By Caden Ryan
When studying film, you’ll come across a variety of terms associated with film production. From Directors to Producers to AC's to Grips to Best Boys it seems overwhelming to consider all these roles and departments. In order to simplify things here is a brief guide of the essential roles you may want to know during film studies.
The Film Production timeline:
Film Production is divided into three major segments: Pre-Production, Production, and Post-Production. “Production” itself references the actual process of filming, thus Pre-Production is anything happening prior to filming Post-Production is anything after.
Tasks during Pre-Production include Casting, Location Scouting, Storyboarding, Budgeting, Designing, Construction, etc.
Production, as we said, is the filming process itself. Lights are put on, Cameras are rolling, and Action is captured.
Post-Production can roughly be considered in one word: editing. The raw footage from Production is gone through rigorously to craft the vision of the film, with final touches of added sound and effects.
Two Halves of the Brain, Director & Producer:
The two largest roles in any film are commonly the Director and Producer. The Director is the most well-known, the one in charge of the artistic vision. They lead the charge with all the departments in crafting all elements of a movie and creating a cohesive world and narrative. Thinking of the Director like the right side of the brain, the Producer is then the left. Handling the logistics and organization of the movie-making process. Typically they ensure that a film has funding to start, which means they are technically above the Director in making sure the project moves along with efficiency and promptness (as prompt as a filming schedule allows).
Executive Who:
So if a Producer makes the movie happen, what’s the function of an Executive Producer? It’s mainly an honorary title given to people who had some impact on making the film happen. This can be contributions like funding, early writing, advising roles, or even just for a marketing push with name association. Their actual involvement during the Production timeline can vary depending on how they are contributing. Regardless of the impact, it’s always good to get your due credit.
All The Departments:
Now for the departments, of which there are many. Some niche teams absolutely deserve a mention from Stunt Performers to Craft Services (caterers), but for our purposes we’ll focus on five that provide the broad strokes of making a film possible.
Camera – Arguably the defining department for Film, makes sense as this is where film is used. The Camera Department operates the equipment that captures the Director’s vision. Lead by the Director of Photography (DP), they collaborate with the G + E department and act as quality control when cameras are rolling. There is at least one Assistant Camera (AC) that actually sets up the equipment and assist in monitoring the shoot.
Grip + Electric – This is the team that brings light to the space. Electrics set up the lighting instruments and supply power to the filming space. Grips supply the reflectors, diffusers, masking and other implements to help direct the light as needed. The Heads here are the Gaffer for Electrics and Key Grip for, well, Grips. The Gaffer plans the placement of lighting equipment in collaboration with the Key Grip who plans for grip equipment. This is also where the Best Boy is found, which is the assistant to the Gaffer. There is also a Best Boy Grip, an assistant to the Key Grip.
Art – This may be the largest department, often divided into sub-departments. Scenic, Wardrobe (Costumes), Props, Special Effects, Hair and Makeup, all can be considered under the Art Department or their own depending on the size of a film production. The main figures that oversee Art are the Production Designer and the Art Director. The Production Designer is just that, the head designer that collaborates with the Director and DP to define the look of the film and delegate tasks to the different Art areas. The Art Director manages these tasks and ensures their fulfillment and maintenance during a shoot.
Sound – After the advancement of synchronizing sound with film, this department has become essential for modern filmmaking. From recording material on set, an orchestra playing the score, or adding elements during Post, Sound has a lot to manage. Headed by the Sound Designer, who is responsible for determining the audial identity of a film with the Director. We also have the Sound Mixer who appears during a shoot to capture the raw audio and ensure its clarity for later during editing. Aided by the Sound Assistant(s), who place microphones and monitor the equipment’s performance. Another role of note is the Boom Operator, master of the iconic mic on a stick held just out of frame, hopefully.
Editing – While the Editing Department has most of their work done during Post-Production, they do have a presence during a shoot. An On-Set Editor takes the footage as its recoded and assembles a rough cut to establish what future elements need adding, as well as determine if scenes need reshoots. Once fully into Post the editing team, led by a Chief Editor, works around the clock with the Director to make the culmination of the artistic vision, dubbed the “Director’s Cut.” After the Director is satisfied, the film is shown to test audiences and given some last tweaks to create a finished “Final Cut” of the film.
And that about covers all the major components of the Filmmaking process. Hope this helped provide a greater insight into the hidden world of cinema. Now go and impress your friends and professors with your newfound knowledge, while having a greater appreciation for the people that make these films we love.
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