7

Cast and Crew

 Hiring Procedures

For starters, let us be clear of the different professions and their working relationships as they concern director, production manager, and assistant director. Those are defined by the Directors Guild of America (DGA) as follows:

Director

A director directs the production of motion pictures and whatever is seen and heard in the finished product. He or she also directs all related functions and activities required for translating and transferring the script, premise, idea, and/or concept to the audiovisual images.

These directorial functions will include:

• Surveying and approving all locations and their use as they pertain to the directorial concept and need
• Directorial planning and breakdown of the shooting script
• Plotting the camera angle and composition within the frame
• Participation in determining the requirements of the set, costumes, makeup, props, etc., for their proper directorial perspective and mechanical functioning
• Participation in the final casting of all performers
• Rehearsing actors, extras, and any of the visual and audio devices necessary for the completion of the production
• Directing the action of all actors, extras, etc.
• Directing the dialogue, as well as pre-recording and post-recording of dialogue
• Directorial supervision of the duties of the entire crew during the rehearsal and shooting periods
• Making such script changes as necessary, within his or her jurisdiction, for the proper audiovisual presentation of the production

The Right to the First Cut

Prior to completion of principal photography, the director will be advised of and will participate in considerations with respect to the utilization of the following:

• Trick shots
• Transparencies
• Process plates
• Background
• Inserts
• Stock film
• Montages glass and matte shots
• Miniatures optical devices

The director’s total function is to contribute creatively to all these above elements and to guide, mold, and integrate them into one cohesive dramatic and aesthetic whole.

Director (Employee): Commercials and N/T

A director who works continuously and exclusively for a producer and is sometimes engaged in crafts or functions other than directing, and who is also assigned to direct productions.

Unit Production Manager

The unit production manager (UPM) coordinates, facilitates, and oversees the preparation of the production unit (or units), all off set logistics, day-to-day production decisions, locations, budget schedules, and personnel.

Other duties include

• Preparing script breakdown and preliminary shooting schedule
• Preparing or coordinating the budget
• Overseeing preliminary search and survey of locations and the completion of business arrangements for same
• Assisting in the preparation of the production to ensure continuing efficiency
• Supervising the completion of production report for each day’s work showing work covered and the status of the production, and arranges for the distribution of that report in line with the company’s requirements
• Coordinating arrangements for the hiring, transportation, and housing of cast, crew, and staff
• Overseeing the securing of releases and negotiation for all locations and personnel
• Maintaining a liaison with local authorities regarding locations and the operation of the company

First Assistant Director

A person who specifically organizes the pre-production preparation, including organizing the crew, securing equipment, breaking down the script (or storyboard), preparing stripboard and a shooting schedule. During production, he or she assists the director with respect to the on-set production details, coordinates and supervises crew and cast activities, and facilitates and organizes flow of production activity.

Other duties include

• Preparing of breakdown and stripboard
• Preparing of shooting schedule, keeping it within time limitations imposed by budget, cast availability, and the requirement of complete coverage of the script
• Overseeing the searches, surveys, and management of locations, ensuring the specific requirements of those locations as they might affect the production
• Checking weather reports
• Preparing day out of day schedules for talent employment and determining cast and crew calls
• Supervising the preparation of the call sheet for cast and crew
• Directing background action and supervising crowd control
• Securing minor cast contracts, extra releases, and on occasion, obtains execution of contracts by talent
• Supervising the functioning of the shooting set and crew

Second Assistant Director

A person who assists the first assistant director in conducting the business of the set, or the location site. Other duties include

• Preparing the Call Sheet
• Preparing the Daily Production Report
• Distributing scripts and script changes to cast and crew
• Giving calls to cast and crew
• Communicating advance scheduling to cast and crew
• Aiding in the scouting, surveying, and managing of locations
• Facilitating transportation of equipment and personnel
• Securing execution of minor contracts, extra releases, and on occasion, secures execution of contracts by talent
• Functioning as supervisor during studio and location wrap
• Scheduling food, lodging, and other facilities
• Maintaining liaison between unit production manager or production office and the first assistant director
• Assisting in the direction of background action and in the supervision of crowd control
• Supervising and directing the work of a trainee

It is generally part of the production manager’s duties to hire some personnel for a production and to supervise the execution of contract agreements and related formalities. Figures 7.1 and 7.2 provide an overview of the personnel involved during principal photography and post-production. These figures also depict the lines of communication and command.

