A film crew is organized into departments, each with a head who answers to the director (for the creative side) and the producer (for the money and the schedule). The big five on set are production, camera, electric and grip, sound, and art. Below is who is in each, what they actually do on a shoot day, who they report to, and which roles a small indie shoot can combine or skip.
How is a film crew organized?
By department. Each department has a head, the head hires and runs their team, and the heads coordinate with the 1st AD on the day. It means that when the rooftop has no power, the question goes to one person, the gaffer, and not to fourteen.
Production department
The people who make the shoot happen as opposed to making the film: money, schedule, logistics, the set itself.
Producer · reports to the financiers
Owns the project: develops it, raises the money, hires the key people, and is responsible for delivering the film on budget. On set, the person the director and the 1st AD go to when something costs money.
On a small shoot: Often also the writer or the director. Dangerous but common.
Line producer / UPM · reports to the producer
Runs the below-the-line budget and the logistics: crew deals, locations, equipment, insurance, the daily cost report. The unit production manager (UPM) title is the same job on larger shoots, under a line producer.
On a small shoot: Combined with the producer, or the 1st AD does the logistics. Someone has to.
1st assistant director (1st AD) · reports to the director and the producer
Runs the set. Builds and owns the shooting schedule, calls the day, keeps every department to time, and is responsible for on-set safety. When you hear “rolling” and “moving on,” that is the 1st AD.
On a small shoot: The one role not to skip. A producer can double as 1st AD on a tiny shoot, but someone must run the floor.
2nd assistant director (2nd AD) · reports to the 1st AD
Drafts the call sheet, wrangles cast between holding, makeup, and set, and runs the background. The 1st AD’s other pair of hands.
On a small shoot: Skipped; the 1st AD does the call sheet and a PA wrangles.
Production coordinator · reports to the line producer
Runs the production office: paperwork, deal memos, travel, distribution of schedules and call sheets, the crew list.
On a small shoot: Skipped or part-time; the producer does it at night.
Script supervisor · reports to the director
Tracks continuity (what was shot, which take, what the actor was holding), keeps the lined script for the editor, and times the day against the script.
On a small shoot: Often skipped, and the editor pays for it. A good 2nd AC can cover the basics.
Production assistant (PA) · reports to the 2nd AD or coordinator
Whatever the day needs: lockups, runs, radios, holding, parking. The entry-level role and the most-needed one.
On a small shoot: One PA minimum. Two is comfortable.
Camera department
Director of photography (DP) · reports to the director
Responsible for the image: lighting, lenses, camera movement, and the look. Runs camera, electric, and grip through their department heads. Plans the shot list with the director.
On a small shoot: Also operates the camera. Standard on indie shoots.
Camera operator · reports to the DP
Operates the camera and frames the shot. On larger shoots the DP lights while the operator shoots.
On a small shoot: Combined with the DP.
1st assistant camera (1st AC / focus puller) · reports to the DP
Pulls focus, builds and maintains the camera, manages lenses and filters. The second most technical job on set.
On a small shoot: Keep this one. A DP who is also pulling focus is shooting soft.
2nd assistant camera (2nd AC / clapper loader) · reports to the 1st AC
Slates each take, logs camera reports, manages media and batteries, keeps the camera truck in order.
On a small shoot: Combined with the 1st AC or a keen PA.
Digital imaging technician (DIT) · reports to the DP
Manages the digital workflow on set: offloads and backs up footage, applies looks, checks exposure.
On a small shoot: Skipped; the 2nd AC or the editor handles offloads, with two backups, always.
Electric and grip
Two departments that people outside film merge and people inside film never do.
Gaffer · reports to the DP
Head of electric. Executes the DP’s lighting plan: which lights, where, how powered. Responsible for electrical safety.
On a small shoot: Keep one, with a small kit. A DP lighting their own set is a DP not shooting.
Best boy electric · reports to the gaffer
The gaffer’s second: runs the electric crew, manages the lighting package, power, and cabling.
On a small shoot: Skipped below a feature.
Key grip · reports to the DP
Head of grip. Everything that shapes or controls light without being a light (flags, nets, diffusion), and everything that supports or moves the camera (stands, rigs, dollies, cranes). Responsible for rigging safety.
