Stepping on a film set is intimidating. Who do you say hi to first? Are you allowed to talk to actors? What’s a stinger? Can you eat the food? What happens if you mess up? Wouldn’t it be so much easier if someone would just spell it all out for you?
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The Best Guide You’ll Ever Read for On-Set Etiquettez
Brandon Tonner-Connolly with Alicia van Couvering write excellently about “The Seven Arts of Working in Film: A Necessary Guide to On-Set Protocol.” The seven arts being:
Imagine that you are in a dark cave with a group of people, and all of you are running around in different directions. In a corner of the cave is a flashlight, which is spinning through the room.
Suddenly, the flashlight lands on a single person. Everyone stops. Until that person does his or her job, no one can move forward.
At some point during the shooting day, that flashlight will land on you. Everyone will be looking at you and waiting for you to do your job, or the production will stop moving. That flashlight can feel like a warm spotlight or it can feel like the high beams of a speeding car, fixing you in its headlights, determined to mow you down. It all depends on how well you understand your job and the jobs of others around you.
This is one of the best guides to setiquette (set etiquette) I’ve ever read, so if you feel you’re still a little green on set, drop what you’re doing, read it, and savor every word.
Raw Stock: Why You Shouldn’t Run on a Film Set, TV Framerates and Business Card Titles
Raw Stock is back answering questions from readers working below-the-line and behind the camera. We discuss why some TV shows look so different from movies, the best way to approach your job title on a business card, and why it’s proper setiquette to walk, not run, on a film set.
Everything You’ll Ever Need to Know About Film Crews and Bottled Water
As the summer sun shines bright and brings productions heavy on exteriors and in desperate need of a longer magic hour, film crews come from all corners of the world to swelter in the heat — some shirtless — and hustle below the line. All will suffer. Many will sweat. Most will thirst. It is within this context that we take a look at a crucial aspect of filmmaking: bottled water.
25 Filmmaking Terms that Sound Like Sex Acts (and What They Actually Mean)
Here’s a list of filmmaking terms I’ve compiled that, in a twisted world, would be spoken only in a hotel room with a hooker and a $100 bill. Instead we shout them on set.
Watch This Honest “Behind the Scenes” Video of a Film Crew at Work
For those with heavy experience, this video is a nice reflection of what you encounter everyday. For those new to the film industry, this video is a brief, concise crash course in the basics of how a film crew operates.
Don’t Be Stupid: The IATSE Local 600’s Free Guide to Setiquette
In the film industry, there are a group of rules known as “setiquette” — or, set etiquette — that defines the appropriate and safe way you should act on a film set. With so many different crews in different countries, it can be difficult to grasp these rules and the details of them without logging hours of experience.
100 More Great Resources for Cinematographers, Camera Assistants, and Film Professionals
I’ve managed to dip back into the reserves to find 100 more resources for your insatiable consumption. You might want to bookmark this one so you can keep it as a reference.
Are You Struggling to Find Film Work?
Freelancing in the film industry is tough. Not only is the work hard and the hours long, but you have to hustle to even get the chance to work. One of the keys to survival is having a big hat rack at your disposal.
100 Great Resources for Cinematographers, Camera Assistants, and Film Professionals
One of my goals when I started this blog was to be a place that could redirect its readers to valuable resources they might not otherwise find. Well, I have taken this to the extreme and listed out 100 resources for cinematographers, camera assistants, and film professionals that features everything from places to find work, to books, to podcasts and forums.