If the PM does not know enough personnel through previous productions or personal connections, he or she can place a “wanted” ad in trade papers (Daily Variety or Hollywood Reporter) or weekly casting magazines or make use of the Internet where a wide variety of websites deal with job openings and casting wishes. In large metropolitan areas where frequent production activities take place, an advertisement is likely to draw many resumes for each position to be filled. If the advertisement does not attract sufficient applicants, the PM should consult the local film commission’s production manual. As a last resort, the PM can contact the local unions; however, it might become impossible to have a nonunion production.

Applicants’ resumes usually list types and titles of the productions on which they have worked and sometimes include additional information on producer, director, or cast. If a resume does not include references, the PM should request them. It is a good idea to contact references before hiring an applicant. It is customary that applicants for key creative positions, such as art director, makeup person, director of photography, still photographer, and script supervisor, bring a portfolio or tape of their work to interviews.

Next to his or her professional qualifications, the personality of the applicant is the deciding factor in hiring. Obviously, a neat, clean, energetic, and articulate person is preferable to a lazy, uncaring, and disorganized one.

Attention should be given to whether an applicant would rather have a position other than the one for which he or she is applying. For example, does the assistant director (AD) secretly want to direct? Does the second camera assistant believe himself or herself to be more competent than the director of photography (DP)? Such people can create great stress in a production and should be avoided.

When interior shots are prevalent, the director sometimes requests that all personnel be nonsmokers. Drugs and alcohol are never permitted on the set or location during the workday. However, it is customary to provide “crew beer” at the end of the shooting day.

A full feature film production (which generally runs a minimum of 6 weeks for pre-production, 4 to 6 weeks for principal photography, and up to 10 weeks for editing and post-production) places different demands on the crew and cast than a commercial or a music video, which usually only involves a few days of principal photography. Frequent location site changes, alternation between day and night shoots, and the generally long hours of feature film production require that the crew be picked with great care. If the shoot takes place outside the home base, virtually all of the crew and cast has to be together 24 hours a day for weeks on end. Part of the PM’s art is exhibited in putting together a good crew, ensuring a smooth and trouble-free production.

For teamwork and cooperation on a production, the PM must select personnel who can work together in an easy manner without conflicts. Because no one should be dismissed except for professional incompetence, the choice of personnel must be made very carefully. If someone must be fired for a reason other than professional incompetence, severance pay is expected. The method for determining severance pay should be negotiated and spelled out in the deal memo before employment to avoid arbitration or litigation.

Usually, the production manager pre-interviews prospective personnel and leaves the final decision—at least for the key positions—to the director or producer. The PM processes all contracts and agreements with personnel after the director and producer make their selections. The first key personnel to be hired (other than those needed to run the production office) are director of photography, art director (and more and more so: the SFX-supervisor), and, if necessary, location manager. These three people usually start their work well in advance of principal photography. They are involved in many creative decisions and preparatory work; they will discuss the film’s look and needs with the director and producer during pre-production.

Depending on the nature of the screenplay, the art department may go into full operation— designing and building sets—several weeks before principal photography is scheduled to begin and as soon as the location manager finalizes the location agreements. The art director and director of photography frequently are able to bring to the project staff members with whom they have worked during previous productions. The PM should check whether the production will employ these people on the basis of the art director’s or DP’s previous experience with them. Depending on the work to be done and the budget, the art department will be staffed during pre-production with an assistant art director, a set-construction coordinator, a set designer and drafter, a sketch and storyboard artist, model makers, carpenters, and painters.

As soon as the sets are available or several weeks before commencement of principal photography—again depending on the production’s requirements—the set dresser, prop master, and their assistants are hired. At about the same time, the wardrobe person begins work designing or purchasing the necessary clothes and making rental arrangements after having discussed any artistic suggestions with the director. Toward the end of the pre-production phase, the first assistant director is hired to help the PM prepare logistical and organizational aspects of the shoot. The script supervisor is usually hired several days before the start of photography.

