind towards efficiency collaboration
Supervise completion of the production report for each days work, showing work
covered and the status of the production, and arrange for distribution of that report to
proper channels
Coordinate arrangements for the transportation and housing of cast, crew, and staff
Oversee the securing of releases and negotiations for locations and personnel
Maintain a liaison with the local authorities regarding locations and the operation of the
company
1st Assistant Director
During preproduction the 1st AD works in conjunction with the UPM in organizing the
crew, securing equipment, script break down, stripboard (production board) prep, and
shooting schedule. During production he/she assists the director with respect to on-set
production details, coordinates and supervises crew and cast activities and facilitates an
organized flow of production activity. Specific duties will include:
Prepare script breakdown and preliminary shooting schedule with the UPM
Aid in location business, as delegated by the UPM
Check weather reports
Prepare day-out-of-day schedules for talent employment and determine the cast and
crew calls
Supervise the preparation of the call sheet for cast and crew
Direct background action and supervise crowd control
Supervise the functioning of the shooting set and crew
2nd Assistant Director
The 2nd AD is the chief assistant to the 1st AD in conducting the business of the set or the
location site. Specific duties will include:
Prepare the call sheet, in conjunction with the 1st AD
Prepare the daily production report, in conjunction with the UPM
Distribute scripts, sides, changes, and call sheets to cast and crew
Communicate advance scheduling to cast and crew
Aid in location managing as required by the UPM, 1st AD, or Location Manager
Facilitate transportation of equipment and personnel, under the supervision of the UPM
Schedule food, lodging, and other facilities
Supervise set and location wrap
Maintain liaison between UPM and 1st AD
Assist in the direction of background action and the supervision of crowd control
Script Supervisor
The script supervisor maintains a daily log of the shots covered and their relation to the
script during the course of a production, acts as chief continuity person, and acts as an
on-set liaison to the post-production staff. Specific duties will include:
Maintain of log of all shots, including the following information: shot number(s) as seen
on script, actual slated shot number(s), comments by director or DP, continuity
information including digital stills references, tape/reel#, camera settings, date, time,
production statistics, etc.
Act as continuity person on set
Daily cross-referencing with continuity stills photographer to ensure accessibility of
continuity stills during production

 Maintain liaison with 2nd AD, provide information for daily production reports
Provide editor, other postproduction staff with log of footage
Key Production Assistant
The key PA is the chief on-set/on-location assistant of the 1st AD in terms of set
operations. Specific duties will include:
Management of walkie-talkies, traffic cones, and other production staff equipment
Management of other production assistants
Assist in the direction of background action and the supervision of crowd control
Assist in set lock-downs
Assist in the functioning of the shooting set and crew
Production Accountant
The production accountant works closely with the UPM to maintain the productions
budget. Specific duties will include:
Preparation of the budget, in conjunction with UPM
Maintenance of production accounts
Facilitate release of expenditures
Accounting for costs, filling out cost reports
Location Manager
The location manager works with the UPM and the 2nd AD to manage the discovery and
securing of locations. The locations manager maintains a liaison between the production
and the local authorities, and obtains the necessary clearance and release for use of
locations.
Publicist
Working closely with the executive producer, director, art director, and publicity
designer, the publicist works to publicize and promote the film during all phases of
production. Specific duties will include:
Securing permission for and supervising placement of posters, flyers, and other promo
ads
Supervising the generation and distribution of press releases
Maintaining a liaison with the press
Assisting in fundraising activities

ART DEPARTMENT:
Production Designer
Working under the supervision of the director and in coordination with the Art Director,
the Production Designer develops, coordinates, facilitates, and oversees the overall
design of the production, i.e. anything that will appear in front of the camera. The
Production Designer acts as a supervisor to the makeup, hair, and wardrobe departments,
and as a consultant to the camera, art director, special effects, and compositing
departments. Specific duties will include:
Early development of attitude boards for characters, locations, scenes, etc.
Coordinate the work of the costume designer, production designer, and compositors
with the DP and the director.
Supervise the work of the publicity designer
Supervise the creation of title sequences and credits
Art Director
Working under the supervision of the director and in coordination with the Production
Designer, the Art Director develops, coordinates, facilitates, and oversees the design of
the sets, whether on stage or practical locations. The Art Director supervises the work

