15 Essential Film Crew Jobs Explained in 23 Minutes

If you're already working on set, you probably know what your day rate is, but do you know what the job above you pays or whether you even want that job? I've hired thousands of crew members over the last 25 years, and so I'm gonna break down 15 of the jobs I hire all the time, what they actually do, what I see them getting paid, the good and the bad parts of the job, and where I think each job is heading, because some of these jobs are changing pretty fast. Crews are getting smaller. We're doing more in fewer days, and AI can already take some of the parts of the jobs that we do. But there's one job on this list that I often book even before I call the director. The reason I do that actually says a lot about why some crew members keep getting called back over and over again. We'll get to that one. Let's start at the top, although the top isn't necessarily where you wanna be. First is the director. They're the ones who decide how the story actually looks and feels, and they work with the actors and the, the camera department and the production designers to turn a script into What appears on screen. Oh, before I give you a single number, every rate in this video is, it's a range, and rates can vary dramatically by market. So if yours is different, drop your rate and your market in the comments. And the director, it's a wild card even by those standards. Now, on a small project, a director could make like $1,500, but on big commercial, it could be $25,000. On a movie, the numbers can get into a completely different universe, and some directors negotiate a backend deal. They usually have some serious creative control and they work closely with every single department. But the pressure, it's huge. They're responsible for an enormous number of decisions, and they get the credit when things go well, but they get the blame when things go badly. You might be a good fit for a director if you can explain exactly what you want using words like warmer, more honest, and less that. As for where it's heading, AI can do previs, storyboards, and generate some imagery. But human leadership, the performance, the direction, and the judgment are really, really hard to replace. So the director is in charge of the creative, but somebody still has to work out whether any of this can actually be made with the money and the days that you've got. That's the producer, and that's me. I figure out how much a shoot costs and how to actually get it made. That means budgets, crew, logistics, vendors, and solving problems. It's like I'm starting up a small company, I'm running it, sending invoices, running the job, and paying all the bills, and then closing the company down. My support team includes production managers, production coordinators, and production assistants. Producer makes about $850 to $1,500 a day, sometimes more. Often they partner with a production company, which certainly adds in their annual take. And believe it or not, sometimes less on movies. And of course, a lot less when you're talking about passion projects, which I like to work on too. I'm involved in everything, and the skills carry across commercials and documentaries and even live events. I often describe my job as like a general contractor for a house. I don't install electrical or plumbing or paint, but I know enough about those aspects to put the right crew together for the right project. The hard part is that everybody's problem becomes my problem, and when it goes wrong, there's nobody to blame but me. And you might be a good fit for producer if you enjoy solving problems that you didn't create with money that you don't have. And as far as where my own job is heading, budgeting, scheduling, and paperwork, and coordinating are going to be increasingly automated. I'm doing it myself already, but a producer who knows how to use those tools can manage more with a smaller team. Some of my jobs are smaller now precisely because I can do so much more on my own. Now, once the plan exists, somebody has to take 60 people and actually get them through the day. That brings us to the assistant director, or AD. Now, the AD runs the set. They create and manage the schedule, oversee the strategy, and coordinate with every department Supporting them is a second AD and sometimes a second second AD, and of course the PAs, otherwise known as production assistants. They make $750 to $1,500 a day, and they are the center of everything. They also have to deal with every department and every personality in every department while being the ones responsible for keeping the day on schedule and keeping everybody safe. You might be a good fit for an AD if the words quick company move make you laugh a little. And as for the future, scheduling tools will make the AD job faster, but running a live set and managing all those people is really hard to automate. AI is not taking that one. Back off, robot. And since most of these jobs are freelance, staying in touch with people that hire you is very important. If you hate sending those awkward, hey, I'm just letting you know I'm available, texts, I built a tool that helps you write them. You just answer a few questions about the person you're writing to, And boom, you get a personalized text or email that doesn't reek of