Pre Production

Producer
Producers are at the financial, practical and creative heart of a film or TV drama. They are
often the first to get involved, spotting the creative opportunity and commercial viability of a
production. They continue as the driving force right through to distribution.

They are the overall decision makers. Producers will come up with story ideas and hire
writers or choose and secure rights to scripts. This is known as ‘optioning’ a script. They
decide on the scale and budget of the film and source financing from investors, studios and
distributors. They work with creative ideas from the director and approve production costs.
They spot and solve potential problems throughout the production process. They approve
locations and hire a team of staff for the production, delegating certain responsibilities to a
line producer. It’s their job to create a good working environment and they constantly
communicate with everyone to make everything run smoothly. They have ultimate legal
responsibilities for the health and safety of the crew on set and delivery of a completed film
at the end of the production process.

Casting Assistant

Casting assistants offer general help with finding actors to star in a film or TV drama. They
are generally employed as freelancers by casting directors, although they can also be hired
on a permanent contract within busier casting offices.

They read the script and help the casting director draw up a list of possible actors for the
main role. The casting assistant will call agents to check actors’ availability. They help out
with screen tests, operating the camera and offering general support in casting sessions.
They also assist with general office duties. They answer the phone and make tea and coffee.
General office admin and excellent computer skills are also a large part of their job. This
includes editing and uploading footage from casting sessions for the producer and director to
watch.

Location Manager

The location in which a film is set has a huge impact on its look, feel and story. It’s the job of
location managers to find that place in the physical world and make sure it’s accessible, safe
and not too expensive to hire.

Based on scripts and discussions with the director, production designers and other
department heads, location managers start their research. They might be looking for deserts,
stately homes or shady underpasses. They arrange recces (visits) to the locations, take
photographs, detailed notes, start discussions with the location owners and work out costs.
They present their findings to the director and, once approved, negotiate and confirm
contracts with owners.

Once filming has started, location managers manage the location. They make sure everyone
in the cast and crew knows how to get there. They negotiate parking, noise reduction, power
sources, catering requirements and any official permissions that may be needed with the
site’s management or owner. They are responsible for ensuring it’s safe.
After the shoot, they make sure that the location is cleaned and locked up, before returning it
to its owners in a satisfactory condition. Any damage must be reported to the production
office and any insurance claims dealt with.

Development Producer

Development producers find stories and scripts and get them into good enough shape to be
commissioned by a TV channel or made into a feature film.
They read screenplays, analyse their strengths and weaknesses and assess if they have
potential and will appeal to audiences. They make notes on how it can be improved (script
notes) and ask the scriptwriter to re-write accordingly. Development work on screenplays for
film can often take a few years to complete. In some cases, it might take ten years before
they go into production.

Production

Production Runner

Production runners are the hands and feet of the production team. They copy the call
sheets, sides, scripts, health and safety notices and other paperwork and run around
distributing it to the crew. They take lunch and breakfast orders for the production office, do
runs to the post office or other suppliers.

They do general office jobs like answering the phone, filing paperwork and entering data.
They sometimes book travel and accommodation. They manage a float, buy stationery and
keep everyone stocked up with caffeine and snacks. Runners are usually freelancers.

Floor Runner

Floor runners do anything required to aid the shoot's progress. They run errands, convey
messages, look after cast and crew, make drinks and provide food, drive and deliver kit.

Floor runners are often responsible for transport to and from unit base to set. They help with
getting the cast to the unit cars and crew into the minibuses.
And they deal with small and large crowds of supporting artists, supervising them, with the
help of the key third or with a crowd third (see first assistant director (AD). They might have
to supervise them or set a few into the background.
Even small details may cause delays, so floor runners are quick on their feet and responsive
to specific requests from the producer, director, or assistant directors.

Assistant Director

The first assistant director (AD) is the director’s right hand. First ADs plan the filming
schedule, working with the director, director of photography and other heads of department
to ensure an efficient shoot.
In pre-production, they break down the script, analysing it for what will be needed in terms of
cast, locations, equipment and crew. They lead recces, going off to locations to assess their
suitability for filming.
Then they input the scripts into Movie Magic software, which helps them work out what to
film and when, depending on the availability of cast and locations. They write the shooting
schedule and work out how long each scene will take to film.
During filming first ADs manage the set, which leaves the directors free to focus on the
actors and framing the shots.