of the construction crew, set decorating crew, and property department in conjunction
with the director and DP. Specific duties will include:
Participation in location scouting recces
Design of sets
Supervision of set construction and dressing
Coordination, via the art director, with the make up, wardrobe, camera, property, and
compositing departments
Publicity Designer
Working under the supervision of the director and in coordination with the art director
and the publicist, the publicity designer develops, coordinates, facilitates, and oversees
the design of publicity materials including posters, promo shots, and the website.
Specific duties will include:
Design and implementation of production website
Design of posters and other promotional materials
Design of Electronic Press Kit materials
Design of DVD
Key Makeup Person
The key makeup person applies and maintains the casts makeup. Specific duties will
include:
Applying makeup to cast members
Maintaining actors makeup during shooting, in coordination with the script supervisor
and the continuity stills photographer
Key Hairdresser
The key hairdresser dresses and maintains the casts hair. Specific duties will include:
Dressing cast members hair
Maintaining actors hair during shooting, in coordination with the script supervisor and
the continuity stills photographer
Costumer Designer
The costume designer works under the supervision of the director and the art director to
design, obtain, assemble, and maintain the costumes for a production. Specific duties
will include:
The development of costuming concepts and design of costumes
Coordination with the art director, production designer, and DP
The obtaining of all costume components
The final assembly of all costumes
The maintenance of all costumes
Set Costumer
The set costumer works as an assistant to the costume designer, helping to assemble and
maintain the costumes, and also managing and facilitating the use of the costumes during
production. Specific duties will include:
Assist the costume design in design, obtaining, and assembly of costumes
Organization, maintenance, and management of costumes
Helping the actors change
Property Manager
The property manager works in coordination with the art director, production designer,
and DP to gather, maintain, and manage all the props for a production. Specific duties
will include:
Seeking and obtaining props
Maintenance and management of props

Set Decorator
The set decorator works closely with the art director, production designer, construction
foreman, and DP to dress and decorate the sets. Specific duties will include:
Painting, draping, arranging props
Small-scale landscaping

CAMERA DEPARTMENT
Director of Photography
The DP, or Cinematographer, is the camera and lighting supervisor on the production.
DP is in charge of the visual look and design of the entire movie. This means figuring
out, with the Director during Preproduction, how to visually bring the script to life and
how that should be photographed. DPs involvement is now pushing into postproduction
as well to insure that the visual design is being executed or to help decide revisions to
that design. Understanding the workflow of the imagery, and the creative and financial
implications of that workflow from production through postproduction, is becoming
increasingly crucial.
Besides overseeing the work of the camera crew, the DP is also assisted by the grips and
electricians in preparing the technical aspects of recording an image on film or CCD.
Specific duties will include:
Operation of cameras
Coordination of lighting, angle, motion control, media, settings, etc.
Camera Operator
The camera operator assists the DP in camera operation. Specific duties will include:
Operation of cameras
Focus marking & pulling
Maintenance and management of camera equipment
1st Assistant Cameraperson
The 1st AC assists the DP in camera operation and maintenance. Specific duties will
include:
Operation of cameras
Slating & loading
Focus marking and pulling
Preparation, Maintenance and management of camera equipment
2nd Assistant Cameraperson
The 2nd AC assists the DP in camera operation and maintenance and works in
coordination with the script supervisor in naming, slating, and logging shots and
reels/tapes. Specific duties will include:
Slating & loading
Preparation, Maintenance and management of camera equipment
Maintenance, labeling, logging, and safekeeping of reels/tapes
Continuity Stills Photographer
The continuity still photographer uses a digital still camera to establish continuity
referents for each shot covered in a day of shooting. These shots are cross-referenced
with the script supervisors log for accessibility on set. Specific duties will include:
Taking pictures of each shot covered, with particular attention to in-point and out-point
of a shot. This means a photograph should be taken before the director says action, and
immediately after the director says cut. These photographs should not use a flash
Daily cross-referencing with script supervisor to ensure accessibility of continuity stills
during production

Production Still Photographer

The still photographer documents the production by taking still photographs. These
pictures are used for documentary and publicity purposes. Specific duties will include:
Taking pictures of set operations, poster shots, portraits, etc
Documentary Videographer
The documentary videographer captures behind the scenes footage for the Electronic
Press Kit and other documentary purposes. Specific duties will include:
Filming set operations
Filming interviews with cast and crew

ELECTRICAL:
Gaffer
Also sometimes called the lighting designer, the gaffer is the chief electrician who
supervises set lighting in accordance with the requirements of the DP. Specific duties
will include:
Lighting of sets and locations
Maintenance and management of lights and lighting equipment
Specialized electrical work such as generator operation
Best-Boy Electric
The best-boy electric is the chief assistant to the gaffer in the lighting of sets and the
operation of electrical systems. Specific duties will include:
Lighting of sets and locations
Maintenance and management of lights and lighting equipment
Specialized electrical work such as generator operation
Electrician
The electrician works under the direction of the Gaffer in the lighting of sets and the
operation of electrical systems. Specific duties will include:
Lighting of sets and locations
Running electrical cabling and distributing all electrical power
Maintenance and management of lights and lighting equipment
Specialized electrical work such as generator operation

