Header Movie Crews and the Roles They Play

Apart from the two main figures in filmmaking, the producer and the director, there are hundreds, even thousands of others who contribute to the film, known as movie crews. They are collectively known as the crew and this article cannot do justice to the role they play in film-making, it captures the main duties of each department.

Art Department

This consists of set designers, set decorators and graphic designers. They create the set, handle props and take care of the art work in a film. Architects become specialized in this field. The set gives authenticity to a scene so it’s almost as important as the characters. The fittings and furnishing have to be just right.

The key scenic artist takes care of the surface treatment of sets. In other words, the brick wall you see in the movie doesn’t have to be a real brick wall-the set may be cleverly painted to look like one!

Props are built by people who have training in construction, machining and electronics, so this Department is not limited to artists.

Hair & Make-up

Those that apply make up have served in the beauty industry. Sometimes, they need to make people look worse than they are! If a young actor needs to portray a middle aged man, putting on some weight in the middle and flattening the hair is not convincing enough. The make-up artist works on the face, the arms and the hands. For futuristic films like X-men (remember Mystique?), it’s the make-up artist who breathes life into the characters.

Hairdressers style the hair to suit each character and works together with the make-up artist to create a certain look.

Wardrobe

This Department had costume designers, costume supervisors, art finishers and buyers. Together they design the outfits, buy material and complete the look of the character. They have to be mindful about the material quality, the sizes, colors and accessories and work close with the director to understand each role.

Camera

Led by the Director of Photography (or Cinematographer) this section deals with everything related to camera operation and lighting. The assistants handle the clapperboard, maintain a log book, load film, expose film and arrange for equipment transport. Digital Imaging technicians will fine-tune digital cameras to achieve the desired output.

Production Sound

The Production sound mixer, Boom operator and Utility sound technician are part of this. They record all sounds during filming, choose appropriate sound gear, and move microphones with the actors’ movements.

Grip - Technicians deal with lighting and rigging and work closely with the electrical department. .

Electrical – They are mainly involved with facilitating power for lighting and other equipment.

Editorial- A film editor assembles the scenes of the film to make a seamless whole and the colorist adjusts the shades of each scene for consistency.

Visual Effects- This department handles post production changes to images.

Article Summary – This article briefly describes the important role of the film crew in film making. The major departments are introduced separately and their respective tasks are outlined.