desperation. You can grab it in the description below. Next, we have the director of photography, or the DP. They create the photographic look. They work with the director on what lenses to use, the lighting and the framing and the movement and the mood that comes out of all of it. Supporting them are the camera operator, the first assistant camera, or AC, second AC, and the digital imaging technician, or the DIT. And more. They make about $1,000 to $5,000 a day and sometimes more on movies. It's creative and technical at once, and there's tons of earning potential. The downside is that everybody wants to be a DP, and it's really, really competitive. If you own your own gear, it's expensive and you're upgrading constantly, and these old lenses are coming back into style, so now they have to buy those too. You might be a great fit for a DP if you can look at a perfectly normal room and immediately Start turning the lights off. But the visual judgment and the back and forth between the director and the client, you can't replace that. The next job has something a lot of freelance crew would kill for, because when the DP finds the right person, they keep calling that same person for years. That would be the gaffer. They run the lighting department, and they're in charge of every light on set. The DP sets what the look is, and the gaffer decides which instruments create it. Working with them would be the best boy, who's second in command, and then all the other electricians, and they make from $500 to $900 a day. It's creative and technical and a lot of problem solving, and when a DP finds a good gaffer, they stick with him. The gaffer becomes kind of a security blanket for the DP, and they do not like working without them. There is real job security in that, and there isn't much of that in this business. A gaffer's job is physical with a lot of electrical and safety responsibility. And we're shooting in the rain, in the snow, and everything else. If the gaffer owns their own gear, there's money on top of that day rate, but buying it and storing it can get really expensive. You might be a good fit for a gaffer if someone says, can you make this look like sunset? And your answer is, what time of sunset? Lighting technology will automate more of the functions, but if you're shooting real people on a real set, somebody still has to place and shape the light safely and make it look right. So if the gaffer The director chooses the light, the key grip molds the light. They handle the rigging and the camera support too. I'm talking stands and sandbags and all of the things that knock a light's intensity down or block it. They solve the physical problems. The key grip has a supporting cast of characters including a best boy, a dolly grip, and tons of grips. They do the heavy lifting. Grips and electricians work together to get all of the gear onto the set, and they make between $500 and $900 a day. And you might be a good fit for a key grip if the words, you can't put a camera there, feels like a personal challenge. This job is very resilient. Every set is different, and hanging heavy gear in a room nobody planned for is not something a machine is going to do. So the real risk for a key grip isn't AI at all. It's that there's less work to go around because the crews are getting smaller, and we're shooting the same job in fewer days. Now, camera and lighting get most of the attention. The next department is the one you forget about right up until the time something goes wrong. Next, you have the sound mixer. They make sure that we can clearly understand what actors are saying, and they record the usable sound in the scene. They manage the microphones and all of the recording gear, both wired and wireless. On larger shoots, they'll have a boom operator and maybe a sound utility person working with them. They make about $650 to $900 a day, and they almost always have their own equipment, so there's a gear fee on top of the labor. And because most mics are hidden under the actor's clothes, what they wear can wreck the whole day. I watched that happen in person on the set of Sons of Anarchy, and I'll come back to that. Sound is a small department, and they're pretty independent. They don't have a lot of people telling them what to do. If they do a great job, you don't even know they're there. But if the sound is bad, it gets noticed immediately, and they're in big trouble. The job looks easy, and it pays well because it's not easy. And the problems usually aren't even theirs. It's the environment, the location, the wardrobe, which brings me back to the story. You ever watch Sons of Anarchy? It was a motorcycle gang related show, but they weren't afraid to hug each other wearing leather. I was on that set once because I was friends with the sound guy, and watching them hug in their leather is just crazy because you can't hear a word they're saying over the sound of it. Well, he was able to take all of that out. And you can hear the dialogue perfectly. It was kind of magic. There's one more thing worth knowing here. The gear investment is big, but sound gear doesn't change as often as camera gear does. It can last a lot longer without constant upgrades. You're a good fit to be a sound recordist if the hum of the refrigerator at your friend's dinner party drives