THE CREW
WHO’S WHO
Makeup Artists: (Definition provided by the IASTE, Local 706)
Makeup Artists perform the art of makeup, which includes:
• Application of all moustaches, chin pieces, side burns, beards, false eyebrows and lashes.
• Application of any facial or body appliances, masks, etc., used in the art of makeup whether made of rubber, plastic, or any other material.
• All body makeup. (Except on Network Broadcasting productions, i.e. NBC, CBS, etc.)
• May apply wigs or toupees, or cut the hair on male performers.
• May also do hairstyling on Legitimate Theater and Opera productions.
Assistant Director (AD): An AD is a person who helps the Director in the making of a movie. The duties of an AD include setting the shooting schedule, tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking the arrival of cast and crew, maintaining order on the set, rehearsing cast, and directing extras
First Assistant Director (First AD): The first AD is directly responsible to the Producer and “runs” the floor or set.
Second Assistant Director (Second AD): The Second AD creates the daily call sheets from the production schedule, in cooperation with the Production Coordinator. The Second AD also serves as the “backstage manager,” liaising with actors and putting cast through Makeup and Wardrobe, which relieves the First AD of these duties. They supervise the Second Second Assistant Director, Third Assistant Director (Third AD), Assistant Director Trainees; the setting of Background (extras) are parts of the Second AD’s duties.
Second Second Assistant Director (Second Second AD): The Second Second AD deals with the increased workload of a large or complicated production. For example, a production with a large number of cast may require the division of the aspects of “backstage manager” and the call sheet production work to two separate people.
Third Assistant Director (Third AD): The Third AD works on-set with the First AD, and may liaise with the Second AD to move actors from “base camp” (the area containing the Production, Cast, and Hair and Makeup trailers), organize crowd scenes, and supervise one or more Production Assistants (PAs).
Key Production Assistant (Key PA): The Key PA may have a number of duties assigned to them by the AD staff. A PA is the lowest on the crew’s hierarchy in terms of salary and authority. They perform various duties required by the ADs. The subroles of Assistant Directors differ among nations. For example, the distinction between Second Second and Third AD is more common in North America. British and Australian productions, rather than having a Second Second AD, will hire an additional Second AD to fulfill the same duties. In Britain and Australia, Third ADs have different duties from a Second Second AD, and the terms are not synonymous.
TERMS
Calling the Roll: One of the First AD’s responsibilities is to “call the roll”—when all of the relevant heads of department (HODs) and above-the-line people seem ready to perform, the First AD initiates the take. Over the years, special procedures have been developed for this task in order to achieve maximum efficiency during shooting, which is usually some variant on the following dialogue:
1. “Waiting on …” First ADs are constantly calling out which department is responsible for any delays. If the lights need to be adjusted, the First AD calls out, “Waiting on Gaffers.” If the actors are still in their trailer, the First AD calls out, “Waiting on Talent.” If a mascara smear needs attention, the First AD calls out, “Waiting on Makeup.”
2. “Last looks, please.” Once everyone is in place, and rehearsals and blocking have finished, the First AD calls out, “Last looks.” This allows for last-minute finishing touches—whether to the Set, to Hair and Makeup, to Lights, or anything else.
3. “Quiet on the set.” The First AD calls out, “Quiet on the set” to alert everyone that the take is ready to be filmed.
4. “Roll sound.” The First AD waits for complete quiet, then signals the Production Sound Mixer to “Roll sound,” after which the Mixer rolls his sound gear, verifies its status, and replies, “Rolling” or “Speed.”
5a. “Roll camera.” The First AD then signals the camera department to “Roll camera.” The camera assistant starts the camera, verifies its status by watching the timecode for three seconds, and replies, “Rolling” or “Speed.”
5b. “Lock it down.” Sometimes the First AD will also call out, “Lock it down” to ensure that all objects on the set are “locked down” and will not drop during the take. At this point, everyone must be totally quiet and move out of frame. This can also called when the camera is locked down. In some filming situations the camera body needs to be “locked down,” not touched and no movement around the camera because the focus is critical or the stunt is dangerous so the camera is unmanned.
