Are Background Actors Above The Line

Film is a business and like any business organisation there is a chain of command. No matter what your ambitions are in the picture industry, it'due south important that you understand the roles and responsibilities for everyone on a film ready, who reports to whom and how departments coexist.

Above the Line and Below the Line

First upwardly, understanding the deviation between "above the line" vs "below the line". These terms relate to the budget of the film, where the crew members for the entire product are listed individually within the overall production costs. They are generally separated by creative development and those who execute the vision.

Higher up the Line: Creative development of the motion-picture show; roles such as the Producers, Directors, Cinematographers/Managing director of Photography, Screenwriters, and Talent.

Below the Line: Those who are responsible for the day-to-day filmmaking involved in pre-product, production, and postal service-production. Departments such every bit Camera, Electric, Grip, Production Design, Costume and Makeup.

Breakdown of Film Crew Positions

Film Crew Hierarchy Chart

Above the Line

Executive Producer: The person responsible for the financing of the film and therefore the one in charge of the product.

Producer: The person who oversees the motion picture production. The Producer answers to the Executive Producer regarding budget and manages all the moving parts in the production process.

Line Producer: The person responsible for the daily operations of the feature film. They serve the budget, hiring, locations and schedule. During product they handle the day-to-day logistics. In post production they manage deadlines and make certain the budget is on track.

Director: Controls the artistic vision and guides the talent and crew to bring information technology to life.

Director of Photography: The person responsible for the photographic look of the picture. As well known as the DP or Cinematographer, this person directs the photographic camera and light crews to fulfil the Director's cinematic vision.

Screenwriter: The person who writes the screenplay.

Talent: The actors who portray the characters in the film. Principal and supporting bandage.

Beneath THE LINE

Production Management:

Unit Production Manager: Responsible for budget, schedule and general management of set.

Production Coordinator: Sets upward the production function and organizes equipment, supplies and staff.
Product Secretary: Provides assistants assistance to the Production Coordinator and Production Manager. This position requires one to answer phones, compile mailings, schedule meetings and travel accommodations, organize supplies, and relay letters.
Production Auditor: Is responsible for managing finances and maintaining fiscal records during film production, working closely with the producer and the product office.
Role Production Assistant: Supports a motion-picture show's production from a clerical standpoint — handling paperwork, telephone call inquiries, and picking-upwards or dropping-off items.

Banana Directors:

1st AD (Banana Director): This person plans the filming schedule, working with the director, managing director of photography and other heads of department to ensure an efficient shoot. The 1st Advertisement creates the shooting schedule with the producers and coiffure heads, oversees the call canvas and makes sure everyone is on time and where they should be in the process. They "call the roll" meaning cues the various section heads to prepare the days filming and is a general diplomat, safety advocate and go-betwixt for the Managing director and the rest of the crew.

2nd Assistant Manager: Creates the daily phone call sheets from the production schedule, in cooperation with the product coordinator. The "second" also serves as the "backstage manager", liaising with actors, putting bandage through brand-upward and wardrobe.
2nd 2nd Banana Director: Serves to lighten the load for the 1st AD and 2nd Advertizing by supporting them and keeping the production on track. Responsible for assembling and directing extras, coordinating on-set vehicles, managing PAs and making certain everything is running smoothly.
Set Production Assistant: Performing technical and authoritative tasks, from running errands to distributing scripts, coordinating arts and crafts services and assisting with lighting and sound for studio and on-location shoots. Basically whatever needs to get washed in support of the production.

Continuity Department:

Script Supervisor: Oversees the continuity throughout principal photography of every element of product from shot to shot and scene to scene, including wardrobe, props, set dressing, hair, makeup and the deportment of the actors during a scene.

Camera Department:

Camera Operator: With the direction of the DP, frames shots, operates and maintains equipment and takes initiative modifying whatever processes to aid the production movement along.
- 1st Assistant Camera: Also chosen "the focus puller". The principal job is to sit next to the camera during filming and operate the lens's focusing ring. The role of the focus puller is to keep the right subject in focus throughout each scene.
- 2nd Banana Camera: Also called "the clapper loader". This person is function of a film crew whose master functions are loading the raw film stock into photographic camera magazines, operating the clapperboard (slate) at the beginning of each take, marker the actors every bit necessary, and maintaining all records and paperwork for the camera.
- DIT (Digital Imaging Technician): Helps the director of photography with the digital knowhow of the camera. They suggest the DoP on contrast, brightness and the effects of under or over-exposure, equally these constraints are different from shooting with film. A DIT is also the liaison betwixt production and post production teams, handling data management from set up to editorial suite.