you crazy. And the future here is interesting. In post-production, AI can already clean up many sound problems, after the shoot. That could make it tempting for a sound person to get less careful on set, which to be clear is not how good sound people work today. Because the better the sound is when you record, the easier everything becomes in post. And the people who consistently deliver clean sound on the days are the ones productions want to hire again and again. This next job can stop the entire set if it isn't working right. It's the video assist, also called VTR. They take the camera feed and send it to the monitors so that the director, producer, and the agency and the client can see what the camera sees, and then they record it for playback. So before we move on to another set, we can rewind and decide if everything that we intended to get, we got. Sometimes it'll run at half speed, sometimes at double speed, whatever it takes. They really don't have anybody supporting them, just moral support from me. On really big spread-out jobs, though, they may have a couple of production assistants, but really, that's about it. They make about $750 to $850 plus their gear. They work closely with the director and the agency and the clients All day, and I'll tell you exactly what separates the good ones. I've seen a lot of video assist people who are really scattered. Something goes wrong and they're pulling cables and replacing things, and they're in a, they're in a huff. The others, they're just cool. Something goes wrong, they walk over, they take a look, they replace a cable, and then they go sit back down. No big deal. If you're good and calm, you build relationships where production doesn't want that position just filled by anyone.

They want you.

The downside is there's a ton of equipment. It has to be organized and it's on wheels so it can move fast in and out of a van. And you might move it 3 times in a house in one day. And when the monitors stop working, the whole set shuts down. It's amazing that with that many people on set and that much equipment, a guy with just a few monitors can bring everything to a grinding halt. And when that happens, they become the center of attention. In the worst way. You might be a good fit to be a VTR if everyone in your family calls you when their internet goes out. This job has a little pressure from the future. I think that they'll be around for a long time though. They'll just keep getting better and more streamlined gear. So that's how a shoot gets filmed and recorded. The next 3 people build everything you see on screen, starting with the art director. They create the project's physical world. The director tells them how the room should look, what the space should feel like, and what the colors are. Is it a period piece? Is it futuristic? They bring it all in with the set director, the prop master, the set dressers, and the scenic construction crew supporting them. They make about $700 to $1,500 a day and have a huge creative influence. Directors pick specific production designers for their communication and their style, and their work is highly visible. If you're watching a movie, you can see the art director's work clearly. There is no doubt who did that. There's a massive amount of prep, which is either a con or a pro. It's a con because there's so much to do, but on the pro side, that's extra days of paid work over and above, say, a grip who just works on the shoot day. Last-minute changes can be painful though. Somebody suddenly wants a wall painted and they just take care of it. The rest of us have no perspective on it. What the art department does is crazy cool. You might be a good fit to be an art director if you hear, we changed the concept the night before the shoot. And keep your face completely neutral. And the future is genuinely changing here. You can generate sets and speed up design with AI, and some parts of this position, they'll go away. But the taste, the judgment, and the ability to turn real ideas into environments are still super valuable. Next, the wardrobe stylist. They decide what the talent wears under the direction of the director and the ad agency. The stylist doesn't arbitrarily decide. They're given a theme. Then they're responsible for purchasing, fitting the actor, getting the look approved, and then keeping track of all of it. They make about $600 to $1,500 a day. They're super creative, and they have a direct impact on the character. It's the same as the art director. When you look at a scene and you see a room, you know who is responsible. When you look at the talent and see what they're wearing, that's the stylist. They also carry continuity, so they need multiple sets of all the same clothes. If something gets stained or sweated through, There's a replacement so the talent looks good as new, just like they did in the previous scene. And they get prep and wrap days too, and a lot of positions don't get that. You might be a good fit to be a wardrobe stylist if someone says, we want casual but elevated, and somehow you understand exactly what that means. The cons are a lot of shopping and a lot of returns. And to be clear, that's not the stuff we used. A stylist might buy 10 outfits for one person. We use one and the 9 other ones go back. And I've done returns