How To Get The Most Out Of Your Film Crew

When a commercial film crew is working well together, the production runs smoothly. When everyone takes initiative, and solves problems as they arise, producing becomes really easy. But how do you get the crew to work together? How can you get them to solve their own problems? 

You brief them on the day’s goals, and the hierarchy of priorities. 

Every set has a goal. It’s to make great content. But when the film crew arrives to a random parking lot in the city, and has to lug a mountain of gear up seven flights of stairs, they can lose sight of that goal. 

There are a thousand things to do at any given moment on set–and very little time to do them. Those who excel on set are those who can find the top two or three things to do that will make the biggest impact on the creative. 

The key to crews that work together well is a solid briefing. I usually do this by getting together with each main group for two or three minutes to chat about what needs to get done, and lay out their first set of priorities. I chat with the PAs, I talk to the director and DP, I talk to the gaffer’s crew, and the set design team. Once they all know what their first two or three main priorities are, they start gaining momentum. With the day’s main goal in mind, they’ll be able to turn three tasks into fifty, and knock them out with ease. 

If you’ve done the work on the front end to hire confident, positive, and helpful people, all they need is a little direction from their producer to make magic happen. 

Good luck out there! I can’t wait to see what you produce.