Director

Directors are the creative leads of the film. They hold the creative vision throughout the
whole process, from pre-production through to the final edit. They are employed by the
executive producer or producer, who is ultimately in charge of a production.
Directors start with a script, and work with a screenwriter and sometimes a script editing
team. It’s not uncommon for the director to be the screenwriter as well. It is the job of a
director to imagine the script in a visual form. As soon as a production has raised the cash it
needs, either through being funded or commissioned, they work closely with the producers
to appoint the heads of department, such as the director of photography, assistant director
and production designer. They then work with producers and casting directors to select the
actors and with the director of photography to develop the filming style, including notes about
camera shots and script changes. Some directors rehearse actors ahead of shooting, though
not all do. They ‘block’ the performance with the actors before filming begins, meaning they
choreograph where actors are positioned, where they will move to over the course of a shot
and how they will deliver their dialogue. At the same time, a director will also be instructing
other members of the crew, especially lighting, wardrobe and make-up supervisors.
Directors work to get the best performance out of the actors but also need to ensure that all
technical aspects are in place to get a great scene filmed.After filming, they lead the editing
of a film, preparing a ‘director's cut’. That cut will be reviewed by producers and financiers
before signing off the final cut.

Post Production

Editor

The editor puts together (cuts) the pictures (rushes) as they come in from the set (or lab, if
the drama is being shot in celluloid). Films tend not to be shot in the order in which the story
unfolds, so editors might be working on scenes from the end of the film before the beginning.
Their job is to take scenes in non-story order and edit them bit-by-bit into a whole.

In pre-production, editors work closely with the director to decide how to make the most of
the script. Once filming starts, they look at the rushes each day, checking technical
standards and the emerging sense of story and performance and editing it into a series of
scenes. By the time the film wraps editors will have spent hours reworking scenes and
cutting them together to create a rough assembly.
During post-production, the editor and director will work closely to refine the assembly edit
into a director’s cut, which must be approved by producers, until they achieve picture lock
(known as final cut). After that, the music and sound are added to the mix, a process that
editors will oversee.

Post Production runner

Post-production runners oil the cogs of a post-production facility (the places where film and
TV dramas are edited). Post-production facilities are either independent companies or part of
a large studio, like Pinewood.

Runners keep the edit suites tidy, make tea and arrange meals. They sometimes work on
reception, answering the phone and making clients and guests feel welcome.
They do a lot of admin. They label picture and sound files. They file the continuity notes.
They print them, photocopy them and distribute them. They also run errands, ingest
(transfer) footage and look after the petty cash.
Within post-production there are roughly three different areas of work: management, editing
and sound design. Being a runner is a route into all three.

Post Production Supervisor

Post-production supervisors help a producer achieve as much as is possible in the edit

process without going over budget.

On films that involve using complex CGI (computer-generated images), they make sure the
producer’s aware of all the creative and financial considerations of post-production before
work on the film even begins.
Post-production supervisors help hire staff for the edit, like sound editors and titles
designers. They work closely with the production accountant, supplying accurate information
for the cost reports.
They usually continue to work on the production until all the elements needed for the
completion of the film are delivered. This includes the music and effects version, which
allows the dialogue track to be replaced with different languages.

Supervising sound editor

Supervising sound editors manage the team that looks after each part of the sound of a film
or TV drama. This includes those responsible for dialogue, additional dialogue recording
(ADR), sound effects, background sounds and Foley. (See Who works with a supervising
sound editor below for the full list.)

Their role varies according to the budget of the production. On lower budget films they start
work when the picture editor has achieved picture lock – the point at which the director or
executive producer has given the final approval for the picture edit. On bigger budget films,
they start work before shooting begins and appoint specialist sound editors to supervise
separate teams for each area of work.
After picture lock, supervising sound editors attend a “spotting session” with the director and
other sound editors. They discuss any concepts for the overall feel of the sound (naturalistic
or stylised), check every sound effect and line of dialogue to see what’s needed.
They will then have a hands-on role in creating the overall soundtrack for every discipline.
They are responsible for the sound budget and for organising the workflow – from sound
editorial, Foley recording, ADR sessions, pre-mix to final mix - and making plans for any
special requirements. After the final mix, supervising sound editors usually oversee the
creation of the different deliverables, including a music and effects version which allows
dialogue to be replaced with dialogue in different languages.
They usually work in a freelance capacity but are occasionally employed by post-production
houses.