Electric Department:

Gaffer: The gaffer is the chief lighting technician on a ready and is caput of the electric department. The gaffer'south job is to run a team of lighting technicians to execute the lighting programme for a production.
- All-time Boy Electric: Serves as the chief assistant to the gaffer.
- Generator Operator: Works on ready to install electricity generators to supply additional power where existing circuits are insufficient, or on location where electricity is otherwise unavailable.
- Lighting Technicians: Support the Gaffer past executing the lighting programme.

Grip Department:

Primal Grip: The head of the grip department. The key grip and their grip crew handle all the rigging and supporting equipment for the production. For example, rigging lights to vehicles for running shots, rigging silks and overheads, the placement of sandbags and transporting and adjusting heavy equipment.
- All-time Boy Grip: Serves as main assistant to the Key Grip.
- Dolly Grip: Is a dedicated technician trained to operate the camera dolly. This technician places, levels, and moves the dolly track, then pushes and pulls the dolly with a camera operator and camera assistant every bit riders.
- Grip: Handles all the rigging work on a film set, supporting the Key Grip and Best Boy Grip.

Fine art Section:

Production Designer: Deals with conceptualizing the overall "look" of the film. They identify a design style for sets, locations, graphics, props, lighting, camera angles and costumes, while working closely with the director and producer.
- Art Managing director: Works directly nether the product designer and handles the set construction/set dressing.
  - Prepare Designer: In charge of designing/creating the sets that announced in the film.
  - Concept Illustrator: Creates visuals to convey the vision of the director and the production designer.
  - Storyboard Artist: Works with the Director to visually interpret the screenplay and produces a sequence of drawn or digital images, similar to comic strips, chosen storyboards, to visualize the story. In an blithe film, works inside the Art Department and creative team, with Live Action, more often with the Director and Managing director of Photography.
Prop Department:
- Property Main: Makes, stores and transports the props as well as preps the props for each day's shoot. Recruits carpenters, artists and prop makers when building props and manages the schedule for product.
  - Assistant Prop Master: Assist the Prop Master with anything Actors handle on set. They ensure the correct props are prepared, are on hand for the shoot, and are archived in one case a scene is wrapped.

Construction Section:
- Construction Coordinator: Lead a squad of craftsmen, including carpenters, painters, riggers and plasterers, and ensure that all sets are completed to deadline and within upkeep, and that they meet production requirements.
Sets Section:
- Set Decorator: In accuse of populating sets with grapheme and globe-specific items from the personal habits and items that brand up the small details to the decoration of artwork and furniture.
  - On-Set Dresser: Arrange objects on a motion picture ready earlier shooting. They work under the direction of a Production Designer and the Set Decorator. Set dressers identify furniture, hang pictures, and put out decorative items.
  - Greensman: Works closely with the product designer, set decorator, and special effects team to realize the director'south vision for the movie's natural environment.
Costume Department:
- Costume Designer: The individual in charge of designing the vesture elements worn by actors in a film.
  - Wardrobe Supervisor: Takes care of the organization, maintenance and continuity of costumes during the film shoot.
Hair & Makeup Department:
- Key Hair Stylist: The person in accuse of the hair department, works with the manager, product designer, and cardinal makeup creative person to create original designs that fit into the overall visual look of the picture show.
- Fundamental Makeup Artist: Apply makeup to lead roles and actors, and execute any specially complicated designs and maintain continuity of application during the shoot.

Special Furnishings Section:

Special Effects Supervisor: From coordinating car chases to creating explosions on fix, they are responsible for making sure the effects are executed smoothly and safely.

Casting Department:

Casting Director: Organizes and facilitates the casting of actors for all the roles in a film.

Local Casting Director: If the production is filmed in unlike locations, a local casting director is hired to facilitate local hires.
Extras Casting Director: Cast the background actors for a feature flick.

Location Department:

Location Managing director: Responsible for finding and securing locations to exist used, obtaining all burn down, police and other governmental permits, and analogous the logistics for the product to complete its work.

Location Sentry: Searches for interior or exterior venues to serve every bit the setting for scenes depicted in a script.
Location Security: Provides a safe and secure environment for production.

Cast:

Stand-In: The person who substitutes for the actor before filming, for technical purposes such as lighting and photographic camera setup and works closely with the camera crew.

Groundwork: Extras with non-speaking roles.

Sound Department:

Audio Mixer: This person heads upwardly the department responsible for all the sound recorded during filming. This is predominantly dialogue merely can include sound effects and atmosphere.

Boom Operator: Operates the recording equipment. The boom operator's chief responsibility is to capture audio during each take. They do this through a blast mic, which is suspended to a higher place the shot with a boom pole (as well called a blast arm).