PRODUCTION SOUND:
Mixer/Recordist
The mixer, aka recordist, is the on-set/on-location sound engineer responsible for the
recording of production sound and any sync-related on-set sound mixing and playback.
Specific duties will include:
Supervising capture of audio onto various devices from various sources
Maintenance and management of on-set sound equipment
Assist in the recording of ADR, foley, & music during postproduction
Boom Operators
The boom operators work under the supervision of the mixer/recordist in the recording of
production sound, holding mic booms, placing mics, holding cables, and operating
various recording devices. Specific duties will include:
Holding mic booms and cables
Headphone monitoring of mics
Mic placement, set-up, and tear-down
Operation of recording devices

Sound Assistant
The sound assistant acts mainly as a liaison between the mixer/recordist and the script
supervisor, managing and logging media assets. Specific duties include:
Labeling, Maintenance and management of tapes and media.
Report of tape/shot info to script supervisor for log
Maintenance of tape logging forms

SET OPERATIONS:
Key Grip
The key grip works with the gaffer in setting and cutting lights to creating shadow effects
for the set lighting and supervises camera cranes, dollies, platforms, and wild wall
movements according to the DP. Specific duties will include:
Creating shadow, reflection, reduction, and diffusion effects
Supervising dollie, crane, and other camera movement
Maintenance and management of grip equipment
Best-Boy Grip
The best-boy grip is the chief assistant to the key grip, aiding him/her in rigging, cutting
light, and carrying out camera movements. Specific duties will include:
Assisting the key grip in light cutting, reflection, and diffusion
Assisting in the various technical set operations required by the DP
Set Ops Grips
The set ops grips are assistants to the key grip, aiding him/her in rigging, cutting light,
and carrying out camera movements. Specific duties will include:
Assisting the key grip in light cutting
Holding flags and bounces
Laying dolly track
Assisting in the various technical set operations required by the DP
Dolly Grip
The dolly grip is the chief grip responsible for operating the camera dolly, usually in
conjunction with the best-boy grip. Specific duties will include:
Operating the camera dolly
Construction Foreman
The construction foreman works in coordination with the art director, production
designer, DP, and set dressers, overseeing the construction and demolition of sets, special
equipment, car mounts and platforms. Specific duties will include:
Coordination and collaboration with the production designer on the design of sets
supervision of the construction of sets
The construction and implementation of special equipment such as camera jibs, dollies,
or car-mounts
The demolition of sets and equipment
Construction Grips
The construction grips aid the construction foreman in set construction and demolition.
Specific duties will include:
The construction of sets
The demolition of sets

POSTPRODUCTION STAFF:
EDITORIAL:
Editor
The editor works under the supervision of the director and executive producer to
assemble the film. Specific duties will include:
The assembly of the footage into successive cuts until a final cut is reached
Assist the DP with color correction and other post-production effects
The output of the final cut to several formats
Assistant Editor
The assistant editor works as an assistant to the editor, helping him/her with by logging
and capturing footage, organizing and managing media in coordination with the script
supervisors log. Specific duties will include:
Logging and capture media
Preparing offline edit timelines for the director
Managing media in coordination with the script supervisors log
Maintaining a system of backups
Assisting with compression and multi-format output

COMPOSITING:
Lead Compositor/Visual Effects Supervisor
The lead compositor works under the supervision of the director, DP, and art director and
in coordination with the editor to design and implement compositing effects. Specific
duties will include:
Supervision of all compositing work
Assist the art director and DP in the creative and technical design of composite shots
Implementation of composite shots
Compositors
The compositors work under the supervision of the lead compositor and the art director to
implement compositing effects. Specific duties will include:
Digital scrubbing and cleaning
Implementation of composite shots

POSTPRODUCTION SOUND & MUSIC:

Sound Designer, a.k.a. Sound Editor
The sound designer, working in conjunction with the director, is responsible for the
ideation and creation of the overall soundtrack of the film. The sound designer
supervises the mix of music, dialogue, ADR, foley, and sound effects. Specific duties
will include:
Sonic mis-en-scene
Realization of sound effects, textures, and landscapes
Supervision of the mix for various output formats

Composer
The composer writes original music to be heard in the film, both diagetic and
nondiagetic. Specific duties will include:
Writing music as demanded in both pre and postproduction
Supervising the recording of the music
Mixing Engineer
The mixing engineer, under the supervision of the sound designer, mixes the overall
soundtrack into its final mixes for a variety of output formats. Specific duties will
include:
Mixing sound in stereo and/or multi-channel formats, for home system and theatrical
release
Preparing final mixes for mastering
Mastering audio
Foley Artist
The foley artist creates sound effects to accompany specific visual objects, movements,
and sound sources, such as footsteps or punches. Specific duties will include:
Generating and recording sounds to accompany specific on-screen sound sources.