6: Set Etiquette

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Page ID: 113340

Steve Shlisky
Laney College, City College of San Francisco, San Francisco State University, Los Angeles City College via ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative (OERI)

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Learning Objectives

Learn who does what on the set?
Become familiar with the job hierarchy - who reports to whom?
Understand the director commands during shot takes - what happens between "Places Everyone" and "Cut".

6.1: Who Does What
A single person crew would be tasked to fill every production position. It can be done, of course, but that filmmaker's attention will be stretched. On camera, talent may get bored with the setups of lights, audio, tripods, and dressing of sets. The single crew member has to entertain good performances from talent while attending to camera setup, lighting and audio needs. When larger crews are needed, they need clarity to their specific roles.
6.2: The Director's Commands
Efficiency on the set is controlled by everyone knowing what to do and when. The director calls out a series of commands which start and end each take. The director and their commands order the progression of starting the recording equipment, starting the actors, and ending the shot. There are variations to the discussion in this section but this is a basic guideline.
6.3: When the Shooting Stops
Like the move from preproduction to production, there is an overlap in moving to post production. The digital revolution of production tools has made this transition easier because of the immediacy to see your footage as soon as the camera stops. If you have a designated digital imaging technician on the set, they can greatly help the transition further with preparing and labeling the clips for the editor.

Thumbnail: Pixabay License; Mediamodifier via Pixabay