What is the typical crew on a commercial production set?

Crews can vary drastically in size and type between productions, but there are a few key members you can almost always expect on set:

• Director

• Producer

• 1st Assistant Director

• Director of Photography

• 1st Assistant Camera

• Gaffer

• Key Grip

• Sound Recordist

• DIT

• HMU Artist

• Production Assistants

There are also several people involved in post-production, including:

• Editor

• Assistant Editor

• Colorist

• Animator

• Music Composer

• Sound Designer

Here’s a brief description of reach role:

Director

The role of a director is both vague and specific: vague, because a director has a hand in every pot of production without (usually) being a technician or operator themselves; and specific, because being a director requires you to communicate and uphold a singular vision across multiple disciplines. Every production needs a director of some form or fashion to make the thousands of necessary decisions throughout the process and deliver a consistent, cohesive product by the end.

Producer

Think of a producer as a logistical mastermind and problem-solver. In the commercial production world, producers are responsible for organizing all of the people, places, and materials required to make a video. Sometimes producers will also interface with the client. They’re pretty much project managers with production know-how that keep a project moving on-time and on-budget. Our own producer Ellie sums up the role nicely: “My goal as a producer is to give everything my creative colleagues need to do their job.”

1st Assistant Director

Despite what the name implies, an assistant director is not exactly a director’s assistant. On set, an AD is more like a secondary director that helps build and maintain schedules, prepare scenes, and direct extras while the director is in the thick of filming. This role is a little less common on smaller commercial sets, where producers usually fulfill the responsibilities of an AD. But if a production is filming with large groups or at multiple locations in one day, an AD becomes a much more essential role to include on the call sheet.

Director of Photography

DPs are more commonly known as cinematographers. They’re the people “behind” the camera framing the shots, working with the gaffer to create lighting set-ups, and sometimes operating the camera themselves.

Tid Bit: Usually a DP will employ a camera operator to run the camera while they focus on the “bigger picture” stuff.

A cinematographer is usually the director’s closest creative collaborator. Together, they develop the visual language of a film in pre-production. It’s then the cinematographer’s job to know the tools necessary to achieve that vision—such as choosing the right camera, lenses, and other equipment. In that way, the role of DP is equal parts creative and technical.

1st Assistant Camera

An assistant camera operator is the DP’s right-hand person. While the DP is typically occupied with directing the camera department and working with the director on the current scene, an AC is responsible for ensuring that the camera is built and functioning properly. They change lenses, charge batteries, build rigs—anything to save the DP time and keep the camera rolling. On smaller and mid-scale productions, an AC will also run the slate and pull the camera’s focus.

Gaffer

Gaffers are painters—except, their paint is light and their canvas is the frame. They collaborate closely with the DP to design and execute a lighting plan that achieves the film’s desired look. They’re also head of the G&E department and manage teams of grips and electricians to manage the extremely heavy, expensive, and intricate lighting equipment that a production requires. Much like cinematographers, gaffers occupy a role that is equal parts creative and technical, and they’re one of the most valuable roles on a set.

Key Grip

Key grip’s may just have the most physically taxing job on a set. They’re responsible for managing all of the rigging and equipment used to support the large amount of lighting and cameras used in production. When the DP wants to put the camera in an unusual place (say, on the outside of a fighter jet or on the back of a horse) it’s the key grip who engineers a solution. You never know when you’ll need to “get grippy with it,” so it’s always wise to have someone who knows their rigs, dollies, and C-stands within earshot.

Sound Recordist

Have you ever watched behind-the-scene footage and noticed someone holding a long sagging boom pole across their shoulders? Well, that person is a sound recordist. They’re responsible for recording the dialogue, ambient sounds, and some of the natural sound effects throughout production.

Keep in mind: there’s a big difference between a sound recordist and a sound designer, which is a separate role in post-production.

Just like every film has (or, ought to have) a unique look, so too do films often have their own sonic aesthetic. A sound recordist works with the director and production team to create this unique soundscape. This could involve using different types of microphones and recording techniques. Audio is half of the video-watching experience, so it’s important to invest the proper amount of resources into a good sound recordist.

DIT

Imagine this: you spend thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours in production, only to find that your footage has accidentally been deleted. This nightmarish scenario is a real possibility without a DIT: a digital imaging technician who’s responsible for managing the footage captured during filming. Long story short, they help properly ingest and tag the footage so that nothing’s lost and everything’s easily accessible in post-production. Having a good DIT on set is a lot like having a good insurance policy. It allows everyone to sleep a little better at night knowing their footage (and therefore, their investment) is safe.

HMU Artist

Everyone wants to look their best when a big ol’ camera is in their face. That’s what an HMUA is for: a hair and makeup artist that enhances the presentation of on-screen talent. They apply makeup, style hair, and even select/design costumes on smaller sets that don’t have a dedicated wardrobe stylist. Sometimes a scene will require very specific makeup treatment—such as a bedraggled or teary-eyed look—and in those instances, a hair and makeup artist is especially useful to help sell the character and story.

Production Assistants

Production assistants bear the brunt of many jokes in mainstream media. Though they’re often portrayed as little more than frazzled coffee-getters, the truth is that PAs are absolutely vital to any set. They’re responsible for a broad range of tasks that amount to keeping a set running smoothly. (Yes, this includes taking coffee and lunch orders, a responsibility that should never be taken lightly.) PAs also help set up equipment, manage inventory, communicate between crew members—whatever needs doing. Their versatility and willingness to assist in any way they can makes them truly invaluable to a production, and we thank all of our PAs out there for their hard (and oftentimes underappreciated) work.

Editor

Okay so, you have any number of terabytes’ worth of raw footage. What do you do with it? You pass it to an editor, who sorts and assembles that footage to create the final cut an audience will see. Post-production is often considered the final re-write, due to the power editing has to change the structural, tonal, and narrative elements of a film. In that sense, an editor is as much of a storyteller as a writer. This is why an editor becomes the director’s new closest collaborator once production wraps. Editing is truly where a film takes shape.

Colorist

Raw footage comes out of a camera looking almost black and white. The reason for this comes down to data processing—or rather, a lack thereof. Unprocessed footage (AKA, raw footage) retains all of the scene’s color information and allows a colorist to create a specific look without the camera creating any visual “bias.” A colorist can completely alter the tone of film by changing hues, darkening shadows, and bunch of other complicated color theory techniques. The point is: it’s necessary for a director to communicate a clear vision to ensure a commercial lives up to its brand.

Sound Designer

A lot of people don’t know that a lot of the sound you hear in a movie or commercial is not the sound that was recorded on-set or on-location. A sound designer adds the sound effects after the fact in post-production. (The exception here is dialogue, which is almost always captured during filming, although sometimes ADR is required.) Sound designers also mix and master the sound effects with the dialogue and music to ensure that everything can be heard clearly at all times (unless intended otherwise). Audio is half of the video-watching experience, so it’s important to invest the proper amount of resources into a good sound designer.

Music Composer

This isn’t common on a lot of mid-scale productions, but we made a vow at Freytag Films to never use stock music. Instead we work with local music composers to write and produce original scores for every project we produce. This has two main benefits: it allows us to develop a totally unique tone for each project, and it provides us complete editorially flexibility. Sometimes editors will have to make sacrifices to the edit in order to match whatever stock music track they’re working with. Having a composer on your team means that you can tailor-fit the music to every cut.

Filmmaking is an inherently collaborative medium, and it takes a lot of talented people to do it right.

Luckily we work with the best in the biz here in our Hidden Hollywood of Denver. When you hire us to produce your film, you’re supporting a rich community of creatives—each of whom give their hearts and minds to your project in return.