Stunts Department:

Stunt Coordinator: Usually an experienced stunt performer. Their chore is to adapt the casting (stunt players and stunt doubles) and performance of stunts for the motion picture.

Stunt Double: A highly trained professional, contracted to perform dangerous scenes in the film, often standing in for actors so they do not get hurt.

Transportation Department:

Transportation Coordinator: The transportation coordinator is the caput of the transportation department and is responsible for obtaining and managing all vehicles associated with a product, including big trucks, trailers for the makeup, hair, lighting, camera, and wardrobe departments, dressing room trailers, dearest wagons, personal trailers for the director, talent, and others, flick cars, and all rental cars for bandage and crew. The coordinator also hires and manages the transportation captain and drivers.

Transport Captain: Ensure that people are picked up at the right place, and delivered to the set on fourth dimension, by private cars, mini-buses or coaches.
Drivers: Physically drive and operate all provided production vehicles to and from the filming locations. This includes the transport of all crew, equipment and actors safely to and from the flick set while staying on schedule.

Craft Service Department:

Arts and crafts Service: Also known as "Crafties". This person or squad is responsible for the drinks, snacks and treats always bachelor to the talent and crew while working.

Catering Department:

Chef: Unlike arts and crafts service which is constant during the shooting 24-hour interval/night, the catering team handles the hot, sit down meals offered to the production talent and crew. As a general rule, catering serves its first meal six hours afterwards filming starts, and the next i vi hours after that. Meals last nearly a half-hour to an 60 minutes.

Publicity Department:

Unit Publicist: The liaison between the outside world and the set. They field the communication from press, fans, local community organizations, flick commissions, and any entity interested in the moving-picture show.

However Photographer: The person who creates picture stills, nevertheless photographic images specifically intended for utilise in the marketing of the production.

Other Coiffure:

Studio Teacher: A instructor hired past the production visitor to serve as a child advocate for all minors and to provide schooling to all school-aged minors.

Post-Production Department:

Post-Production Supervisor: Post Production Supervisors are responsible for the post product process, during which they maintain clarity of data and good channels of communication between the producer, editor, supervising sound editor, the facilities companies (such equally film labs, CGI studios and negative cutters) and the production accountant.
- Post Production Coordinator: A person who works with many facets of the post product process, including ensuring the smooth functioning of the editorial section, coordinating the production and delivery of last delivery elements, scheduling and coordinating ADR sessions and managing the administration of the department.

Editorial Department:

Supervising Editor: Works closely with the Director to achieve the Manager's vision. Oversees the editorial staff in the associates of the feature moving-picture show.

Editor: Working closely with the Manager and the Supervising Editor, Is responsible for turning uncut footage from a film shoot into a finished, cohesive concluding project.
Assistant Editor: Help the editor and director in collecting and organizing all the elements needed to edit the film. When editing is finished, they oversee the various lists and instructions necessary to put the film into its final class. Editors of large upkeep characteristic films will ordinarily have a team of Administration working for them
Colorist: Working closely with the Director, is responsible for designing the color scheme of the film in club to achieve a specific mood or visual style.

Visual Effects Department:

Visual Effects Supervisor: Is responsible for achieving the artistic aims of the managing director or producers through the employ of visual effects.

Visual Effects Artist: Uses reckoner-generated imagery to produce visual effects in the moving picture; the cosmos or manipulation of any on-screen imagery that does not physically exist in real life.
Motion Graphics Artist: Creates the moving words, logos, numbers and text on the screen during a film.

Post-Production Audio Department:

Audio Designer: Working closely with the Director, is responsible for the mood, atmosphere and tone of the overall sound landscape which includes dialogue, music, effects, mixing and Foley.

Audio Editor: Responsible for selecting and assembling sound recordings in training for the final sound mix or principal.
Foley Creative person: Uses an array of props and effects to devise and record the everyday sounds heard in the flick such as footsteps or the rustling of clothing.
ADR Engineer: Automatic dialogue replacement (ADR) is the process of re-recording dialogue by the original actor (or a replacement actor) later the filming process to improve audio quality or brand changes to the originally scripted dialogue.

Music Department:

Music Supervisor: Selects and licenses preexisting songs or recordings for utilise in the film. Normally human activity equally a liaison between the creative and business ends of the procedure.

Composer: Writes the score, which is the sum of all the original music going into a film. Film composers are also responsible for the recording of the flick score.
Musician: The composer'southward score is performed by an ensemble of musicians.

The production process on a feature film requires all departments to work closely together. Therefore, the motion picture coiffure hierarchy is less about the status of who is in charge and more about everyone having a clear understanding of their function, peculiarly in larger productions where fourth dimension is money.