You may decide you need someone to help the DP and camera operator keep track of all of the camera records, as well as help with sophisticated shots. This crew member is a 1st Assistant Camera or 1st AC or Focus Puller. The 1st AC controls the focus while the camera operator watches the shot in the viewfinder. On difficult shots, it is impossible to do follow focus or other focus techniques while also running the camera, so the 1st AC steps in. If there is not a 2nd AC, the 1st AC also handles the camera records, by recording the timecode for the beginning and end of every shot and recording whether the shot was good or bad.

To assist your lonely grip with the equipment, you may need a Key Grip or even a Best Boy. The key grip is the person in charge of all of the main grips. The Best Boy is in charge of all of the secondary grips and gaffers, and yes, he can be a she. This is a holdover title from old apprentice days. The Best Boy was usually the oldest and most experienced of the group. In early film days, film crews were predominately male, and if a director needed assistance on a crew, he’d call the staffing office and request the Best Boy available, not a trainee, for an important crew position.

For a large production with lots of equipment, you may have a large gaffer crew to work with lights and a large grip crew assisting with lighting setup and moving equipment. The Key Grip and Best Boy help keep these large crews organized.

To keep the director organized, you may want to hire a Script Supervisor. The script supervisor keeps a very detailed record of the day’s shoot. He or she maintains script notes and the official record of the shoot - the number of takes, the quality of each take and length of each take. He or she is responsible for the continuity of the shoot. The Script Supervisor or an assistant must photograph each scene before it starts, so that Inside Props can make sure everything is in the right place, hair and makeup are the same and costumes and other things that might change are the same as in the previous take.

Another essential position is the Production Assistant (PA). The Production Assistant is the gofer or runner of the crew, doing anything that is needed, from assisting the personnel of the various departments to running for copies of the script or even coffee and donuts.

While there are many more positions you will note when looking over the end credits for the movies, the positions listed above should be helpful in rounding out your crew needs. Remember, it is better and more cost-effective to have a well-fed, hardworking crew that is efficient and competent than a crew that is short-handed, short-tempered and making mistakes because they are wearing too many hats. Balance is the key. Look over your project’s aesthetic and technical requirements, and make sure you have the crew that will best meet them.

Robert G. Nulph, Ph.D., teaches college-level video production courses and is an independent video/film producer/director.