If no special effects makeup or masks are required, the makeup person generally does not start work much before production begins. At the beginning of principal photography— unless the director requests otherwise—most other personnel begin work. The following positions are filled at this time: grip crew, lighting crew, camera crew, sound crew, drivers, still photographer, caterer, set guards, special effects crew and stunt coordinators, and production assistants.

The PM usually tries to finalize deal memos with all personnel as soon as the director and producer reach a decision, but late enough so that any delays in the production schedule do not oblige the production company to pay compensation. An appropriate passage in the deal memo may free the production company from any obligations in case of delay, but this of course opens the possibility that personnel might leave the production if other opportunities arise.

For independent and low- to medium-budget nonunion productions, the following below-the-line crew members are generally sufficient (bear in mind that a crew member might fill more than one position). The actual crew requirements for any film are of course dependent on the nature of the screenplay and the activities involved in the production:

• Production manager
• Production coordinator/production secretary
• First assistant director
• Second assistant director
• Script supervisor
• Director of photography/camera operator
• First assistant camera operator/driver of camera van

  Second assistant camera operator/driver of camera van

• Key grip/driver of grip truck
• Key gaffer
• Dolly grip
• Electrician/grip/driver of electrical truck
• Costume designer/wardrobe supervisor
• Assistant wardrobe/driver of wardrobe van
• Makeup/hair
• Assistant makeup/hair
• Sound recorder
• Boom operator
• Art director
• Prop master
• Set dresser
• Assistant art/prop department/driver of prop truck
• Assistant art/prop department
• Production assistant/craft service
• Production assistant
• Still photographer
• Production accountant
• Painter
• Carpenter
• Operator of “honey wagon”
• Editor
• Assistant editor
• Sound editor

The following personnel are hired as needed:

• Casting director for principals and extras
• Location manager
• Technical advisers/experts
• Teacher/Nurse
• Dance director
• First aid specialist
• Second unit crew
• Special effects teams
• SFX-supervisor
• Seamstress
• Nursery person/Greenery
• Animal handlers
• Music coordinator
• Publicist

 Crew Duties

The actual duties of many crew positions are self-explanatory, but others might need a more detailed description. The responsibilities of various positions are described in this section.

Production Coordinator or Production

Secretary

The production coordinator or production secretary assists the PM in the organizational tasks of the production office; follows up on telephone conversations, appointments, and agreements; and facilitates the flow of production documents and information to the appropriate departments.

First and Second Assistant Directors

During pre-production, the first assistant director assists the PM in organizing the crew, breaking down the script, and preparing the production board and shooting schedule. During production, the first AD assists the director with on-set production details and coordinates and supervises activities of cast and crew. If necessary, this person is involved in location research and negotiations, checks weather reports, prepares day-out-of-days schedules, determines cast and crew calls, supervises preparation of daily call sheets for cast and crew, directs background action, and supervises crowd control. The first AD might also be required to secure minor contracts and extra releases and generally supervise the functioning of the shooting set and crew.

The second assistant director serves as helper to the first AD. This person is in charge of preparing daily call sheets, handling extras requisitions, and other required documents for approval by the first AD or the PM, preparing the daily production report at the end of each shooting day, distributing scripts and changes to cast and crew, distributing and collecting extras’ vouchers, communicating advance scheduling to cast and crew, aiding in scouting and managing locations, and facilitating transportation of equipment and personnel. The second AD may also be required to handle extras’ contracts and releases; coordinate with production staff so that everyone, including cast, crew, and extras, is ready at the beginning of the day; supervise the wrap; schedule food, lodging, and other facilities; sign cast members in and out; assist the first AD in crowd control and background action; and assist in proper distribution and documentation of mileage money.

Script Supervisor

The script supervisor takes notes on all relevant details of each shot: number of takes to be printed, length of each shot, type of lens used, information on slates, whether actors said the lines as written in the screenplay, and if not, what changes were made. The script supervisor is also responsible for continuity from scene to scene. The person in this position might point out that a scene is not covered sufficiently for editing and might help prepare the production report at the end of the shooting day. The script supervisor’s notes are part of the daily production report and continue to be used during the editing process because they contain information on each take and whether it will be printed in the lab.

