Key Responsibilities
This department head is responsible for sourcing and acquiring all props before presenting them to the Production Designer for approval.
Who is the Props Master?
The Props Master and this department head must coordinate closely during pre-production to determine which items fall under their respective responsibilities.
Who is the Set Decorator?
When distributing new script pages that affect the next day's work, the Second AD must clearly inform these people when they're being wrapped.
Who are the Actors?
Approving the final edit of the film
What is the job of the Director
This covers basic accidents and property damage
What is General Liability Insurance?
This role "constantly takes in information from all departments, processes it, and distributes it" while managing the daily activities of the film crew.
Who is the First Assistant Director (1st AD)?
This role coordinates with Assistant Directors (ADs) for street lockdowns or controlling areas
Who is the Location Manager and assistants?
The Props Master must follow this approval workflow before props are presented to the director.
Who is the Art Director?
Knowledge of how to use this is considered one of the essential "minor DIY skills" that demonstrates "an engineer's brain" - qualities highly valued in the props department.
What is using fishing line on set?
A daily task for this role would be photographing locations for director/production team approval
Who is the Location Manager?
This person is responsible for watching every line in the budget, categorized by department and situation, and adjusting elements when a production goes over budget.
Who is the Unit Production Manager (UPM)?
This department creates blueprints or 3D renderings of sets, while another department secures the physical spaces where these designs will be implemented.
What are the Set Design/Art Department and the Locations Department?
This role must communicate directly and often with the head of every area rather than assuming information will be passed along to them.
Who is the First AD?
This document reports daily production progress that includes any issues that happen on set.
This type of filming is completely prohibited in National Parks without special permits, and many states have additional restrictions near critical infrastructure, schools, or public events.
What are restrictions for filming with Drones?
This person oversees all creative aspects of the film, from pre-production to post-production. They are responsible for bringing the script to life and ensuring the film aligns with the artistic vision.
Who is the Director
If a production goes over budget on one day, the UPM works with this person (role) on adjusting elements on other days to compensate.
Who is the Line Producer?
When a department is exceeding its allocated budget, the UPM must first communicate with this person before reporting to the line producer.
Who is the Department Head?
This role carries the responsibility of negotiating location agreements and permits and coordinating with local authorities and property owners
Who is the Location Manager
This person is "the manager" of the set.
Who is the 1st Assistant Director?
The UPM manages this group that refers to the production costs and personnel that are not part of the creative leadership or top talent of a film production.
What is 'Below-the-line'
Once shooting begins, the relationship between these two major roles changes significantly. One focuses on big picture while the other engages in the details of the production on set.
Who are the Directors and Producers?
This role operates as a subset of the art department and as a separate department.
Who is the Props Master?
Both of these roles contribute significantly to how characters are presented on screen.
This person is the head of the Art Department and supervises the Art Director and Set Designer.
Who is the Production Designer?