On a small shoot: A swing (a combined grip/electric) covers both on a small shoot.
Grips, dolly grip · reports to the key grip
Set and strike grip equipment; the dolly grip operates the dolly or slider with the operator.
On a small shoot: One swing. Two if there is a dolly.
Sound department
Production sound mixer · reports to the director (via the 1st AD on the day)
Records the sound: mics the actors, mixes on the day, flags problems (the fridge, the plane) before the take is wasted. Owns the sound report.
On a small shoot: Keep. Bad location sound is the one thing post cannot fix cheaply.
Boom operator · reports to the mixer
Holds the boom mic in the right place without being in frame, for ten hours. Harder than it looks.
On a small shoot: The mixer booms from the bag. Fine for two actors, hard for five.
Sound utility · reports to the mixer
Wires radio mics, runs cable, manages the second boom.
On a small shoot: Skipped.
Art, costume, hair and makeup
Production designer · reports to the director
Responsible for the look of everything in frame that is not an actor or a light: sets, locations dressing, props, color palette. Runs the art department.
On a small shoot: Combined with art director and set decorator into one person with a van.
Art director · reports to the production designer
Executes the designer’s plan: manages the art budget, the builds, the crew.
On a small shoot: Skipped.
Set decorator / props master · reports to the production designer
The set decorator dresses the set (things nobody touches). The props master handles props (things actors touch), including hero props and their duplicates.
On a small shoot: One person. Count the duplicates anyway.
Costume designer / wardrobe supervisor · reports to the director and the production designer
Designs or sources the costumes, manages fittings, multiples, and continuity on the day.
On a small shoot: One person, often also doing continuity photos.
Hair and makeup · reports to the director
Base looks, continuity, special requirements (wounds, aging, blood). Sets the morning call times for cast.
On a small shoot: One person. Budget their kit fee.
Where does the director fit?
The director is not in a department; the departments exist to serve the director's film. Creatively, the director has final say on what is shot and how. Practically, the producer controls the money and the 1st AD controls the day, and a director who ignores either runs out of both.
The three people who run a set
- Director: what we are shooting and why.
- 1st AD: when, in what order, and whether we are on time.
- Producer: whether we can afford it, and what happens when we can't.
What does a small crew look like?
| Crew size | Who | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| 5 (minimum) | Director/producer, DP/operator, 1st AC, sound mixer/boom, PA | A dialogue short, one location, two or three cast |
| 8 to 10 | Add a 1st AD, a gaffer, a swing grip, a production designer, hair and makeup | A festival short, two or three locations |
| 15 to 25 | Add 2nd AD, 2nd AC, boom op, best boys, art department, wardrobe, coordinator, more PAs | An indie feature like Nightfall |
| 50+ | Full departments with seconds and thirds, DIT, stunts, VFX supervision, transport | Studio and union productions |
What comes next
To budget these roles, see Film Crew Day Rates. To keep track of who is who, the crew contact list template is organized by these departments, with Nightfall's crew filled in.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum crew for a short film?
Five people can shoot a simple dialogue short: a director who also produces, a DP who operates, a 1st AC, a sound mixer who booms, and one PA. Below that, someone is doing two jobs at once on set and the day slows down.
What does a 1st AD actually do?
The 1st AD runs the set. They build and own the shooting schedule, call the day (rolling, cutting, moving on), keep the crew on time, and are responsible for on-set safety. The director decides what to shoot; the 1st AD makes the day happen.
What is the difference between a gaffer and a key grip?
The gaffer is the head of electric: lights and power, working to the DP’s lighting plan. The key grip is the head of grip: everything that shapes, supports, or moves light and camera, from flags and stands to dollies. Electrics make light; grips shape it and rig it.
What is a line producer?
The producer responsible for the below-the-line budget and the logistics of the shoot: hiring crew, booking locations and equipment, and keeping the production on budget and on schedule. Often the same person as the UPM on small productions.
Who does the director report to?
Creatively, nobody on set; the director has final say on what is shot. Practically, the producer, who controls the budget and the schedule the director is working inside. On set, the 1st AD runs the floor on the director’s behalf.