Director of Photography

The director of photography is in charge of the camera department. In addition to supervising the camera crew, the DP also gives instructions to the grip and gaffer. During pre-production, the DP usually breaks down the screenplay in cooperation with the director and designs individual scenes, including setups, lighting, and camera requirements at the set or on location. Some DPs operate the camera themselves; others prefer to have a camera operator for this task. The DP sets the lights and gives instructions accordingly to create the visual mood the director envisions. A good DP proposes ideas and creative solutions to the director but is versatile enough to give the director any style desired.

Assistant Camera Operator

Assistant camera operators are responsible for handling all camera equipment and the camera van, properly storing film, loading film into magazines and the camera, making sure the camera is in perfect working condition, filling out the slate with the correct information (in cooperation with script supervisor and AD), and transporting exposed film safely to the lab. They are also responsible for filing correct camera reports that detail consumption of film, markings on film cans, sequence of takes shot, and results of each take. These camera reports are incorporated into the daily production report at the end of the shooting day.

Grip Personnel

Grip personnel work under the instructions of the DP and under the supervision of the key grip. They are responsible for the grip truck and for the rigging, mounting, and construction of all camera and lighting support equipment, including stands, boxes, and flags. The dolly grip is in charge of the tracks, dolly, and supporting equipment.

Gaffer and Electricians

The gaffer and electricians are in charge of all electrical equipment, the lights and generator, and the electrical truck. They work under the instructions of the DP, who sets the priorities of each scene. Once the director and actors (or stand-ins) block a scene and determine how the actors and the camera will move, the DP instructs the grip and gaffer on how to set up their equipment to achieve the appropriate mood. During final rehearsals, some of these elements may change as the DP continually tries to achieve the best effects and strives for technical perfection. After several run-throughs, the optimum solution will be found. During these rehearsals, members of the grip and gaffer departments, with the exception of the dolly grip, who moves the camera, are generally resting, waiting to take down the equipment and prepare for a new set or location.

Sound Crew

The sound crew generally consists of two individuals. The sound recordist operates the tape recorder and helps the boom operator set up microphones. The latter operates the boom and continually tries to move the microphones into the best possible position: close enough to actors to ensure optimal sound, but far enough away to ensure that they are not in the picture.

Art Director

The art director heads the art department and is responsible for the overall look of sets and locations. He or she supervises the carpenter and painters and frequently oversees the set-dressing and prop departments as well. The art director designs the sets in accordance with the director’s instructions and ensures that the required camera movements are possible—for example, that walls can be taken out if necessary—and that tracks can be laid and lights installed. Designing a set for filming is quite different from designing an ordinary room or house; the needs of the production cannot be compared to those of a normal living environment.

The SFX-Supervisor

The SFX-supervisor is hired when digital or optical special effects work will have to be implemented—almost a given on any production today. He or she is involved in the storyboard process and in all matters related to the camera- and art-direction and set-building departments. As much of the visuals that may have been built earlier are now created through digital imagery, preplanning has changed considerably. Which special effects will have to be used—also of serious budgetary considerations—can only be decided in close communication with the director, DP, and producer.

Property Master

The property master is in charge of all props needed during the production. He or she is generally in contact with rental houses or is responsible for purchasing and handling props and picture vehicles. Generally, more than one of each prop is rented or purchased to ensure that damage or loss does not affect the shooting.

Set Dresser

The set dresser is responsible for renting or purchasing all materials needed to dress a set or location to give it the required look. Set-dressing props are usually stationary and include furniture, books, and background materials. They are different from props supplied by the prop master, which are handled and used by an actor.

Wardrobe

Besides designing and sewing the wardrobe for cast members, the wardrobe person is in charge of all wardrobe rentals and purchases. He or she is responsible for properly storing wardrobe items and making them available during shooting. Wardrobe pieces are frequently doubled to avoid delays in the event of destruction or damage.

Production Accountant

All funds needed for rentals or purchases, once approved by the PM, are processed by the production accountant, who is authorized to release funds or issue checks. All production departments are required to keep track of their expenses by collecting and listing receipts, agreements, and contracts with rental houses. The production accountant examines all expenses and evaluates their appropriateness. The production accountant is also in charge of issuing the crew’s and perhaps the actors’ paychecks, generally due on Fridays. The Screen Actors Guild (SAG), the insurance company, and the completion bond company (if applicable) require regular payroll reports. The production accountant also keeps track of expenses incurred and how they relate to the production budget; he or she must determine whether the production is still operating within budget or has gone over budget—and if so, to what extent.