myself on low-budget jobs, and it's crazy how the people at the counter look at you. I make up a different excuse every time. Sometimes I say a party got canceled or somebody passed away. I don't think the wardrobe stylists do that though, because they need to maintain their relationships with those stores. AI can generate wardrobe concepts and maybe some digital alterations, but if you're using real actors, you still need real clothes, and they have to be fitted and maintained. Then there's hair and makeup. You've seen it 1,000 times in the movies, so you know what they do. They maintain the talent's hair and makeup, and they hold continuity. So if somebody's sweating or goes swimming, they put that look back. Supporting them are additional makeup artists, hairstylists, and assistants. On smaller jobs, one person does both hair and makeup. On larger jobs, there's a hair person and a makeup person. They make about $600 to $1,200 a day, and they're super creative, and they have close relationships with the talent. Now, this is the key part. When a star actor loves a makeup artist, they stick with them and take them everywhere. If you can attach yourself to a superstar, you're golden, and your rate, it can go way up. The cons are very early calls because sometimes talent takes a long time to get ready, especially with special effects or beauty shots. And they're under an enormous amount of pressure for continuity. Imagine being responsible for making a person look the same for 12 hours straight. Glad that's not me. You're a good fit if you can spend an hour 6 inches from someone's face and still have them like you. Digital can retouch people after the fact, but you don't want to do that. It's crazy to rely on that. As long as we have real actors, we're going to need real and really good makeup artists. Behind the scenes, you've got the location scout and manager. They find and manage the locations. They handle the permits and the owners and the parking access, neighbors, and the occasional leaf blower that interrupts the shoot. They deal with the owners of the homes so I don't have to. If they need help, they rely on location assistants, which are usually up-and-coming scouts. They make $6.50 to $8.50 a day, and they're on their own a lot. When they're scouting, they're in their cars listening to the radio, cruising. And I'm not saying it's an easy job, but they don't always have somebody breathing down their neck, which I think is kind of cool. They're constantly problem solving, which some people would call a con. But I think it's a pro. And they get access to the most interesting places. Castles, churches, mansions, celebrity homes, yachts, you name it. If you want to know something about a town, find the location manager and ask them. They'll have the best stories. I produced a NASCAR shoot in North Carolina, and I drove the local scout crazy because he was the location manager on one of my favorite shows at the time. It was called Banshee, and I had 1,000 questions for that guy. On a down day, he took me around and pointed out all the key locations. It was awesome. And by the way, if you have ever watched Sons of Anarchy or Banshee, leave me a note in the comments. Location scout cons are the pressure to find exactly the right location, which sometimes just doesn't exist, but they do the best they can. Dealing with jealous neighbors and government permits is not always easy either, or property owners aren't used to having a production crew in their house. When production shows up, it's like the circus came to town, but we always leave the location better than we found it, at least on my shoots. But that can be hard to convince somebody who's never been through it. Location Location managers are often the first to arrive and the last to leave. You might be a good fit for locations if you can look at a house and immediately start wondering where 40 people are going to park. With virtual production, physical locations might get reduced, but real-world live in-person productions still need a skilled location scout and manager to make that happen. The script supervisor is an interesting one. When I started putting this list together, this was probably the job that I thought was at most risk of disappearing. They sit on set and then track the takes, the dialogue, the changes, the timing, and the coverage. And they make sure everything we're shooting will actually cut together. They work closely with the director, the DP, and the actors. And then all of their notes go to the editor because the editor is often not on set. They're coming into all this footage blind, and the script supervisor gives them the context on what happened on set. They're also watching all those little continuity things. Somebody walks through a door holding a book in their right hand. We turn around and shoot the other side, 2 hours later, that book better still be in their right hand. You've seen the mistakes in the movies. The glass is half full, then it's full, then it's empty, then it's half full again. You might be a good fit for a script supervisor if you can't enjoy a movie after you spot the glass magically refilling itself. So is this job actually disappearing? This is the one I'd be watching pretty closely. So many jobs these days are structured and made for social and seem to have loose relationships with timing and continuity. So many productions are willing to take their chances, but on large projects with lots of dialogue, you'll find scripty in their chair, usually their own chair that they brought. They're not taking any chances, and they're just a few feet from the camera and a few feet from the director with their iPad on their lap and their Apple Pencil in their hand. They make sure everything is just right. Make around $500 to $800 a day. Then there's the medic, which you never want to hear called out on set like that. They provide medical support on set and they work with the entire crew. They make around $500 to $700 a day, and a medical kit is on top of that. On the pro side, often they don't have to do anything. It's kind of an insurance policy that you pay and hope you never use, and I much prefer not to use my set medics. They don't have any prep, and they come to set and they watch and they make sure that we're safe, and if somebody gets a bump or a cut, they fix them up, and they're not involved in any client or agency or director drama, and I admire that. Frankly, I'm a little bit jealous. The downside is they either do nothing or they do something really serious. I have a friend who's a medic on reality shows. You know, the ones where the girls pull each other's hair out? Well, he's told me many times that he keeps a whole cooler of ice packs just for the girl fights. And at times, it could be boring. In such a glamorous occupation, they're sitting there standing by during a stunt, and we're all hoping they don't have anything to do, but they're there to jump into action if they have to. You might be a good set medic if your best day is one where nobody needs you. And as far as the future goes, this one is solid. If you're working with real actors and doing stunts or anything dangerous, a medic can become essential and often required. I'm not a fan of this, but on smaller shoots, a dedicated medic can be one of the positions that disappears when the crew gets smaller. And last but not least, my favorite position on set, it's craft service. They provide snacks and drinks and coffee and water and food For the set between meals. I often call craft service to tell them they have a job even before I call a director or cameraman. And this is the thing I was talking about at the beginning. I'm not saying that craft service is more important than the director, but the really good ones understand people. They notice what somebody likes, they remember it, and they make the day easier. And when I start putting another crew together, I remember that. That's the part that applies to almost every job in this video. You can be great at what you do, but if people like having you around and they know you're going to make their day easier, They're going to think about hiring you again and again. And yes, I also like the food. I want the clients and agency and the production company and all the people I'm hosting to be well taken care of. They make $350 to $550 a day for their labor, and the food and the coolers and tables and the baskets, and that's all a separate cost. They know almost everyone on the crew because everyone visits that table. They're always refreshing something, adding something, and getting something for somebody. So they get to know everybody. And if you do this job, Listen to this part. Learn what specific people like. Don't try to memorize the whole crew. Pick a couple of people. Start with the ones who hire you and know what they like. And don't ask them either. Watch what they take off the table, or just chat with them and have a casual conversation and see if it comes up on its own. Then make sure that thing is waiting for them next time. It can brighten somebody's entire day to be handed a stash of Diet Red Bull or green M&Ms or whatever they're into. And that makes a real difference to the morale of the whole set. I won't go through my whole list, but the craft service people know me, and when I show up, they have the stuff I like, and it's a pleasure. The cons are serious. They start early and they're restocking and cleaning up all day long. It's physical because they're hauling cases of water out of their van. On my sets, I have the PAs there early enough to help them bring the heavy stuff in because I know that they'll be doing that all day and I care about their health. And they're managing dietary restrictions too. No peanuts on set if that's a rule, or no shellfish if that's the rule. A client who wants everything healthy means they have to change the entire lineup. You might be a great fit for craft service if you love people and you love to be loved by crew. Their outlook is super resilient. If the crew is small, sure, production can get their own snacks and water, but on a mid to large production, or when you're putting on a show for the client or the ad agency, You need good craft service. If you've got 30, 40, 75 people on set and 50 extras, AI is definitely not feeding them. For a lot of these jobs, AI isn't actually the biggest threat. Crews are getting smaller and we're shooting differently, and sometimes we're doing in one day what used to take 2 or 3 days. For a deep dive into how to get more work in our ever-changing industry, watch this video next.