You will need a grip to round out your small crew. Grips are the muscles of the crew. These are the men and women who move things around, carry equipment, set up ladders, move dollies (dolly grips) and do any other heavy lifting needed. The grip assists with setup of the camera and lights and is the overall worker bee of the small crew.

As your projects grow in size and sophistication, you will find that your crew must also grow. The following is a list of crew positions you will want to add gradually to make your projects less hectic and more manageable. It will also identify some of the more interesting crew names found in the film industry.

If you grow to a point where it is difficult for you to concentrate on the shoot and the management of the projects is driving you nuts, you really need a Producer. This is the person who actually works to get the project made. Producers are usually "jacks of all trades" who know the ins and outs of sales and financing, management and business. They also know the video or film industry and have the artistic and technical knowledge needed to bring the project from conception to final edit and distribution. The producer is the hands-on day-to-day business manager of smaller projects and ultimate head of the management team on larger projects. The producer hires everyone associated with the project, acts as a liaison with the executive producer or client and makes sure that the project comes in on time and under or at budget.

As your projects become more sophisticated in the area of lighting and camera movement, consider hiring a Director of Photography (DP). The Director of Photography is responsible for the lighting and total look and recording of the images for a production. He or she must work with the crew to determine what lights are needed and how to light each scene and must also decide which film or video format to use, what lenses to use and whether any dollies, booms, tripods or any other camera supports are needed. The Director of Photography usually acts as the cinematographer, shooting each scene with the assistance of the camera crew.

The main lighting assistant for the DP is a Gaffer. The Head Gaffer sets up the lighting and other gear needed to control the light. Gaffers work closely with the DP to create the look of the project.