Each department is responsible for wrapping and properly returning rented equipment, props, and wardrobe after production. The accountant pays outstanding balances, which are invoiced after completion of principal photography. In general, a production company establishes long-term working relationships with rental houses and other companies and goes through a credit check before production.

Still Photographer

The still photographer takes still photos of the production used for publicity. He or she usually works with the actors during rehearsals or right after a scene has been shot, recreating the action on the set or location, but almost never takes photos during an actual take. The still photographer also documents the production work itself, taking behind-the-scenes pictures. The photographer usually carries at least two cameras, one loaded with color film and the other with black-and-white film. Lower-budget pictures might employ a still photographer only on certain days to cover important scenes.

 Actors and Agents

Besides being responsible for communications and relations with the crew, the production manager is also responsible for supervising the formalities of all matters regarding actors, their agents, and the SAG, when applicable. The PM generally has very little to do with the process of casting actors. Scheduling of interviews and preparations for auditions are handled by the production secretary, the producer’s assistant, or the casting agent.

If a casting agent is involved in the production, he or she presents a list of first-choice actors to the producer and the director. The casting agent—or the producer or someone in the producer’s office—arranges for casting interviews and conducts negotiations with the actor’s representative (the personal manager, agent, or whomever the actor has designated as the contact) in accordance with guidelines set by the producer. These negotiations eventually lead to a deal memo, which serves as a blueprint for the later contract. The deal memo contains information about pay, length of work, credits, availability for looping and publicity, and more.

Some casting agents work only with actors; others focus solely on extras. Generally, the casting of extras happens more or less automatically along the lines of the character descriptions provided by the production office. Often, no extras’ photos or resumes are required. Casting agencies often take care of all payroll requirements. The PM need only make sure that the casting of extras goes as planned and occurs on schedule. He or she should supervise the agencies’ activities when it comes to organizing the extras’ appearance on the location and on the set and should also be certain that the extras appear on time and where needed.

A low-budget production might not be able to afford the services of a casting agent or casting service. In that case, talent can be found in other ways, and the PM may get involved in this process to some degree. In major production centers, publications print casting notices weekly or biweekly. These notices as well as a wide array of specific websites are free of charge to producers. The producer must give the magazine a short synopsis of the film and short characterizations of the parts to be cast. This is an effective method of casting a film. Within a week, the production office is flooded with actors’ photos and resumes, usually sent out by their management agencies. It is with these management agencies or the actors’ personal agents that the PM sets up interviews; almost never does the PM or even the producer talk directly with an actor. All business matters are discussed with the manager or agent, not with the talent directly.

The SAG also offers a casting service. The producer provides the SAG with a list of characters to be cast, and the guild publishes or posts it on its casting boards, which are frequented regularly by many actors.

The SAG each year publishes voluminous books containing small black-and-white photos of all its members, including their managers’ names and telephone numbers. By going through these books, which are divided into categories for men, women, and children, a variety of casting possibilities will come to mind. The SAG also provides a telephone service that gives out the numbers for the representatives of their members. This is convenient if you are looking for someone specific, but do not know how to get in touch with that person.

Line Producer

If you want to become a producer, it is likely that you will move through rank and file, beginning with set runner, moving on to production assistant or second assistant director to assistant director to unit production manager to (junior) line producer to producer and executive producer.

Unless you have inherited a fortune and will be an instant producer by wish, this is the probable way to go. And this makes perfect sense: You need to know and you need to have experienced in every detail how the “business” works—how movies are born, how screenplays are created and written, how deals are coming together (and falling apart), how actors and their agents commit to a project, how to approach a director, how shoots are organized, what can go wrong and for what reasons from the first day of shooting to the delivery of the final print or tape or disc. And how and why projects become derailed and their completion will be a success or a failure. And how shoots go over budget or stay within their estimates. And who are the people involved and what their tasks and duties are. There are hardly any blueprints—except for union regulations—and always people/humans beings with all their egos and peculiarities are involved. There is hardly a standardized way to do things.

Line producing is an extension with added responsibility of what a UPM does. However, he or she must surely rely on an expert UPM so he himself or herself can possibly supervise more than one production, or a production of unusual scope and size—for example if produced and shot internationally, and/or relying heavily on computer-generated imagery (CGI) and special effects, and on long and complicated shoots. And all of it in one production.