6. “Marker.” The First AD signals the Clapper Loader, or Assistant Camera (Second AC), by saying, “Marker” or “Slate it.” The Second AC marks the shot by clapping the clapper board, or slate, and announces the scene for editing purposes (“Scene 67, Take 4”).
7. “Action.” The Director says, “Action, ” although a First AD might perform this function if the Director prefers it. Only the Director is allowed to say, “Cut.”
The Low-Budget First AD’s Eternal Dilemma: On low-budget productions, the means are often not enough to realize the Director’s vision. It is for the First AD to work between the Director and heads of department (HODs) to call the necessary compromises when they need to be made, without jeopardizing the integrity of the Director’s vision. This process can begin as early as the scriptwriting phase, with the AD suggesting such practical compromises as combining sets or reducing the number of story days. The process may progress through to the actual shooting of a scene, at which time the AD may call for the Director and DP to refine the blocking of a scene in such a way that it can be adequately shot within the time available. This can be the most indirectly creative an AD gets, and may gain great understanding of the conflict between resources and vision. This can prove a useful skill to ADs who move on to Produce.
Script Supervisor, or Continuity: A Script Supervisor, or Continuity, is a member of a film crew responsible for maintaining the film’s internal continuity and for marking the Production unit’s daily progress in shooting the film’s screenplay. In preproduction, the Script Supervisor creates a number of reports based on the script, including a one-line continuity synopsis providing basic continuity information on each scene. These reports are used by all departments in order to determine the most advantageous shot order and quantities of supplies, materials or crew surport needed. Example: A character that wears a particular shirt that (in different scenes) progresses from clean to dirty to dirty and torn may require at least three sets of that shirt in order to ensure that continuity can be properly managed.
During production, the Script Supervisor acts as a central point for all production information on a film shoot, and has several responsibilities.
Script: The working text of the project. The Script Supervisor is responsible for ensuring that everyone involved has the most current copy of the script. Once the script is finalized, changes are made on a different color of paper. The Script Supervisor is given any changes, and ensures that they are printed on the correct color paper and distributed to all necessary parties. This will on many productions lead to a multicolor working script. The actual progression of colors can vary. One such progression is (starting with the original script) white, blue, pink, yellow, green, goldenrod, buff, salmon, cherry, tan, gray, and ivory.
Continuity: The Script Supervisor takes notes on all the details required to re-create the continuity of a particular scene, location, or action. The Supervisor is responsible for making sure that continuity errors do not happen. For every take, the Script Supervisor will note the duration of the take (usually with a stopwatch), and meticulously log off information about the action of the take—including position of the main actor(s), screen direction of their movement, important actions performed during the shot, type of lens used, and additional information that may vary from case to case. When multiple cameras are in use, the Script Supervisor keeps separate notes on each. The Script Supervisor will also keep track of dialogue as it is spoken, and ensure that if it varies from the screenplay, any variation made is known to the Director and noted.
Slating: The Script Supervisor interacts with the Second Assistant Camera (Second AC, or Clapper Loader) and the Production Sound Mixer to make sure that each take of exposed film has a consistent and meaningful slate, that the sound and picture slates match. The Script Supervisor also notes the sound roll of each sync take, and the state of all MOS takes (a film take without sound recording: Metz out sound).
Lined Script: The Script Supervisor is responsible for keeping the most current version of the shooting script, and for keeping a copy of it as the lined script for the shoot. A lined script is a copy of the script with vertical lines drawn down the pages, indicating which takes cover which parts of the script.
Production Reports: The Script Supervisor is responsible for preparing daily reports for the Production team. These reports vary in form depending on the studio or production company; however, they generally include a continuity log; a log of the actual times that shooting and breaks started and stopped; and a breakdown of the pages, scenes, and minutes that were shot that day—as well as the same information for the previous day, the total script, and the amounts remaining to be done. Also included are the number of scenes covered (completely shot), the number of retakes (when a scene has to be reshot), and the number of wild tracks (tracks with sound recorded separately). The AD staff also is responsible for preparing daily productions reports regarding scheduling and the crew, noting delays in filming, scenes shot, and payroll (call times and out times), as well as accident reports, and actors times.