Based on the one “final” screenplay (and it with developing—changing screenplays as the process rolls along), the line producer prepares a budget (or continually evolving budgets) for the producers to show how much funding they will need. For this the line producer knows about international and national financing, international and national tax laws and incentives, and international film funds provided by government agencies to have productions lured into their territories and entertainment industries.

The line producer will vary his or her estimates according to changing masterplans and will continually provide alternatives such as: If we do this, then this will happen—however if we structure the shoot in such and such a way, then this will change and the result will be this and this. He has to deal with national film funding laws and their peculiarities, such as how much cast or crew must be “national” in order to qualify for funding.

These rules and regulations are vast and complex and need very detailed knowledge and usually are executed with the help of regional lawyers and production experts. Additionally, those regulations are ever-changing, so you have to be on top of things all the time.

However, if successfully executed, those regulations can mean substantial cost savings or additional funding. Often these decide whether a shoot takes place in Berlin or Prague, for example, or in Louisiana or Oregon.

Once money is raised and a final budget prepared, the studio or other financiers look to the line producer to keep production costs in line as the film moves through its international or national shooting schedule.

Once the green light has been given, the line producer goes into pre-production and works with the director, production manager, and department heads to prepare the final budget, shooting schedule, and production dates.

He oversees hiring crew, finding equipment and suppliers, scouting locations, and activities of various departments—if necessary on an international level with local production partners.

While the film is in production, the line producer in the name of the production company or executive producer, and in close cooperation with the UPM

• Monitors and supervises the budget and production schedule, revising the schedule and controlling expenses on a daily or weekly basis, provides for up-to-date cost reports, in order to keep the film on time and within budget
• Answers to the studio and acts as a liaison between the crew and the producer
• Negotiates, approves, or denies additional expenses
• May hire and fire crew
• Is a partner to the director in reaching his artistic vision for the film
• Deals with on-location crises
• Oversees the wrap when shooting ends, when sets are struck, and rental equipment is returned

The line producer is usually one of the first people who will get involved with a film production and ultimately is one of the most important as well. He or she will typically work as the direct line between the studio executives who are only interested in the financial success of a movie, and the cast and crew who are bringing the movie to life.

Line producers need to have a strong sense of business, as well as how to manage time, money, and people to ensure that the people working in both sides of the industry end up happy with the final production.

A successful line producer typically works as the “line” running between the studio funding a film production and those who are actually working on the production. As such, he or she works as the buffer between those “below” him or her and those who are “above.”

In general, a line producer is part of the above-the-line crew, and as such not bound by union regulations; a UPM is part of the below-the-line crew and thus will work according to union rules.

A line producer needs to be able to take criticism and complaints from both directions, process them into something that will be useful within a given context, and then utilize the information to help executives and crew members make better decisions.

This means that more than anything else, production of a film is about business and the balance between financial concerns and artistic creation. A producer needs to keep in mind the concerns of those who are financing the movie, while ensuring that actors and crew members are happy and providing the work needed to create a movie.

Producer credits in accordance with DGA guidelines are the following:

Co-producer/Line Producer

The credit of Co-Producer/Line Producer is to be granted to the individual who reports directly to the individual(s) receiving “Produced By” credit on the theatrical motion picture.

The Co-Producer/Line Producer is the single individual who has the primary responsibility for the logistics of the production, from pre-production through completion of production; all Department Heads report to the Co-Producer/Line Producer.

Executive Producer

The credit of Executive Producer shall only apply to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the motion picture and who additionally qualifies under one of two categories:

During the different phases of production:

For a line producer, it is highly advisable to be familiar with national and international financing instruments such as:

1. Government grants
2. Tax incentives and shelters
3. Private equity and hedge funds
4. Debt finance
5. Equity finance

in addition to the traditional financing such as pre-sales and distribution guarantees. Frequently the above five points will tip a decision where to shoot one way or the other. There are many studies on these topics, and a good number of national and international law firms and tax advisers will help you in arranging such models. In any case, a specialized partner is necessary.

For example, a publication such as KPMG LLP’s (KPMG) Film Financing and Television Programming: A Taxation Guide (2016) will give an excellent overview: